By The Canadian Press

Bills rally from 21-point deficit to beat Patriots 35-31, stay alive in AFC East race

Dec 14, 2025 | 2:42 PM

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots are still in good position to win the AFC East. But the Buffalo Bills made sure it would have to happen on another day, against a different opponent.

Josh Allen threw three touchdown passes, and James Cook ran for two TDs and caught another as the Bills rallied from a 21-0 deficit to beat New England 35-31 on Sunday, preventing the Patriots from clinching the division title.

Allen finished 19 of 28 for 193 yards. Cook ran 22 times for 107 yards, and Dawson Knox had two TD catches for the Bills (10-4), who avoided being swept by a division opponent for the first time since 2019 and moved within one game of the Patriots. Buffalo reached 10 wins for the seventh consecutive season.

“No matter what the score is, if it’s in the third quarter, in the fourth quarter, whatever it is, if we’ve got a chance and we’ve got the ball, we feel like we like our chances,” Allen said.

The Bills overcame a double-digit deficit for the third time this year after previously rallying in their opener against Baltimore (down 15 points in the fourth quarter) and last week against Cincinnati (down 10).

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The Patriots (11-3) lost their first division game of the season and their 10-game win streak ended. They haven’t won the AFC East since 2019.

Quarterback Drake Maye had a pair of touchdown runs, and TreVeyon Henderson ran for scores of 52 and 65 yards. Henderson finished with 14 carries for 148 yards.

Trailing 35-31 with 2:43 to play, the Patriots had fourth-and-5 on their own 22. Maye was flushed out of the pocket and had a pass batted down by Joey Bosa.

The Bills ran out the clock from there.

“We just have to be better when we’re up,” Maye said. “I didn’t feel like we relaxed, just didn’t make enough plays.”

With light snow falling, the temperature at kickoff was 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius). The conditions didn’t slow down a Patriots offense that scored on four of its first five possessions to take a 24-7 lead into halftime.

Buffalo punted on all but one of its first-half possessions. But it marched down the field on the first drive of the third quarter, getting a 58-yard kickoff return by Ray Davis and a 20-yard run by Allen to set up Allen’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Knox.

After a three-and-out by New England, the Bills needed just over five minutes and 11 plays to cap a 70-yard drive with Cook’s 3-yard TD run.

Maye had a deep pass intercepted by Tre’Davious White on the Patriots’ next drive. The Bills took over on the New England 9 and drove across midfield, where they faced fourth down on the Patriots 45.

Allen kept the drive alive, completing a 37-yard pass to Dalton Kincaid. He then found Knox for a 14-yard TD to put the Bills in front 27-24.

That lead lasted just 14 seconds. On New England’s next offensive play, Henderson scampered down the sideline for a 65-yard score.

The Bills struck right back, capping a seven-play, 65-yard drive with Cook’s 11-yard touchdown run that made it 35-31 with 6:48 remaining. The series included a third-down pass-interference call on New England’s Carlton Davis III.

“That’s how this game goes. A few small plays make the difference,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said.

Bosa returned for Buffalo after a one-game absence with hamstring and wrist injuries. The Bills played without linebacker Terrel Bernard (elbow) for the third straight game, as well top cornerback Christian Benford (toe).

Those absences were evident as the Patriots moved the ball at ease early. Maye used a 30-yard pass to Kayshon Boutte to set up his own 8-yard touchdown run that capped an eight-play, 73-yard opening drive.

Maye’s 7-yard scramble for a TD put the Patriots up 14-0.

White is looking ahead to a potential third meeting with the Patriots this season.

“Both of us are playoff teams. So in order to win the Super Bowl, we’ll see them again,” he said.

Knox breaks franchise record

With his two TD catches, Knox has 26 for his career, surpassing Pete Metzelaars for the most by a tight end in Bills history.

Long runs

Henderson has four TD runs of at least 50 yards this season. He is only the second player in NFL history to have multiple games in a season with two rushing TDs of 50-plus yards, joining Chris Johnson (2009).

Moment of silence

The Patriots held a moment of silence for the victims of a mass shooting at Brown University on Saturday that killed two students and wounded nine others. The Ivy League school in Providence, Rhode Island, is located about 20 miles south of Foxborough.

Injuries

Bills: DT Jordan Phillips walked off on his own power in the second quarter with an ankle injury.

Patriots: CB Carlton Davis III left in the third quarter with a groin injury but returned.

Up next

Bills: Visit Cleveland next Sunday.

Patriots: At Baltimore next Sunday night.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Kyle Hightower, The Associated Press