Patriots beat previously unbeaten Bills 29-26 as Maye throws three TD passes
In short
The New England Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills 29-26 in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Sunday, handing the previously unbeaten Bills their first loss. Quarterback Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes, including Efton Chism's one-handed catch with 1:50 remaining, after two first-half turnovers. On Wednesday the NFL named Maye the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
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The New England Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills 29-26 in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Sunday, handing the previously unbeaten Bills their first loss of the season, according to the Associated Press. Quarterback Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes in the win, including Efton Chism's one-handed catch with 1:50 remaining. [ 1 , 3 ]
Maye finished with three touchdown passes, two more than he had managed in New England's first three games combined, the Associated Press reported, after shaking off two first-half turnovers. Newsweek reported that he completed 22 of his 37 pass attempts for 269 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, and led the team in rushing with an additional 54 yards. Maye had opened the season with one touchdown pass, six interceptions and a lost fumble over a 1-2 start, Newsweek said. [ 1 , 8 ]
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel praised Chism after the game, saying “nobody works harder” and that the receiver is in receivers coach Todd Downing's office before six o'clock most mornings. Vrabel also addressed an unsportsmanlike conduct call, saying he told the official it was a terrible call and that he apologised: “It was unfortunate, and I have to be better in those moments.” On the win, he said it “gets us back in the race”, adding that the team knew it would be a battle against Josh Allen. [ 3 ]
Maye described the performance as “relieving a little bit” after facing criticism over his start, the Associated Press reported. Newsweek quoted him saying: “I know I've got to play better and still left some stuff out there today. But we've got to build on it.” [ 1 , 8 ]
On Wednesday the NFL named Maye the AFC Offensive Player of the Week, Newsweek reported. The Associated Press said in a Monday report that the Patriots were taking confidence from the win as injuries mount, but the document carried only the outlet's feed summary and gave no details of those injuries. [ 7 , 8 ]
The Boston Globe described the result as an upset and, in follow-up pieces, as about as critical a win as a team can have a month into the schedule — one that saved the Patriots' season and reflected well on Vrabel and his coaching staff, showing the young quarterback “isn't broken”. Vrabel said his players had worked extremely hard during the week and that he was “lucky to get out of here with a win”. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Why it matters
The result ends Buffalo's unbeaten start and, in Patriots coach Mike Vrabel's words, “gets us back in the race” after New England lost two of its first three games. It also answers early-season criticism of Maye, who had thrown six interceptions before Sunday, and was followed by a league weekly award. Coverage a day later noted that injuries are mounting for New England, which the documents do not detail.
Key facts
- The New England Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills 29-26 on the road in Orchard Park, N.Y. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 8 ]
- Patriots quarterback Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes, two more than he had in the team's first three games combined, per the Associated Press. [ 1 , 3 , 8 ]
- Maye shook off two first-half turnovers before the win. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Efton Chism scored the late touchdown on a one-handed catch with 1:50 remaining. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Maye completed 22 of 37 passes for 269 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, and led the team in rushing with 54 yards, according to Newsweek. [ 8 ]
- The NFL named Maye the AFC Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday. [ 8 ]
- The Bills entered the game unbeaten. [ 1 ]
- The Associated Press reported Monday that the Patriots are taking confidence from the win as injuries mount, without giving details. [ 7 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The Patriots beat the Bills 29-26. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 8 ]
- Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes in the game. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 8 ]
- Maye committed two turnovers in the first half before the comeback. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Efton Chism scored a late touchdown, described by the Associated Press as a one-handed catch with 1:50 remaining. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- What injuries the Patriots are dealing with after the win. The Associated Press headline says injuries are mounting, but the document carries only a feed summary with no names or details, and no other outlet in the set reports on injuries.
- What the unsportsmanlike conduct call against Vrabel involved and whether he was penalized. Vrabel discusses the call and says he apologised in comments carried only by The Boston Globe; the documents do not state the penalty or the official involved.
- Maye's full postgame remarks. The Associated Press article is truncated mid-quote, so the rest of what he said is not in the documents.
- How the wider AFC playoff race is affected. Only Vrabel's remark that the win “gets us back in the race” is given; no standings or records beyond the 1-2 start are provided.
- The Bills had been unbeaten before the game. Reported by a single source so far
- Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said the win gets the team back in the race. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The Associated Press publishes its report on the Patriots' 29-26 win over the Bills at Orchard Park, N.Y. [ 1 ]
- The Associated Press publishes a Spanish-language version of the same report. [ 2 ]
- The Boston Globe publishes Vrabel's postgame comments, including praise for Efton Chism and remarks about the unsportsmanlike conduct call. [ 3 ]
- The Boston Globe writes that the Patriots' locker room never lost faith in Drake Maye. [ 4 ]
- Two Boston Globe pieces published the next morning say the win saved the Patriots' season and reflected well on Mike Vrabel and his coaching staff. [ 5 , 6 ]
- The Associated Press reports that the Patriots are taking confidence from the win as injuries mount. [ 7 ]
- Two days later, Newsweek reports that the NFL named Maye the AFC Offensive Player of the Week. [ 8 ]