A whole lot of running back James Cook and takeaways by the defense helped the Buffalo Bills erase an early 14-point deficit Sunday against the New England Patriots.
Cook (11 rushes, 100 yards) scored touchdowns rushing and receiving, and the Bills forced three second-half takeaways in a 24-21 win at frigid Highmark Stadium, where the temperature tumbled to 5 degrees during the game.
The Bills recovered a New England onside kick with 1:11 remaining.
The Bills improved to 12-3 this season (7-0 at home) and dropped New England to 3-12.
The Bills hold a two-game lead over Pittsburgh and Baltimore for the AFC's No. 2 seed.
A recap of Patriots-Bills:
TakeawaysThe Patriots, with rookie quarterback Drake Maye, rolled up 238 first-half yards and converted five of their first six third-down opportunities. When New England made it 14-7, it was the sixth consecutive touchdown drive by a Bills opponent. Six! The Patriots' 16-play drive was tied for the longest allowed by the Bills this season, the 91 yards third-longest and the 9:57 time of possession the longest.Quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills' passing game looked out of sorts. Allen went in for X-rays on his right (throwing) shoulder after the Detroit win last week, but he did not appear on the injury report leading into the Patriots game. Allen wasn't exactly firing darts, though.There was a reason Allen's third-down pass early in the fourth quarter looked like a pitching-wedge shot. He appeared to injure his right arm or hand earlier on the drive. He immediately went to the sideline to visit with the athletic training staff, and backup Mitchell Trubisky even took a few warmup tosses.The Bills emphasized the running game to start the second half. It was the right call. Cook gained 25, 5, 5, 2 and 3 yards on the drive. The possession was capped by Cook's 4-yard touchdown catch on third down to tie the score at 14.Reality set in for New England in the second half when its first three possessions ended with a fumble (linebacker Dorian Williams forced, and linebacker Terrel Bernard recovered), an interception (safety Cam Lewis) and a fumble recovery touchdown (cornerback Taron Johnson). On the Johnson touchdown, Maye's pass intended for Rhamondre Stevenson was a lateral. Defensive end Greg Rousseau had the first shot after knocking Stevenson to the turf, but Johnson then recovered. People are also reading... Bills notebook: Amari Cooper 'waiting (his) whole life to be on a team like this'; Injury report Pilot killed in small plane crash in Town of Aurora Even in the Bills' record-breaking win over the Lions, one receiver was held without a target Sabres notebook: Owner Terry Pegula speaks to struggling team in Montreal Sabres wrap: Pegula's words are meaningless as club hits last in East after 6-1 loss in Montreal Lance Lysowski: Lindy Ruff bears some responsibility for Sabres sinking to bottom Mike Harrington: Terry Pegula's chat makes no difference as Sabres' humiliation grows Sean Kirst: They brought Buffalo a Bills championship. Sixty years later, they long to see history repeat itself Report Card: Offense shines, run defense excels as Buffalo Bills down Detroit Lions What does the future hold for Walden Galleria? Mike Harrington: It remains hard to believe same Sabres team that faced Habs will meet Leafs Sabres players, Lindy Ruff pay tribute to Terry Pegula for locker room visit in Montreal Mark Gaughan: Bills deserve credit for being No. 1 in the NFL at what they're not doing. We explain here Mike Harrington: Lindy Ruff takes the heat for Sabres' skid when blame has to be passed around Sumitomo warned of 'unacceptable' absenteeism at Tonawanda plant; union defends work ethic
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Did you notice?The gametime temperature of 8 degrees appeared to be the third-coldest in Bills home game history, behind 0 (January 1994 playoff game against the Raiders; a 29-23 Bills win) and 7 degrees (January 2022 playoff game against New England; a 47-17 Bills win). It was the coldest game overall since the Christmas Eve 2022 game at Chicago (7 degrees in a 35-13 Bills win).Fill-in safety Cam Lewis had a tough go on New England's second possession. On first down from the Bills' 8, Lewis was called for pass interference on receiver Pop Douglas. On the next play from scrimmage, Lewis missed an open field tackle on Stevenson's 14-yard touchdown carry to make it 14-0. Lewis redeemed himself with a third-quarter interception in the end zone.Allen's interception-that-can-be-spun-as-being-a-punt in the Patriots' end zone was the Bills' first turnover since the second quarter of the Week 11 Kansas City game, a span of 224 offensive plays.Receiver Mack Hollins was again drafted to be a defensive back for Hail Mary purposes on the final play of the second quarter. He was not involved in the Patriots' short pass.First-half time of possession: New England 20:20, Bills 9:40.Linebacker Baylon Spector (calf) was unable to finish the game. After Friday's practice, he said the calf got "fired up" in practice Thursday but that he would be ready to play. Rookie Joe Andreessen saw fourth-quarter snaps on defense.When cornerback Taron Johnson was flagged and removed from the game to be evaluated for a concussion early in the fourth quarter, Ja'Marcus Ingram entered in the nickel spot.The Bills committed five defensive penalties on a fourth-quarter New England drive that kept the Patriots' hopes alive. Flagged were defensive end Dawuane Smoot (encroachment), Bernard (unnecessary roughness) and cornerbacks Ja'Marcus Ingram (pass interference) and Kaiir Elam (two for pass interference). The Patriots finally took advantage on tight end Hunter Henry's 9-yard touchdown catch with 1:13 remaining. Game balls
RB James Cook. His 46-yard touchdown carry in the second quarter was his fourth of touchdown of at least 40 yards this year, breaking the franchise record he held with O.J. Simpson (three in 1973, 1975 and 1976). Cook's home-run touchdowns are 49, 65, 41 and 46 yards. Cook's home runs - 49 yards at Miami, 65 vs. San Francisco, 41 at Detroit and 46 vs. New England. More Cook: It was his third career game with at least one rushing and receiving touchdown apiece.
CB Taron Johnson. His fumble recovery touchdown after a New England lateral pushed the Bills' lead to 24-14 with 10:10 remaining. It was his fourth career touchdown (including playoffs) and first fumble recovery for a score.
Gassers
DE A.J. Epenesa. The Patriots faced a third-and-2 from the Bills' 13 late in the first quarter, but Epenesa was called for encroachment, handing New England a free first down. It was Epenesa's third penalty of the season.
RT Spencer Brown. He had two penalties (illegal formation and false start), giving him 12 for the season.
Special teams. A 42-yard kickoff return allowed. A penalty on another kick coverage play. And a fake punt allowed to extend a New England drive. All in the first half.
Next
The New York Jets (4-11) visit the Bills at 1 p.m. Sunday. The Jets lost 19-9 at home Sunday to the Los Angeles Rams and have gone 2-8 since firing coach Robert Saleh. The Jets have added receiver Davante Adams since the Bills won the teams' first matchup in Week 6.
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