The Buffalo Bills experienced their first loss of the season, falling to the New England Patriots 23-20 on Sunday night. Turnovers and penalties played a significant role in the defeat.
Quarterback Josh Allen commented on the difference between the two teams, saying, “[The Patriots] took care of the football. We didn’t.”
A key moment occurred in the third quarter when Buffalo was trailing 13-10. The offense was pushed back by a pass interference penalty, and Allen’s subsequent throw to Khalil Shakir was intercepted by New England’s Marcus Jones. This marked Allen’s second interception of the season.
“That’s the biggest thing. In order to win games, you need to take care of the ball. So, we just need to be better at that,” said Shakir. “Some days this week, as far as fundamental technique and all those things, just to [get] better at that for the next game.”
Allen also lost a fumble in the first quarter after a collision with tight end Dawson Knox, with Patriots defensive tackle Joshua Farmer recovering the ball.
Head coach Sean McDermott addressed these mistakes after the game: “That’s where I start. You got to take care of the football. You look at it, the stats, the numbers don’t lie, right? … You’re negative two on the turnover differential. So, that’s not a winning formula.”
Wide receiver Keon Coleman also fumbled during a play in which he could have gained at least three yards before Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane forced it loose and defensive back Jaylinn Hawkins recovered.
“[I] thought we beat ourselves. Turned the ball over three times, they get 10 points. We get one takeaway, don’t get any points off it,” McDermott said. “Just not enough complimentary football, just didn’t seem like we were into a rhythm offensively enough. And when we did, we had penalties, self-inflicted wounds.”
Buffalo’s defense managed one takeaway when Shaq Thompson and Matt Milano forced a fumble from Rhamondre Stevenson that captain Terrel Bernard recovered. However, unlike New England, Buffalo failed to capitalize on their turnover opportunity.
After Allen’s interception in the third quarter, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye led his team downfield for a touchdown drive that extended into the fourth quarter and increased their lead to 20-10.
Tight end Dalton Kincaid summarized Buffalo’s struggles: “Just shooting ourselves in the foot,” Kincaid said. “Got to make those corrections and move forward.”
The Bills matched their highest number of penalties in a game this season with 11 infractions totaling 90 yards—despite previously being one of the league’s least penalized teams before Week 4. New England committed eight penalties for 93 yards but responded more effectively than Buffalo did.
“I thought our guys fought, they played hard. But this is one we need to learn from,” McDermott said. “… You start with the fundamentals of winning football. Usually it’s us taking the ball away three times to none. And in this case, it was the other way.”
