NFL's last undefeated teams lose after Bills, Eagles stumble at home

Drake Maye is a winner in his first career prime-time game.

What a win for the Patriots, who capitalized on several Bills’ miscues to hand Buffalo its first loss of the season.

New England nails a 52-yard field goal to take a 23-20 lead with just 15 seconds remaining in regulation. That was a masterful, two-minute drive to put them into the lead.

Buffalo drove 53 yards in nine plays but its latest drive stalled on the New England 27.

Josh Allen threw incomplete on 3rd-and-10 to bring on Matt Prater, whose 45-yard kick tied the game at 20.

Now Drake Maye has 2:17 to lead a go-ahead drive.

New England's offense couldn't do much on its last drive and critically drew a false-start penalty on third-and-short that the Patriots couldn't overcome before a punt. They are now 3-for-8 on third down all game.

Buffalo entered tonight with the second-worst run defense in the NFL, allowing 164.3 rushing yards per game.

With the Patriots nursing a three-point lead and trying to kill some clock, the Bills will need to shore up one of their biggest weaknesses in the fourth quarter.

With their backs against the wall, the Bills delivered.

Buffalo marched 74 yards in eight plays to cut into the Patriots’ lead. Josh Allen found Keon Coleman from two yards out for a touchdown to make the score 20-17.

When the Bills aren’t committing penalties or turnovers, good things are happening for the offense.

The Bills own the NFL's longest active winning streak at home, having won their last 13 games in Orchard Park. Counting regular-season games only, that winning streak is actually 14 games at home. In their bid to keep their streaks alive tonight, the Bills have trimmed their deficit to 20-17 with the majority of the fourth quarter left.

New England has taken a 20-10 lead with 12:10 left in the fourth quarter after an 11-play, 90-yard drive in which Drake Maye and Stefon Diggs carved up the Bills before Rhamondre Stevenson capped it with a seven-yard touchdown run.

New England wideout Stefon Diggs is up to 104 yards receiving on eight catches, his second consecutive game of 100-plus yards this season. Remember, it was only less than a year ago that Diggs suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

With two fumble recoveries and an interception of Josh Allen, the Patriots have forced three turnovers, which matches how many they had produced in four previous weeks. It's been a bizarre performance, not only from the Patriots' side of things but also because Buffalo had turned the ball over just once all season entering Week 5.

After turning the ball over only once in their first four games, the Bills have three tonight.

This time Josh Allen was picked off in the red zone by Marcus Jones as Buffalo was hunting for a go-ahead score.

The Pats have the ball and a 13-10 lead.

The former Bills wideout makes a huge catch for Buffalo during its drive to go ahead 13-10 in the third quarter.

Where was this fan going after catching Josh Allen's out-of-bounds pass? NBC's Mike Tirico with the most exciting call of the night.

For once, the Bills didn’t commit a backbreaking penalty, and the result was their best drive of the night.

Buffalo went 71 yards in 10 plays on its first possession of the third quarter, culminating in a six-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel.

The Bills now lead 10-6.

The Bills are just about to get inside the Patriots' 20-yard line, but reaching the red zone hasn't counted for much tonight. The Patriots are 0-for-2 scoring touchdowns in the red zone, while the Bills have missed on their only previous opportunity. Is this when it changes?

Through two quarters, the Bills are outgaining the Patriots, averaging more yards per play, averaging more yards per pass, averaging more yards per run, converting third downs at a better rate and they’ve had the ball for longer.

So how is Buffalo losing? Largely through self-inflicted wounds.

The Bills have two turnovers compared to one for New England, and they’ve also committed a whopping eight penalties for 65 yards. (That doesn’t even include flags that have been declined.)

The Bills should probably be winning this game, but considering all the mistakes they’ve made, they’re also lucky to only be down by three.

New England had yet to commit a penalty entering its final drive of the first half, then promptly was called for two flags that put them in third-and-goal, seven yards from the end zone.

Then they got a gift — a pass interference penalty on Buffalo in the back of the end zone on a pass that looked like it had little chance of being caught. The Patriots couldn't turn the opportunity into a touchdown, however, having to settle for a field goal and 6-3 lead entering the half.

Defensive tackle Milton Williams signed a four-year, $104 million deal in free agency after winning a Super Bowl title last season in Philadelphia as part of the Eagles' disruptive defensive line. He's anchored the Patriots' line already, and his pressure and half-sack of Josh Allen (Jaylinn Hawkins also was credited with the other half) late in the second quarter gives him 2 1/2 this season. He now has 5 1/2 tackles for loss.

Josh Allen was sacked on 3rd-and-7 and the Bills punted for the second time tonight.

Once again a penalty set back the drive, as Allen and Co. weren’t able to overcome a holding call on their last set of downs.

New England punts after Drake Maye overthrows his receiver on third down and eight, leaving New England just 1-for-5 on third downs tonight. The Patriots haven't helped themselves by usually being in third-and-long territory.

Following Buffalo's game-tying field goal, New England ran back the ensuing kickoff only to fumble, the fourth forced fumble of the game. The Patriots recovered to take over at their own 28-yard line.

Matt Prater was the hero of Week 1 when he nailed a game-winning field goal for Buffalo only days after joining the team. His story became well-known because Prater had spent the previous weeks coaching his son's youth football league in Arizona while waiting for an NFL team to call. Prater has gone on to make nine of his 10 field goals this season, including tonight.

The Bills put together their best drive of the night, but they couldn’t convert a 3rd-and-3 from the 10-yard line, bringing on Matt Prater for a game-tying field goal.

Even as the offense moved the ball downfield, there was more sloppiness from Buffalo, which had a false start on the drive and two declined penalties on the decisive third down.

Buffalo's second fumble gave New England a short field, and the Patriots turned it into a field goal for a 3-0 lead with 56 seconds left in the first quarter. Andy Borregales nailed the kick for the lead.

The Patriots came into this game having recovered a grand total of — wait for it — zero fumbles this season in four games.

In less than one quarter tonight? Two fumble recoveries.

The Bills just coughed up the ball for the second time tonight, and this time the Patriots recovered in the red zone.

This time it was Keon Coleman fumbling after a short reception.

In addition to the ball security issues, Buffalo has also committed four penalties for 24 yards in the first half tonight. Despite some nice plays from Josh Allen early, the miscues have helped to keep the Bills off the scoreboard.

New England went eight plays and 30 yards downfield only to punt. Drake Maye has completed four of his six passes for 35 yards on the night.

Facing an opponent that has been the only team to score 30 or more points in every game this season, New England has so far allowed seven yards per play — but zero points. A fumble ended Buffalo's first drive and then a penalty, followed by consecutive Buffalo incompletions, ended their second possession. That could be a boost of confidence for New England, whose rush defense has been terrific but their pass defense has struggled this season.

Neither team could capitalize after a turnover, and we remain tied at zero.

The Bills punted four plays after a quick change, with a penalty hampering the drive.

New England will now retake possession from its own 20.

Drake Maye's completion to Rhamondre Stevenson was fumbled after a seven-yard gain, giving the ball right back to Buffalo just one play after Buffalo's fumble was recovered by New England.

One play after a nifty conversion on third down, the Bills committed their second turnover of the season. Josh Allen tried to handoff to an in-motion Dawson Knox, the timing was off and the ball hit the ground.

The Patriots recovered and will have the ball near midfield.

Former Bills star wideout Stefon Diggs, playing in Buffalo for the first time since being traded after the 2023 season, called himself "nostalgic" during a pregame interview with NBC's Melissa Stark. And this surely brought back some memories from Bills fans — the sight of Diggs catching the opening pass and moving upfield, for 15 yards and a first down.

But that was effectively the end of the Patriots' opening drive. They punted three plays later.

... And "Sunday Night Football" is underway with a Stefon Diggs reception on the first play of the game.

The NFL's dynamic kickoff rule was instituted to encourage more teams to actually return kickoffs, and New England and Buffalo have two of the best return men in the league so far. New England's Antonio Gibson has averaged 29.3 yards per return, sixth-best in the NFL, while Buffalo's Brandon Codrington is tied for seventh at 29.0.

Gibson is the only player to return a kickoff for a touchdown this season.

After 19 consecutive winning seasons through 2019, the Patriots have had losing records in four of their last five. Jerod Mayo was fired as coach after just his first year last season, shortly after the Patriots actually beat Buffalo in the regular-season finale, when the victory actually hurt New England because a loss would have guaranteed them the top overall pick in the 2025 draft.

Under Mike Vrabel, the former Patriots star who played for Bill Belichick and was 54-45 in Tennessee from 2018-23, the Patriots are 2-3, including 0-2 on the road.

“We believe that we can play with anybody when we do things the right way and play to our identity, and play complementary, and all those things," Vrabel said this week.

The Bills will have one of two key defensive contributors back on the field for Sunday night’s matchup against the Patriots.

Matt Milano is active for the contest after he was questionable with a pectoral injury. But Ed Oliver will miss a fourth consecutive game as he is inactive with an ankle injury.

Milano has not played since Buffalo’s Week 2 win over the Jets.

Buffalo has started 5-0 just three times in its history: 1964, 1980 and 1991. Tonight it will have a chance to do it a fourth time, against a New England team that hasn't beaten Buffalo since 2021.

Buffalo has been masterful playing its fellow AFC East opponents at home. In fact, since 2013, the Bills are a combined 11-0 in their home stadium against the Patriots, Jets and Dolphins.

Now in his second NFL season, Drake Maye is coming off arguably the best performance of his career. In the Week 4 win vs. Carolina, Maye went 14/17 (82.4 comp%) for 203 passing yards with three total TDs (2 passing, 1 rushing) and zero turnovers. He finished the game with a career-high 155.6 passer rating. 

Through the first four games this season, Maye has an NFL-high 74.0 completion percentage, throwing for 988 yards (247.0 per game) with seven passing touchdowns and three turnovers (2 INT, 1 fumble lost). 

Only two teams entered Week 5 unbeaten, but that number has shrunk to just one after Philadelphia (4-1) was beaten today at home by Denver (3-2). The loss snapped the Eagles' 12-game home winning streak. Buffalo could now leave this weekend as the only undefeated team left in the league.

The Bills are the only team in the NFL to score 30+ points in each of their first four games this season. If they score 30+ points against the Patriots, they would become just the seventh team in the Super Bowl era to score 30+ points in each of their first five games. 

The last five teams to score 30+ points in each of their first five games all went on to lose in the Super Bowl that season: Patriots (2007, 2011), Broncos (2013), Rams (2018) and 49ers (2023).

The Bills, for all of their strengths, have had one of the league's worst rushing defenses this season, ranking third-worst in the advanced statistic DVOA. That could be appetizing to run at considering, since 2017, Patriots quarterbacks have thrown more combined interceptions than touchdowns when facing the Bills, according to an analysis by the Boston Herald.

In the 2025 draft last April, the Patriots left no doubt about the franchise's priorities. All four of the team's picks were spent on offensive players, starting with fourth overall selection Will Campbell, an offensive lineman tasked with protecting Maye.

In the second round, they took running back TreVeyon Henderson, who has been used sparingly to start, with only 26 carries.

Stefon Diggs was central to Buffalo's rise to an AFC contender while catching passes from Josh Allen for four seasons. Traded by the Bills to Houston before last season, where a season-ending knee injury limited him to eight games, Diggs will be playing in Buffalo for the first time post-trade.

"It's a little sentimental," Diggs said this week. "I spent a lot of time there. I'm real familiar with the staff, familiar with the guys there. ... It's going to be a little bit emotional."

Diggs still holds the top four spots in Buffalo's single-season receptions record book, with his 127 catches in 2020 the franchise record. No other receiver in team history has had more than 100.

Diggs leads New England with 19 catches and 213 yards this season despite rating his comfort level within a new offense as a "five out of 10."

Defensive tackle Milton Williams and linebackers Harold Landry and Robert Spillane all arrived in New England as free agents in the offseason and have quickly found ways to contribute by combining for 6 1/2 sacks. Landry accounts for 3 1/2 sacks by himself.

Yet whether the Patriots can pressure Bills quarterback and 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen remains to be seen, because after New England combined for nine sacks through Week 2, they've registered just one sack combined in the last two games.

Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen sits down with Devin McCourty for insight into his decision-making during pivotal moments, the origin of the team's "don't blink mindset," and the significance of Bills Mafia.

After just one season under Jerod Mayo, the Patriots named Mike Vrabel as the new head coach in January. Vrabel, who played eight seasons as a linebacker with New England (2001-08), won three Super Bowls as a Patriot and was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2023.

Vrabel has the Patriots off to a 2-2 start this year. Last season under Mayo, New England did not win its second game until Week 8 (started 2-7 and finished 4-13).

Vrabel previously spent six years as the head coach of the Titans (2018-23). He was fired after the 2023 season and spent last year as a consultant with the Browns. During his tenure in Tennessee, Vrabel won two AFC South division titles, made three playoff appearances, and reached the AFC championship game in 2019. He was named NFL Coach of the Year in 2021.

The Patriots quarterback entered Week 4 leading all qualified passers with a completion percentage of 74%. He has been excellent in New England's two wins, completing 82% of his passes, but in losses his accuracy has dropped 13 percentage points.

Maye also has committed all three of his turnovers in New England's two losses. The young quarterback could use help; he has been sacked 13 times already, third most in the league.

Josh Allen speaks to how Sean McDermott has become "a player's coach" and the "family-like atmosphere" the Bills have established.

Josh Allen is the Bills star known by all after his MVP season last year. But James Cook has been incredibly productive and valuable, as well. Last year, his 16 rushing touchdowns tied for the most in the NFL. This season, as defenses focus on Allen again, Cook has rushed for 401 yards (second most in the league) and a league-high five touchdowns. If he rushes for 100-plus yards Sunday, it would be the first time a Bills player has rushed for triple digits in four straight games since Thurman Thomas in 1994.

Terrell Williams, the defensive coordinator on Patriots coach Mike Vrabel's staff, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and has not been with the team since Week 2. Vrabel announced the diagnosis two weeks later, and members of the team wore "T Strong" shirts to honor the 51-year-old Williams.

“You know how much Terrell means to me personally and those on this football team," said Vrabel, who had Williams on his coaching staff for five years previously in Tennessee. "If he feels good enough to come in and contribute and add value, we want him to be able to do that."

Only two teams entered Week 5 undefeated: Buffalo, and last season's Super Bowl champion, Philadelphia. It's not a surprise that the Bills remain unbeaten, and 4-0 for the first time since 2020, after they were picked to be among the favorites to win the AFC this season. As of this week, DraftKings even made Buffalo a heavier favorite to win the 2026 Super Bowl over the Eagles.

Yet it's also difficult to gauge just how good they are at this stage considering the combined record of their opponents to this point — the Ravens, Jets, Dolphins and Saints — is 2-14. The Patriots aren't among the upper echelon of teams by record, yet they feature the second-best rushing defense in the league, allowing just 77.5 yards per game.

Buffalo enters tonight on a 13-game winning streak at home, including playoff games. It's the longest active home winning streak in the league and the second-longest in franchise history since 1990-91.

Mike Vrabel comments on Drake Maye's progress this season at quarterback, learning to play in structure and make good decisions that lead to winning games.

This past offseason, wide receiver Stefon Diggs signed a three-year, $63.5 million contract with the Patriots. Diggs spent last season with the Texans after spending the previous four seasons in Buffalo (2020-23).

This will be Diggs’ first game in Buffalo since being traded to Houston before last season.

Through his first four games as a Patriot this season, Diggs leads the team in both receptions (19) and receiving yards (213). He is still looking for his first touchdown with New England. Diggs had his best game of the season in the Week 4 win versus Carolina, grabbing six catches for 101 yards (he had 112 receiving yards total in Weeks 1-3).

Last season, the Bills (13-4) were the only team in the division to finish with a winning record. They became the first team since the 2009 Colts to clinch a division title with five games remaining in the season. 

The Bills’ five straight division titles is the second-longest active streak in the NFL behind Kansas City, which has won nine straight AFC West titles. 

Only the Bills this season have scored 30-plus points in each of their first four games. In that way, they've picked up right where they left off last season, when they scored 30 or more points in 12 games, which trailed only the 2013 Denver Broncos for most in NFL history.

Still, it's just one data point and hardly a guarantee of a Super Bowl title. In the Super Bowl era, six teams have scored 30-plus in each of their first five games, a feat the Bills can tie tonight — yet none of those teams went on to win it all. The 2000 Rams didn't even make it out of the wild-card round of the playoffs, while the 2007 and 2011 Patriots, 2013 Broncos, 2018 Rams and 2023 49ers all eventually lost in the Super Bowl. You can't count on high-scoring offenses to produce all season long.

It has been so long since the Patriots were a factor that if they win tonight, it will be their first time with consecutive victories since 2022.

Since then, incredibly, they have lost 12 consecutive games following a victory.

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel sits down with Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison to reflect on playing with Harrison on the Patriots, his coaching style, Drake Maye's progress this season and much more.