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New England Patriots

New England Patriots

New England Patriots

Patriots deliver stunning upset win over Bills in Foxboro thriller

By Matt Dolloff
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 22: Mike Gesicki #88 of the New England Patriots celebrates with Mac Jones #10 after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the game against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on October 22, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The New England Patriots just pulled off what could go down as their most stunning win of the season. They defeated the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in a thriller at Gillette Stadium, 29-25, after Mac Jones led a game-winning touchdown drive in the final minute.

Jones was 8-of-9 passing on the final drive, which he capped with a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mike Gesicki with just 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The game-winning drive came right after the Bills had come back from down 22-10 to go up by three points late in regulation.

The Patriots got the ball to start the game, after the Bills won the opening coin toss and deferred to the second half. They strung together a solid opening drive, moving 63 yards in eight plays before a Chad Ryland field goal made it 3-0 Patriots.

With a chance to even things up, Josh Allen and the Bills got off to one of the worst starts possible. Allen threw an interception on their first offensive play, a floating duck that Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers saw the whole way. Apparently, Allen didn’t see him.

For the first time in the 2023 season, the Patriots were able to translate a turnover into points. They drove 45 yards in seven plays for the first touchdown of the game, a powerful 2-yard run by Ezekiel Elliott, to extend their lead to 10-0.

That score would hold until early in the second quarter, after the Patriots were able to stop the Bills in the red zone and hold them to a field goal, which made it 10-3 Patriots.

Midway through the second quarter, the Patriots threatened again, after a 33-yard catch-and-run by Kendrick Bourne set them up in the red zone. Bourne was stopped short of the sticks on a third-down catch, but Ryland drilled another field goal to extend the Pats’ lead to 13-3.

  • The Patriots’ 10-point lead would hold into halftime, when the Patriots held a special ceremony to honor their 2023 team Hall of Fame inductees, former linebacker Mike Vrabel, and legendary former offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia.

    But the Bills did get the ball to start the second half, and they cashed in. Allen was able to coax a late roughing the passer flag out of the officials after Patriots cornerback Jack Jones ran into him, then James Cook followed that up with a 20-yard run. Ultimately, the Bills drove 81 yards in 10 plays for the touchdown, with an 8-yard catch-and-run by Cook.

  • The Patriots couldn’t answer the touchdown with another touchdown, but they made enough plays to grab another field goal. Rookie receiver Demario Douglas sparked the drive with a jet sweep that he took for 20 yards. Ryland converted from 49 yards to make it 16-10 Pats.

  • Allen and the Bills brought the ball into Patriots territory on the ensuing drive. But Pats linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley came up with a big pass breakup against tight end Dawson Knox on fourth down to give the ball back to their offense.

    https://twitter.com/TSV__1/status/1716170504359591971

  • And that’s when Jones and the offense delivered. In one of the best, most momentous drives of Jones’ career to date, he led the Pats down the field 66 yards on nine plays, capping it with a touchdown pass to Kendrick Bourne. The 2-point attempt was no good, but the Patriots extended their lead to 22-10 with precious time remaining for the Bills.

  • That’s when the Bills started their furious comeback. First they answered with an Allen touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs with 2:04 left. Then, potential disaster struck for the Patriots, as Bourne fumbled it away on his own 29-yard line.

    The Bills then grinded their way to the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown, and the 2-point attempt was converted to make it 25-22 Bills. But that was when Jones and the Patriots engineered their epic game-winning drive to earn a stunning second victory.

    Up Next: The Patriots will see if they can carry momentum over to Week 8, when they get a big-time test on the road against the first-place Miami Dolphins.

    Click here for complete New England Patriots coverage at 985TheSportsHub.com.

    Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Check out all of Matt’s content here.

NEXT: There’s some surprising Bill Belichick contract news before Buffalo Game

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