The Patriots trailed 26-21 in Orchard Park, faced third-and-5 at the Buffalo 23 and had 1:50 left to play. Drake Maye threw toward the end zone, and Efton Chism III reached up, caught the ball with his right hand and kept control as he came down. Maye then hit Rhamondre Stevenson for the two-point conversion. On the Bills' last possession, safety Craig Woodson intercepted an underthrown Josh Allen pass, and New England left with a 29-26 win.
It was a real upset. Buffalo came in 3-0, and this was its first loss at the new Highmark Stadium. New England came in 1-2 after a 35-6 home loss to Jacksonville, and its quarterback had thrown one touchdown pass against six interceptions in three games. The win puts the Patriots at 2-2. The Bills fall to 3-1.
The injury angle needs a little context. The Patriots were short-handed, but this was not a team of backups. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez and defensive tackle Christian Barmore both hurt their shoulders against Jacksonville and were ruled out after missing every practice this week. Up front on offense, Ben Brown was expected to start at right guard after Van Roten went to injured reserve. Six other players were listed as questionable, including right tackle Morgan Moses, edge rusher Dre'Mont Jones and Woodson, and all six were active. Receiver Mack Hollins then left with a calf injury. The Patriots were missing their top cornerback and a key interior lineman and lost a receiver during the game. Buffalo got hurt too. Wide receiver DJ Moore (shoulder) did not return after the second quarter, and defensive tackle Ed Oliver (knee) and cornerback Dee Alford (ankle) also went down.
The defense held up without Gonzalez. Buffalo finished with 340 total yards and 19 first downs, both season lows. Allen went 23 of 33 for 253 yards with a touchdown pass and a rushing score. His 2-yard run late in the first half was his 88th career touchdown from scrimmage, a Bills record that passed Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed. Even so, the Bills had one possession to answer Chism's catch and turned it over.
Maye's day was better than his first three games, but it was not clean. He finished 22 of 37 for 269 yards and three touchdowns. He threw an interception on a pass that Romeo Doubs tipped and lost a fumble, both in the first half. He now has seven interceptions in four games. That is one fewer than his total for all of 2025, when he threw 31 touchdowns against eight interceptions in 17 starts. He is the first Patriots quarterback since Tom Brady in 2003 to throw seven interceptions in the first four games of a season.
The improvement came everywhere else. New England opened with a 97-yard touchdown drive, and Maye accounted for 92 of those yards. The offense finished with 405 yards and 26 first downs, both season highs. Maye also ran for 54 yards, and NESN reported that his passing yards, touchdowns and rushing yards were all season highs. Coach Mike Vrabel said his quarterback went toe-to-toe with Allen. After the game, Maye said the win was "relieving a little bit, but we've still got some work left." That sounds right. His three touchdown passes in Buffalo were two more than he had thrown in the three previous weeks combined.
For fantasy managers, Maye's floor looks steadier now. The rushing gives him a safety net, and the offense moved the ball against a good defense on the road. The interceptions still matter in leagues that punish turnovers, but this game looked more like his 2025 form than anything he had shown in September. Managers who benched him after the Jacksonville game should put him back in their plans.
Doubs was the most reliable scorer among the pass catchers, with touchdown catches of 2 and 14 yards. Two scores in one game does not make him a weekly starter, but he was on the field when the Patriots got close to the goal line. Chism's catch will be the highlight, and Maye made a point of praising him afterward, saying Chism stays after practice and works at his game. One great catch is not enough to put him in a lineup. If Hollins misses time with the calf injury, though, there will be more targets to go around, and Chism is the best deep-league pickup to watch this week.
Stevenson scored on a 1-yard run and caught the two-point conversion. The Patriots trusted him in short-yardage situations, and that keeps his touchdown chances alive in any game.
Next week the Patriots are at home against Las Vegas. If Gonzalez and Barmore come back, the defense gets healthier. If Maye cuts down on giveaways, the offense that showed up in Buffalo could be a lot to handle. Check the injury reports for Gonzalez, Barmore and Hollins before setting lineups.