Field Level Media
Dec 26, 2021
Josh Allen passed for 314 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 64 yards Sunday to help the Buffalo Bills reclaim the AFC East lead with a 33-21 win over the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass.
Allen's first touchdown pass of the day was the 100th of his NFL career, making him the first quarterback in history to record 100 passing TDs and 20 rushing TDs in his first four seasons. He finished 30-of-47 passing on the day.
Isaiah McKenzie had 11 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown while Stefon Diggs totaled 85 yards and a TD on seven receptions for Buffalo (9-6), which won its second straight game following a 14-10 loss to New England at home on Dec. 6 and a 33-27 overtime loss at Tampa Bay on Dec. 12.
Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones completed just 14 of 32 passes for 145 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Damien Harris ran for 103 yards and three TDs for New England (9-6), which suffered its second straight loss following a seven-game winning streak.
The loss dropped the Patriots to the No. 6 seed in the AFC.
After a Patriots' three-and-out to open the game, the Bills drove 61 yards for the game's opening score on Allen's 3-yard TD pass to McKenzie with 6:37 left in the first quarter.
Harris' 16-yard touchdown run for New England in the opening minute of the second quarter tied the game at 7-7. Tyler Bass' 25-yard field goal made it 10-7 before Allen connected with Diggs on a 12-yard TD for a 17-7 Buffalo halftime lead.
Bass' 34-yard field goal early in the third stretched the Bills' lead to 20-7. Harris scored on a 1-yard rush with 1:41 left in the third to pull New England within 20-14.
Devin Singletary's 2-yard TD run with 11:42 remaining put the Bills up 26-14 before an unsuccessful two-point conversion try.
The Patriots closed to 26-21 on Harris' third TD on an 8-yard run at the 7:37 mark.
The Bills responded, however, with a five-minute, 75-yard drive and put the game away on Allen's 2-yard TD pass to Dawson Knox with 2:30 remaining.
--Field Level Media