5 winners (and 1 major red flag) from Patriots’ statement win over Bills

The New England Patriots sent their fans into a time capsule on Sunday night, reminding them just how fun a prime-time, heavyweight battle with Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills used to feel during those good ol’ days.

The beautiful reality? This wasn’t a dream or some kind of moral victory. This was a turning point for a franchise that's been waffling near the bottom of the NFL standings for two-plus years.

New England’s 23-20 win delivered everything fans hoped for when Mike Vrabel was hired as the new head coach back in January. The Patriots battled through adversity — the majority of it self-inflicted — never flinched, and knocked off the consensus No. 1 team in the NFL. In an Orchard Park "White Out," no less.

There were plenty of game balls to go around after this perfectly imperfect shocker that gave the Patriots (3-2) their first record above .500 since Week 9 of the 2022 season.

The best and worst of the New England Patriots’ massive win at Buffalo 

Winner: QB Drake Maye 

Maye has been playing elite-level football for multiple weeks now, but Sunday night was his true arrival. He took the field in the second half with his team trailing 10-6, and went on to finish 13 for 14 passing for 184 yards and a 118.8 passer rating from that point forward.

It says a lot about a player when their best game comes on a night with zero touchdown passes. Maye made plays that Josh Allen would be impressed with — and he’s barely 23 years old with 17 career starts under his belt. 

He also finally has his first game-winning drive under his belt, after leading the Patriots 37 yards in just under two minutes for the go-ahead field goal. There should no longer be any doubt that Maye is New England's next great franchise quarterback.

Winner: WR Stefon Diggs

The Josh McDaniels offense doesn’t typically funnel the ball to one alpha wide receiver, but you could sense Diggs' big night coming prior to the opening kickoff.

Still less than a full year removed from a torn ACL, Diggs showcased brilliant footwork and a blossoming connection with Maye. He was targeted on 12 of Maye’s 28 pass attempts (42.9%) and accounted for 146 of the team’s net yards from scrimmage (43.2%).

Several analysts this summer wondered if Diggs had enough juice to operate as a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver for the Patriots. Well, they just got their answer.

Winner: LB Robert Spillane

There might not be a more improved Patriots player since the start of the season than Spillane, who was all over the field, shared the team lead in tackles, and also forced a key fumble inside Buffalo’s own 20-yard line on Sunday night.

The veteran inside linebacker had a rough start to the year, missing a combined eight tackles over New England's first two games, per Pro Football Focus, while also looking like a potential liability in coverage. He’s been a completely different player since Week 3, and he was among the unsung heroes of that Bills game.

Red flag: Brutal penalties in the fourth quarter

Sunday night was very nearly a moral victory for New England. 

Leading 20-10 with just over 11 minutes remaining in regulation, the defense handed Allen and the Bills 30 free yards with a pair of back-to-back personal foul penalties. 

The first was called on defensive tackle Cory Durden for roughing the passer. On the very next play, Harold Landry Jr. stuffed a James Cook rushing attempt — only for rookie Joshua Farmer to inexplicably whack Cook late while he was clearly kneeling on the turf. The Bills wound up breezing in for a touchdown to make it a three-point game.

It somehow got worse on New England’s ensuing possession. The Patriots brought in their jumbo package with an extra offensive lineman on third-and-inches, and Maye plowed forward for what should have been a key first down with 6:22 left and the clock running. But Lowe flinched prior to the snap for a crushing five-yard penalty, forcing the Patriots to punt that ball back to Allen and the Bills.

Credit Vrabel and the Patriots for finding a way to finish the game, but those are the kind of killer penalties that shift momentum and get you beat — especially against that team and in that environment.

Winner: CB Christian Gonzalez 

Speaking of finding a way to finish the game? Gonzalez left his fingerprints all over the Bills' final possession.

Before Buffalo’s game-tying field goal that made it 20-20 with 2:17 remaining, Gonzalez came up huge on consecutive plays. First, he stuck to contested-catch artist Keon Coleman on an Allen scramble, and managed to ward the young receiver out of the back of the end zone for an incompletion. On the next play, third down, Gonzalez broke on Allen's pass with perfect timing to deny Khalil Shakir the ball on what would have been a Buffalo first down inside New England’s 20.

The Patriots improved to 2-0 with Gonzalez in the lineup, and that’s hardly a coincidence. Smothering the Carolina Panthers at home last week was nice, but limiting Josh Allen to 20 points in his own house is next level for this young and ascending defense.

Winner: K Andres Borregales

Give Vrabel credit. Unlike just about every Patriots fan on the planet, his faith in Borregales has never wavered.

Borregales made a big kick in New England's win over the Dolphins in Week 2, but this was his first big test. Tie game. The team's been battling all night on the road. Stadium rocking. Tons of pressure... and the rookie splits the uprights with a 52-yard bomb.

That’s exactly how you earn your stripes as a young kicker, and Borregales nailed it.

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