The New England Patriots were on pace to have a statement victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, but the Bills ultimately came back from a 21-point deficit to win 35-31. During the drive where Buffalo scored the game-winning touchdown, it seemed as if the Patriots had a huge third-down stop after forcing an incompletion.
However, a late flag came in to penalize Patriots defensive back Carlton Davis for pass interference.
The Bills then got a new set of downs and went on to take the lead in the final score of the game. After the game, Davis wasn’t happy with how the penalty unfolded. The veteran defender didn’t criticize the call, instead focusing on the timing.
Davis vented, “You either throw the flag or not. You don’t take 10 seconds to throw the flag. If it’s a definitive flag, throw it. If not, let us play.”
Carlton Davis:
— Brian Hines (@iambrianhines) December 14, 2025
“You either throw the flag or not. You don’t take 10 seconds to throw the flag. If it’s a definitive flag, throw it. If not, let us play.” https://t.co/ZnvX3kMBZQ
Carlton Davis sends message to NFL referees
Davis makes a fair point. While the call itself was very polarizing, the flag coming so late made things really questionable. That also speaks to the polarization of the penalty; if it was a clear pass interference, the referee would have had the yellow marker on the field in a heartbeat. Instead, it took some thought, and that thought ultimately assisted Buffalo in winning.
While Davis and the Patriots have every right to be upset, it is important to note that the penalty was costly, but not the reason New England lost on Sunday. The Patriots were absolutely dominated in the second half, and the defense had no answer for Josh Allen and James Cook. It took until the Bills' fourth drive for them to score points, but that drive was the first of five straight touchdown drives.
Buffalo dominated the Patriots on the ground with 168 rushing yards, on 4.5 yards per carry, and two touchdowns. Allen also completed 19-of-28 passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, the Patriots offense started hot but couldn’t keep pace in the second half.
Still, with 31 points on the board, it’s hard to blame the offense, or the refs, for Sunday’s loss.