After receiving a 38-yard kickoff return from Ray Davis and incurring a face mask penalty, Buffalo faced 4th-and-10 on New England’s 22-yard line. James Cook scored his second rushing touchdown of the game via zone-read keeper where he read an unblocked defender to cap off their drive successfully.
Stefon Diggs and Rhamondre Stevenson played key roles for New England in keeping the ball moving, with both players consistently making key passes and running precise routes, as reflected in the detailed New England Patriots Vs Buffalo Bills Stats analysis of their overall performance and impact on the game.
| Date | Matchup | Result (W/L) | Score (Bills–Patriots) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Dec 2025 | Bills @ Patriots | Bills Win | 35–31 |
| 05 Oct 2025 | Patriots @ Bills | Patriots Win | 20–23 |
| 05 Jan 2025 | Bills @ Patriots | Patriots Win | 16–23 |
| 22 Dec 2024 | Bills @ Patriots | Bills Win | 24–21 |
| 31 Dec 2023 | Bills @ Patriots | Bills Win | 27–21 |
Stefon Diggs
Stefon Diggs has been an excellent receiving option for the Bills this season, amassing five 100-yard games so far and setting an all-time career-high total with six catches for 101 yards and one touchdown – his highest total ever!
Additionally, two 2-point conversions tied his season high total. Most recently against New England, Stefon caught seven passes for 104 yards and scored.
The Bills entered the second half trailing by just one touchdown, yet quickly found themselves falling behind.
On Buffalo’s opening drive of the second half, James Cook scored on a 10-yard run before Josh Allen connected with tight end Dawson Knox for a 20-yard pass that scored for their first score of the half.
Once that score had been recorded, defense quickly locked in on both running and passing games to keep New England off of their turf.
After that, the Bills offense began its drive back toward goal. Facing third-and-goal from two yards out and needing a first down to reach goal line, Allen connected with Diggs who then took off down left sideline toward goalline; although tackled short of goalline he kept both feet within bounds to earn first down and keep driving the drive forward.
Even though they lost, the Bills remain competitive for playoff contention. They currently sit fifth in the AFC East but could potentially advance up one spot if they beat New England on Sunday and advance one further with victory – then facing Miami Dolphins as part of their opening-round opponent list in playoffs.
This week, the Patriots must address several pressing concerns, but none is more pressing than Stefon Diggs’ health.
He signed a three-year free agency deal in March that will leave his cap hit at nearly $20 million by 2025, providing them with options should they wish to allocate that money elsewhere.
Rhamondre Stevenson
Rhamondre Stevenson of the Buffalo Bills stands an excellent chance of becoming one of the NFL’s premier running backs this year.
With strong hands, great speed, a good understanding of defenses and an eye for reading them properly he could prove an invaluable asset for his future team.
The Buffalo Bills’ rushing attack has been one of the main factors in keeping them competitive this season.
Josh Allen has struggled, and having a reliable running game is essential to winning games. Unfortunately, however, their run game has become inconsistent over recent weeks; thus leaving Josh Allen struggling alone to carry the load and needing improvements themselves.
After losing the coin toss, New England received possession to begin the first quarter. They made good on it by orchestrating an impressive opening drive, featuring Drake Maye completing a 30-yard pass to Kayshon Boutte down the sideline and later keeping the drive alive by running 7 yards for a touchdown – with Andy Borregales scoring another 36-yard field goal at halftime to put New England ahead 14-0.
The second quarter was scoreless until its final play. On third-and-25, the Patriots attempted to convert on 4th down but were unsuccessful and forced to punt.
Their punt went out of bounds at Bills 33-yard line but their defense managed to hold onto possession for the remainder of half.
In the third quarter, Buffalo made their move with their first touchdown of the game and saw James Cook become only the sixth player in NFL history to pass 4,000-yard mark for career yards while Matt Milano recorded his first two-plus sack of career – both feats made even more impressive given the depth of injuries on their defense unit.
In the fourth quarter, both teams traded scores multiple times before Leodis McKelvin of Buffalo fumbled the kickoff and Dion Lewis scored with an 1-yard touchdown run for New England.
Buffalo’s rushing attack
Buffalo’s run game found much-needed success against New England Patriots with 25 mph wind gusts on Sunday in their 24-21 win.
Running 14 first downs and seven passing was key in maintaining possession and controlling time against one of the league’s premier pass defenses.
The Patriots did not live up to expectations as an eighth-ranked team in terms of creating pressure on quarterbacks this season, yet their front seven successfully limited Josh Allen to only one sack against Buffalo’s offensive line that has struggled in pass protection.
New England employed a four-man front with two strong-side DEs and two inside linebackers throughout the night, featuring NT Jack Gibbens and DT Robert Spillane paired on most snaps to press the line and minimize running back opportunities through field lanes or A-gaps.
On their second drive of the first half, the Patriots used three consecutive throws to the slot receiver and an easy screen pass to TreVeyon Henderson who ran 13 yards after contact into New England territory for an incredible gain after contact gain.
The Patriots also used an array of plays to throw into the flat on several other plays and target wide receivers on routes to the slot.
Although those passes were typically only successful on short completions, they were enough to get Bills within scoring range for field goal attempts.
Although individual performances can skew player stats, New England’s run defense is beginning to form an impressive foundation.
Their rushing attack should limit Bills drives into the red zone while helping limit red zone drives from extending; finding consistency in passing game plays is also essential.
The Patriots are on track to build a powerhouse team on both sides of the ball, but their secondary must step up its game in order to prevent big plays by rival teams.
New England’s passing game
New England’s offense struggled from the get-go and never found its footing, only completing few passes in the first half and seeing their rushing attack stopped by Buffalo’s defense.
But during the second half, Buffalo took full advantage of New England’s faltering offense to gain momentum; running up over 100 yards and linking with wide receivers TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson via quarterback Josh Allen to take control.
The Bills opened the third quarter with a touchdown drive and took an early 17-10 lead, but Patriots responded to take back an edge in late fourth quarter by outscoring them 28-25 and taking an unassailable 28-25 lead late on.
When Bills attempted another game-winning field goal attempt later on in fourth quarter but it was blocked, the Patriots ultimately prevailed with victory.
After this loss, the Bills dropped to 8-6 and may need help from other teams in order to make it into the playoffs.
Though they lost, the Bills showed some promise. With a win in Week 15, they could clinch a wild card spot and beat Patriots in 25 of 27 meetings since 2010.
Buffalo’s defense continued to stop New England from running freely, as their offensive line failed to block for running back James Cook who only gained 32 yards during the first half. Furthermore, their defensive back line held quarterback Drake Maye to just 12 rushing yards.
The Bills defense stepped up their game in the second half, as linebacker Matt Milano recorded his first 2-sack game of the year and stopped New England from building any momentum. Additionally, Cook’s rushing touchdown marked an improvement on offense for Buffalo as well.
With their victory, the Bills improved to 25-4 since 2020 in December/January games – tied with Miami Dolphins as the best record in the NFL since that period began. Josh Allen led Buffalo’s offense with three touchdown passes for 317 yards of offense; their run game also kept Allen in the game enough.
