The New England Patriots stunned the previously unbeaten Buffalo Bills 29-26 on October 4, 2026, at Highmark Stadium, with Drake Maye finding Efton Chism III for the go-ahead touchdown in the final two minutes.
Quarter-by-Quarter
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NE | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 29 |
| BUF | 0 | 17 | 0 | 9 | 26 |
Drake Maye finally looked like himself again when New England needed it most. After entering Sunday with one touchdown and six interceptions through three games, Maye went 22-of-37 for 269 yards, three touchdowns and added 54 rushing yards, twice finding Romeo Doubs for scores before delivering the throw of the afternoon. Buffalo had just taken a 26-21 lead on Josh Allen’s 34-yard touchdown to Keon Coleman when Maye drove New England 73 yards and dropped a 23-yard ball to Efton Chism III, who somehow hauled it in one-handed despite contact with 1:50 left. Rhamondre Stevenson caught the two-point conversion after adding 47 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Hunter Henry had 62 receiving yards, Doubs 58 with two scores and Mack Hollins 53. Maye has now thrown at least one interception in all four games this season, seven total after throwing only two through his first four games last year. This week’s was basically a soggy turkey club with extra mayo that Doubs knocked off the tray and Dee Alford caught.
Buffalo had plenty of answers until the final two minutes. Allen finished 23-of-33 for 253 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while his rushing score gave him 88 career touchdowns from scrimmage, passing Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas for the Bills franchise record. Coleman broke out with six catches for 116 yards and the late touchdown, Khalil Shakir added seven for 82, and James Cook ran for 75 yards and a score. But New England’s defense made two enormous plays despite playing without Christian Gonzalez and Christian Barmore: Robert Spillane punched the ball away from Shakir for an Elijah Ponder recovery, then rookie Craig Woodson intercepted Allen on Buffalo’s final possession. New England outgained Buffalo 405-340, ran 19 more plays and controlled possession for 33:41, while an injured Bills secondary struggled to get Maye off the field. The Patriots moved to 2-2 and handed the previously unbeaten Bills their first loss in the new Highmark Stadium.
Postgame Statistical Breakdown
Team Stats
| Stat | New England Patriots | Buffalo Bills |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 29 | 26 |
| Total Offensive Yards | 405 | 340 |
| Passing Yards | 262 | 249 |
| Rushing Yards | 143 | 91 |
| Total Plays | 73 | 54 |
| Yards Per Play | 5.5 | 6.3 |
| First Downs | 26 | 19 |
| Third Downs | 5-12 | 6-12 |
| Third-Down % | 41.7% | 50.0% |
| Fourth Downs | 2-2 | 1-1 |
| Passing TDs | 3 | 1 |
| Rushing TDs | 1 | 2 |
| Total Offensive TDs | 4 | 3 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Interceptions Thrown | 1 | 1 |
| Fumbles Lost | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks Allowed | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties | 6 | 5 |
| Penalty Yards | 35 | 31 |
| Time of Possession | 33:41 | 26:19 |
Passing
New England Patriots
- Drake Maye — 22/37, 59.5%, 269 YDS, 3 TD, 1 INT, 7.3 YPA, 1 SACK, 97.7 RTG, 93.3 QBR
Buffalo Bills
- Josh Allen — 23/33, 69.7%, 253 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT, 7.7 YPA, 1 SACK, 89.6 RTG, 50.3 QBR
Rushing
New England Patriots
- Drake Maye — 8 CAR, 54 YDS, 6.8 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 26, 3 FUM
- Rhamondre Stevenson — 13 CAR, 47 YDS, 3.6 AVG, 1 TD, LONG 10
Buffalo Bills
- James Cook III — 12 CAR, 75 YDS, 6.3 AVG, 1 TD, LONG 17, 0 FUM
- DJ Moore — 1 CAR, 6 YDS, 6.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 6
Receiving
New England Patriots
- Hunter Henry — 5 REC, 5 TGT, 62 YDS, 12.4 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 20
- Romeo Doubs — 6 REC, 9 TGT, 58 YDS, 9.7 AVG, 2 TD, LONG 15
- Mack Hollins — 3 REC, 4 TGT, 53 YDS, 17.7 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 26
- Efton Chism III — 2 REC, 4 TGT, 42 YDS, 21.0 AVG, 1 TD, LONG 23
- Rhamondre Stevenson — 3 REC, 5 TGT, 27 YDS, 9.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 13
Buffalo Bills
- Keon Coleman — 6 REC, 7 TGT, 116 YDS, 19.3 AVG, 1 TD, LONG 34
- Khalil Shakir — 7 REC, 8 TGT, 82 YDS, 11.7 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 51
- Dawson Knox — 2 REC, 2 TGT, 13 YDS, 6.5 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 8
- DJ Moore — 1 REC, 2 TGT, 11 YDS, 11.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 11
- Ty Johnson — 2 REC, 2 TGT, 9 YDS, 4.5 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 9
Scoring Plays
| Qtr | Clock | Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 7:01 | New England Patriots | Romeo Doubs 14-yard pass from Drake Maye (Andy Borregales kick) | NE 7, BUF 0 |
| Q2 | 14:15 | Buffalo Bills | James Cook III 8-yard run (Tyler Bass kick) | NE 7, BUF 7 |
| Q2 | 5:38 | New England Patriots | Rhamondre Stevenson 1-yard run (Andy Borregales kick) | NE 14, BUF 7 |
| Q2 | 1:00 | Buffalo Bills | Josh Allen 2-yard run (Tyler Bass kick) | NE 14, BUF 14 |
| Q2 | 0:02 | Buffalo Bills | Tyler Bass 27-yard field goal | NE 14, BUF 17 |
| Q3 | 8:15 | New England Patriots | Romeo Doubs 2-yard pass from Drake Maye (Andy Borregales kick) | NE 21, BUF 17 |
| Q4 | 11:07 | Buffalo Bills | Tyler Bass 38-yard field goal | NE 21, BUF 20 |
| Q4 | 4:27 | Buffalo Bills | Keon Coleman 34-yard pass from Josh Allen (two-point pass failed) | NE 21, BUF 26 |
| Q4 | 1:50 | New England Patriots | Efton Chism III 23-yard pass from Drake Maye (Drake Maye pass to Rhamondre Stevenson for Two-Point Conversion) | NE 29, BUF 26 |
Defense
New England Patriots
- Elijah Ponder — 4 TOT, 3 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 SACK, 2 QBH, 1 FR
- Craig Woodson — 3 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 INT, 1 PD
- Robert Spillane — 8 TOT, 5 SOLO
- Marcus Jones — 5 TOT, 4 SOLO, 1 PD
- Christian Elliss — 6 TOT, 4 SOLO
- Darius Muasau — 4 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 TFL
- Carlton Davis III — 5 TOT, 4 SOLO
- Kindle Vildor — 2 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 TFL
- Erick Hunter — 4 TOT, 2 SOLO
- Kevin Byard — 2 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 PD
Buffalo Bills
- Greg Rousseau — 4 TOT, 2 SOLO, 4 QBH, 2 PD
- Dee Alford — 2 TOT, 1 INT, 37 INT YDS, 1 PD
- Dorian Williams — 8 TOT, 4 SOLO, 1 TFL
- Bradley Chubb — 4 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 QBH
- Terrel Bernard — 7 TOT, 5 SOLO
- Cole Bishop — 7 TOT, 4 SOLO
- TJ Parker — 5 TOT, 2 SOLO, 0.5 SACK
- Davison Igbinosun — 5 TOT, 3 SOLO, 1 PD
- Greg Gaines — 2 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 FR
- Ed Oliver — 3 TOT, 0.5 SACK
Kick Returns
New England Patriots
- Kyle Williams — 3 KR, 81 YDS, 27.0 AVG, LONG 34, 0 TD
Buffalo Bills
- Greg Dortch — 4 KR, 91 YDS, 22.8 AVG, LONG 26, 0 TD
Punt Returns
New England Patriots
- Marcus Jones — 2 PR, 18 YDS, 9.0 AVG, LONG 17, 0 TD
Buffalo Bills
- Greg Dortch — 2 PR, 16 YDS, 8.0 AVG, LONG 16, 0 TD
