Buffalo used a long, sustained drive fueled by their running game to take their first lead of the day. Cook’s explosive run up the middle capped it all off for them with two-yard touchdown.
Buffalo’s defense again showed their resilience when linebacker Matt Milano recorded a sack on third-and-goal against New England’s next drive, one of several impactful plays reflected in the Buffalo Bills Vs New England Patriots stats that demonstrate how the Bills’ front seven disrupted New England’s offensive rhythm.
| Match | Format | Date / Series | Result / Scorecard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots | NFL Regular Season | Dec 2025 | BUF 31 – NE 28 – Bills win by 3 points – Full box score & detailed stats available at ESPN NFL Stats (ESPN) and official game breakdown at NFL Game Center (NFL Game Center) |
Quarterbacks
The Bills got off to an explosive start on offense, quickly scoring two first downs on their opening drive. New England’s defense responded and forced Buffalo into three three-and-outs that closed out the quarter – including Jack Gibbens getting an important sack on Josh Allen to force a punt and put New England in excellent field position for their next possession.
Drake Maye found TreVeyon Henderson wide open on the first play of their ensuing drive. Although TreVeyon Henderson was held up on two initial plays, he eventually broke free and raced down the sideline for 65-yard touchdown run – giving the Patriots an overwhelming first half advantage with 285 total offensive yards over 75 from Buffalo.
New England’s defense continued to effectively shut down Buffalo’s offense in the second half, led by linebacker Robert Spillane (two interceptions this year, tied for most among Patriots linebackers since 2007).
Hunter Henry leads the league with 674 receiving yards, the most by any Patriots tight end since Drew Bledsoe in 2000. To tie for most touchdowns this season with Tom Brady (24), Steve Grogan (3) and Drew Brees (2) against Buffalo this Sunday will require two scores against them in Foxborough – something Henry is capable of doing easily! It will mark 133rd game between these rivals; New England leads their longstanding series 80-51% since first meeting each other back in 1960 with 39 of 50 Foxborough victories going to them since then!
Total Yards
After an inconsistent first half in which New England scored four times on five possessions, Buffalo put together an impressive second-half comeback that kept New England from clinching their division title and marked their first win at Foxboro since 2000. Furthermore, this game marked Drew Bledsoe’s final start as New England quarterback while Lawyer Milloy made his final start as Bills safety.
The Bills opened up the second half with an impressive kickoff return by Ray Davis, who gained 38 yards. Following that was a terrific pass from Allen to wide receiver Jared Shakir who caught an tight seam pass that opened up for 60-yard gain, placing the Bills within 42 yards of New England and giving them an opportunity to regain their lead.
Buffalo’s drive was temporarily derailed when Carlton Davis committed a pass interference penalty on third down. They managed to secure a fourth down play however and on its subsequent snap Allen lofted a deep pass for Shakir to catch in stride en route to scoring his third touchdown of the day.
James Cook added a rushing touchdown at the end of this drive – marking their first multiple rushing scores in one game and giving them a two-game advantage in their division with just over 10 minutes left to play. This put Buffalo ahead 31-28.
Passing Yards
Passing yards are one of the key measures of quarterback performance, yet it is crucial to consider their context when judging quarterback play. A quarterback may amass impressive passing yard totals but fail to convert them into touchdowns (their ultimate aim). When this occurs, player effectiveness and decision-making under pressure often become more influential factors than just how many yards they throw.
After an initially slow start, Buffalo finally began their first productive drive of the game with an effective and long drive. Started off by Ray Davis’ big gain and quickly moving downfield. On third down with Dawson Knox catching, and Allen finding Cook open in the end zone for an end zone touchdown catch on second down, the Bills scored.
The Patriots failed to make headway on their next drive and punted. Now trailing by 28-21, this contest remained close and in play.
Leodis McKelvin’s fumble presented Buffalo with an outstanding scoring opportunity. Just a few plays later, Allen connected with Dawson Knox for a 20-yard catch that propelled them deep into the New England red zone and resulted in another James Cook touchdown run and brought them within two points of victory before they eventually took a knee to secure it.
TDs
The Bills and Patriots have met 133 times between regular season and playoff play. New England has won 52 of these meetings while Buffalo has claimed 20. The best performance by Buffalo against New England occurred when Doug Flutie led them to a 17-13 win at Boston that year; that marked their last regular season victory over Boston.
After two straight three-and-outs by New England, Josh Allen looked to get both his team’s run and pass game going on its first drive of the second half for Buffalo Bills. Following quick gains on a QB keeper by James Cook and Allen hitting tight end Dawson Knox for their first touchdown – cutting New England’s lead down to 21-7 shortly after two minute warning.
Ray Davis delivered a strong kickoff return that helped the Bills establish themselves at New England 42-yard line on their next possession. A Brenden Schooler facemask penalty granted them extra 15 yards, which were eventually converted into first down via Mack Hollins 18-yard reception.
New England punted early, giving Allen and the offense good field position to begin their third drive of the second quarter from their own seven-yard line. Cook was held back throughout much of this drive; on third down though, Allen found running back TreVeyon Henderson open downfield for a 58-yard touchdown that pulled Buffalo closer than two points.
INTs
Drake Maye led three scoring drives for Buffalo during his best performance of the year, led by James Cook’s hard running and Allen’s pinpoint throws to his tight ends. A 23-yard completion to Dalton Kincaid set up Dawson Knox’s 8-yard run that propelled Buffalo inside New England territory; although two penalties (a roughing the passer call on Corey Durden and an unnecessary roughness penalty on Josh Farmer) slowed it down, this allowed Buffalo to pull within one touchdown of victory.
Starting the third quarter sluggishly, the Patriots offense struggled, producing back-to-back three-and-outs after an interception by Stephon Gilmore and an unsuccessful fumble attempt from Stephon Gilmore deep within Bills territory by Stephon Gilmore himself. Unfortunately, their offense couldn’t capitalize on this miscue and simply let it pass them by without capitalizing on it.
After receiving a long punt, the Bills offense appeared to regain some steam on their next drive with Josh Palmer and Ray Davis connecting for passes from Allen before entering the red zone on third down where Marcus Jones undercut one of those passes and intercepted it at New England’s 10-yard line.
Nick Bosa made an immediate impactful play for Buffalo when he deflected Tom Brady’s pass in the end zone, forcing another quick punt. Shortly thereafter, Maye connected with Khalil Shakir on an end zone throw for a touchdown score – one that put Buffalo ahead for good in this matchup.
Scoring
The Bills and Patriots have met on many occasions over the years, but this one stood out due to several unique characteristics. Not only was it held during December but it marked Buffalo’s 25th consecutive win against them (regular season and playoffs combined), James Cook became the first Buffalo running back ever to reach 4,000 career rushing yards, Matt Milano recorded his first 2.0+ sack game and Dawson Knox notched three straight games with multiple touchdown catches – something rarely seen during any regular season game between teams.
New England won the coin toss but failed to capitalize on their advantageous field position with two penalties on their initial drive leading to a 3rd-and-25 situation, which quarterback Josh Allen converted with a 20-yard quarterback keeper run and two plays later connected with tight end Dawson Knox for a touchdown to cut their opponent’s lead down to 21-14 just after the three-minute warning.
New England quickly scored on their next possession following the halftime break, on a 14-play drive that culminated with Tom Brady throwing a pass to Julian Edelman for a touchdown, with about 10 minutes left in the quarter. Unfortunately for Buffalo’s defense though, New England were held off from scoring on their final offensive possession of the half. Buffalo scored on two long drives after halftime to take control; Allen lofted a deep pass to Aqib Shakir who broke a tackle for an easy 65-yard scorer!
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