Final: New England Patriots 29, Buffalo Bills 26
October 4, 2026 | Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. With a 1–3 start looming and an undefeated division rival across the field, Drake Maye and the Patriots answered the call.
Maye threw three touchdown passes, led a fourth-quarter comeback and helped New England finish a 29–26 victory over Buffalo on Sunday. The Patriots improved to 2–2, dropped the Bills to 3–1 and left Orchard Park one game behind Buffalo after entering the afternoon at risk of falling three games back.
For a team coming off a 35–6 loss at Jacksonville, this was the response New England needed. Maye finished 22 of 37 for 269 yards and added 53 yards rushing. He also threw an interception and lost a fumble, but neither first-half mistake prevented him from delivering when the game tightened.
Trailing 26–21 with 4:27 remaining, the Patriots started at their own 27. Maye connected with Hunter Henry for 14 yards, Romeo Doubs for 12 and Efton Chism III for 19, moving New England into scoring position. On third-and-five from Buffalo’s 23, he escaped the pocket and kept looking downfield.
Chism supplied the spectacular finish. The second-year receiver stretched out for a one-handed touchdown catch with 1:50 remaining, completing an eight-play, 73-yard drive. With Mack Hollins sidelined, Chism stepped into a critical role and finished with two catches for 42 yards.
Maye then found Rhamondre Stevenson for the two-point conversion, putting New England ahead 29–26. His patience on that play gave Stevenson time to come open and created the three-point cushion.
Buffalo still had Josh Allen, all three timeouts and a chance to answer. Craig Woodson ended that threat, intercepting Allen’s forced downfield throw with 1:05 left. When the Patriots faced third-and-10 on the ensuing possession, Maye rolled out and found Henry for 12 yards. That first down allowed New England to exhaust Buffalo’s remaining timeouts and run out the clock.
The aggression had started much earlier. Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels trusted Maye on fourth down during a 12-play, 97-yard opening drive. Maye found Doubs for the conversion, then hit him for a 14-yard touchdown to establish a 7–0 lead.
New England converted both of its fourth-down attempts, each on a Maye completion to Doubs. It also scored touchdowns on all three red-zone possessions. Those decisions and that execution mattered in a game where field goals could have left the Patriots short.
The first half still exposed the problems that had hurt New England during its opening three weeks. Maye lost a fumble with the offense in scoring territory. Near halftime, a low throw to Doubs became a tipped interception by Dee Alford, setting up Tyler Bass’ 27-yard field goal and a 17–14 Buffalo lead.
Maye responded immediately after the break. New England opened the third quarter with a 14-play, 73-yard touchdown drive that consumed 6:45. Doubs’ second touchdown, a two-yard reception, restored the lead to 21–17. He finished with six catches for 58 yards and two scores, giving Maye a reliable target on both scoring plays and fourth downs.
The defense supplied the other half of the victory. Elijah Ponder recorded a sack and recovered Khalil Shakir’s first-half fumble. Carlton Davis III and Marcus Jones made important tackles on the perimeter, and Allen finished with just four rushing yards despite scoring on a short quarterback sneak.
James Cook eventually found room and finished with 75 rushing yards and a touchdown. Keon Coleman was Buffalo’s biggest receiving threat, catching six passes for 116 yards. His 34-yard touchdown with 4:27 left put the Bills ahead, but Buffalo’s failed two-point attempt kept the margin at five.
That left Maye a clear assignment: take the Patriots downfield for a touchdown. He completed it, then made the third-down throw to Henry that secured the result after Woodson’s interception.
New England left Buffalo with 405 total yards, four touchdowns and a first road victory of the season. The rough start remains part of Maye’s season. Sunday gave the Patriots a strong response to it, with their quarterback leading the winning drive and their defense delivering the final takeaway.
Final team statistics
| Final team statistics | Patriots | Bills |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 405 | 340 |
| First downs | 26 | 19 |
| Third-down conversions | 5/12 | 6/12 |
| Fourth-down conversions | 2/2 | 1/1 |
| Red-zone touchdowns | 3/3 | 2/4 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
