Buffalo gets into penalty trouble as New England makes them pay.
The Buffalo Bills fell 23-20 to the Drake Maye-led New England Patriots in Buffalo in Week 5 – the second time they have lost to them in 2025 already.
This game was a tight affair, much like the Week 18 tilt last season, except this time both teams were fielding their starters of course.
Buffalo, coming in 4-0, were the last undefeated team in the league following Philadelphia’s defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos earlier that same day.
Of course, I take full responsibility for my role in our Week 5 defeat. After all, I posited a few days prior to kick-off, about whether the Bills could go undefeated all season.
One of two things must have happened.
The obvious option is that the Patriots read my article and took offense to being deemed part of the Bills ‘weaker schedule’. Spurred on by this extra motivation, they turned in a very solid performance.
Alternatively, maybe my words caused the entire Bills roster to reach a level of complacency that would breed the sloppy, ill-disciplined mess that graced the Highmark field on Sunday. So this one is on me chaps, sorry about that.
To add to the excitement, Buffalo were wearing their Rivalries jerseys. The theme of the kit is certainly the famous Buffalo weather – Snow. Ice. Frost.
Incredibly, it seemed the Buffalo Bills form had cooled just in time and it certainly gave me the chills.
A truly fumbling experience
It is an old football cliché, but ‘turnovers win ball games’ is a cliché for a reason. It is true.
The Bills managed to fumble away the ball on two separate drives in the first quarter alone.
Coming into this game, through four weeks of the season, Buffalo had only given up the ball to the opposition on one occasion.
With the scores level, Buffalo fumbled it as they approached field goal range, almost certainly leaving points on the table.
The second fumble was far more costly however – Keon Coleman getting stripped of the ball on his own 11-yard line. That set-up the Patriots to take the lead through a 30-yard field goal on the subsequent short drive.
Poor discipline? How about no discipline?
To compound the silly errors being made, Buffalo conceded 11 penalties for 90 yards.
Now, 90 yards may not sound like much, but the manner and timing of the penalties is crucial.
No more so than Khalil Shakir’s offensive pass interference deep into Patriots territory in the third quarter, down 13-10 with three minutes on the clock.
What should have been a play from third-and-short – Shakir’s penalty backed up the Bills into 2nd-and-13. The following play resulted in a Josh Allen interception, as Allen attempted to get all that lost yardage back at once.
There is something to be said about flag-happy officials. This game certainly had the feeling that the Bills and Patriots were both crashing the Referee’s Big Night Out.
Regardless, however, the Bills have the opportunity for the penalties to be called, and that is not a winning formula by any measure.
Stef-on and off relationship
Stefon Diggs turned up with a point to prove, and axe to grind and a personal grievance to file – and he achieved it all.
The Bills did not have an answer for the X-Receiver. It felt more like an ex-lover turning up and showing your what you are missing.
We do not have a number one receiver and the mantra under the Joe Brady offensive era has been that “everybody eats”.
Well Joe, on Sunday, Stefon Diggs ate. One by one, he chewed up a Bills cornerback or safety.
The sight of a quarterback at Highmark Stadium, rolling to their right, hitting an anticipatory pass into open space, knowing that Diggs would be the first man to it – that is something Bills Mafia are used to seeing.
Unfortunately on Sunday night, that quarterback was Drake Maye.
This is an ELITE throw and catch man
The Drake Maye and Stefon Diggs connection is LEGIT https://t.co/Bowu4AI0Du pic.twitter.com/l3K2vDndLx
— Drake Maye Lover (@drakemayeloverr) October 6, 2025
Onwards and… upwards?
In Week 6, the Bills face a trip to Atlanta to match up against the Falcons. They have had their own challenges to start the season – but they have also had a week off courtesy of their Week 5 bye.
Their defense will have had two weeks to plan for Josh Allen and co. If you expect an easy ride, think twice.
Either way, the Bills have had questions asked of them and the fans will want to see a response.
A narrow defeat to a division rival should not normally be met with such concern. But if the rest of Bills Mafia are anything like me, they know that the performance on Sunday was a manifestation of our fears that had been lurking underneath all along.
A lucky escape against Baltimore. An unconvincing win against Miami and New Orleans. All culminating in the team perhaps being found out by the Patriots in Week 5.
Let this game be the shot in the arm for the players, coaches and front office. Regardless of our strength of schedule, the road to lifting the Lombardi trophy is a long and treacherous one, so it is best to bring your A-game each and every week.
