Bills comeback vs. Patriots: Josh Allen overcomes slow start to stun Drake Maye in Foxboro

Daniel Mader

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Bills comeback vs. Patriots: Josh Allen overcomes slow start to stun Drake Maye in Foxboro image

One way or another, Sunday's matchup between the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots would have massive playoff consequences.

A Bills win would keep them alive in the AFC East race, simultaneously pulling closer to New England in the division race while improving their tiebreaker outlook. A Patriots win would seal the division race, allowing them to celebrate a secured home playoff game.

In response to those circumstances, Josh Allen and Drake Maye, last year's MVP and one of the frontrunners this season, put on a show. Buffalo completed a 17-point comeback in the second half for a 35-31 win, as the two quarterbacks combined for five total touchdowns while aided from strong ground games.

Here's a look at the Bills' comeback against the Patriots in Week 15, along with the dynamic performances from Allen and Maye.

MORE: Updated AFC East standings following Bills' win over Patriots

Bills comeback vs. Patriots

The Bills trailed 24-7 at halftime of Sunday's game. Drake Maye had run for a pair of touchdowns, while TreyVeyon Henderson had a 52-yard rushing score of his own. After New England got a field goal as the second-quarter time expired, Buffalo's AFC East chances looked all but gone.

Allen, however, continued to play some of his best football of the season.

Early in the third quarter, his touchdown pass to Dawson Knox cut the deficit to 24-14.

Later in the third quarter, the Bills drove back down the field, and Cook ran into the end zone to make it just a three-point game.

Not long after, on a 3rd & 25, Maye took a deep shot that didn't pay off. He was picked off by Tre'Davious White, although New England would have punted into that range anyway.

Buffalo took advantage of the turnover with a 13-play, 91-yard drive that led to Knox's second touchdown catch. The Bills took a 28-24 lead, going for 21 unanswered points.

The Patriots did answer; Henderson ran for his second big touchdown, as Maye gave him a block for another home-run score. New England took a 31-28 advantage.

The difference, however, was one last Bills touchdown drive. With under seven minutes remaining, Cook scored his third touchdown of the day to help Buffalo reclaim the lead.

New England went three-and-out, then turned it over on downs, on its following two drives, allowing the Bills to complete the comeback and improve to 10-4. 

Josh Allen stats today

  • Completions/Attempts:  19/28
  • Passing Yards: 193
  • AVG:  6.9
  • Passing TDs:  3
  • INTs:  0
  • Rushing Yards:  48
  • Rushing TDs:  0

Josh Allen simply did Josh Allen things against the Patriots in Week 15. After leading a thrilling win over the Bengals in Week 14, Allen threw three touchdown passes for the second consecutive game.

Two of his touchdowns against New England came in the second half as the Bills came storming back. The first was a strike to James Cook in the second quarter that made it a 21-7 deficit.

Led by Allen and James Cook, the Bills posted 168 yards on the ground, as well as 349 yards of total offense.

MORE WEEK 15 NFL:

Drake Maye stats today

  • Completions/Attempts:  14/23
  • Passing Yards:  155
  • AVG:  6.7
  • Passing TDs:  0
  • INTs:  1
  • Rushing Yards:  43
  • Rushing TDs:  2

Maye came into Week 15 as an MVP candidate, and while his numbers weren't dominant against the Bills, he'll remain one of the frontrunners for the award.

The Patriots quarterback was particularly strong with his legs on Sunday, rushing for a pair of touchdowns. In the first quarter, Maye's rushing score opened the scoring to put New England up 7-0.

Again, at the end of the second quarter, Maye was dashing through the Bills' defense once again.

On the day, New England had over 240 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground, as Maye made a dynamic duo with TreyVeyon Henderson. However, with Allen's second-half excellence, the Patriots lost just their third game of the season — and their playoff clinch will have to wait at least one more week. 

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