Bills win at New England
NFL roundup
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).
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.
With light snow falling, the temperature at kickoff was 32 degrees 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.
Jaguars 48, Jets 20
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Trevor Lawrence accounted for six touchdowns, including a career-high five passing, and the Jacksonville Jaguars overwhelmed the New York Jets from start to finish in a drubbing. Lawrence’s passer rating of 136.7 was the best of his five-year NFL career. Jacksonville improved to 10-4 and scored touchdowns on its first three possessions for the first time since 1998.
Texans 40, Cardinals 20
HOUSTON — C.J. Stroud threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns and the Houston Texans jumped out to a big early lead and cruised to a victory over the slumping Arizona Cardinals. The Texans (9-5) have won six straight games for the first time since a nine-game winning streak in 2018 to improve their playoff hopes. It’s the sixth straight loss for the Cardinals (3-11).
Commanders 29, Giants 21
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Jacory Croskey-Merritt ran for a touchdown, fellow rookie Jaylin Lane returned a punt 63 yards to the end zone and the Washington Commanders (4-10) ended their season-derailing skid at eight games by beating the similarly woeful New York Giants. The only NFL game this week with no playoff implications has a far bigger bearing on draft positioning. The Giants (2-12) lost their eighth game in a row.
Ravens 24, Bengals 0
CINCINNATI — The Baltimore Ravens have handed Joe Burrow the first shutout of his six-year career. Lamar Jackson threw for two touchdowns, and Kyle Van Noy and Alohi Gilman teamed up for a 95-yard pick-6 as the Ravens blanked the Cincinnati Bengals 24-0 on Sunday. Derrick Henry rushed for 100 yards on 11 carries for the Ravens. Baltimore won its fourth straight road game and pulled within a half-game of Pittsburgh in the AFC North.
Bears 31, Browns 3
CHICAGO — Caleb Williams threw two touchdown passes and the Chicago Bears beat Cleveland 31-3 in one of the coldest games ever at Soldier Field even though the Browns’ Myles Garrett moved within a sack of the NFL’s single-season record. The Bears heated up early on a day when the gametime temperature was 8 degrees, scoring two first-quarter touchdowns and breaking the game open with two more in the third.
Eagles 31, Raiders 0
PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts bounced back from his worst NFL game by throwing three touchdown passes and Saquon Barkley added a 2-yard touchdown run as the Philadelphia Eagles snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The Eagles are 9-5 and finally showed signs of life under offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. Hurts threw a 27-yard touchdown to A.J. Brown early in the fourth quarter. The Raiders are 2-12 and lost their eighth straight game. Kenny Pickett struggled in his first start at quarterback for the injured Geno Smith.
Vikings 34, Cowboys 26
ARLINGTON, Texas — J.J. McCarthy threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score, C.J. Ham had the go-ahead TD on his first carry of the season and the Minnesota Vikings severely damaged Dallas’ playoff hopes with a victory over the Cowboys. The Vikings won a second consecutive game after they were eliminated from the postseason race before the kickoff.
Both of McCarthy’s touchdown tosses were to Jalen Nailor.
Seahawks 18, Colts 16
SEATTLE — Jason Myers kicked a franchise-record six field goals, including a 56-yarder with 29 seconds left, and the Seattle Seahawks outlasted 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers and the Colts. Rivers threw a touchdown pass after coming out of retirement to make his first start in nearly five years, and he led the Colts into position for Blake Grupe’s go-ahead, 60-yard field goal with 47 seconds left.
Saints 20, Panthers 17
NEW ORLEANS — Charlie Smyth kicked a 47-yard field goal late in regulation, lifting the Saints to a comeback victory over the playoff-hopeful Carolina Panthers. The winning kick by the former Gaelic football player from Northern Ireland prevented Carolina from seizing sole possession of first place in the NFC South. It also gave Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough his third win in six starts.
Rams 41, Lions 34
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Matthew Stafford passed for 368 yards and hit Colby Parkinson for two touchdowns, and the NFC-leading Los Angeles Rams clinched a playoff berth with a furious second-half rally for a victory over the Detroit Lions. Kyren Williams rushed for two scores and Blake Corum added another TD for the Rams, who came back from a double-digit deficit shortly before halftime with 20 consecutive points before securing their eighth victory in nine games. Amon-Ra St. Brown totaled 163 yards and two touchdowns on 13 receptions for the Lions.
49ers 37, Titans 24
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes as the San Francisco 49ers beat the Tennessee Titans. The 49ers are 10-4 and looked sharp after their bye week, scoring on their first five possessions. Purdy connected twice with Jauan Jennings and once with George Kittle. Christian McCaffrey added a rushing touchdown. Rookie Cam Ward threw two touchdown passes for the Titans, who fell to 2-12.
Broncos 34, Packers 26
DENVER — Denver won its 11th straight game and clinched a playoff berth. Bo Nix tied his career high with four touchdown throws and Denver’s defense stifled Jordan Love in the second half of the Broncos’ win over Green Bay, which lost star Micah Parsons to a knee injury. The Broncos moved a game ahead of New England for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They stayed two games ahead of the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC West. The Packers slipped a half-game behind Chicago ahead of their showdown in Chicago this weekend.



