It certainly wasn’t pretty, but the Buffalo Bills overcame an early 14-point deficit and held off the New England Patriots, 24-21, on a frigid Sunday evening at Highmark Stadium.
With the win, Buffalo improved to 12-3 on the season, remained undefeated at home (7-0), and kept their hopes alive for the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
James Cook was the offensive spark for the Bills, leading the way with 100 rushing yards and 26 receiving yards. He accounted for two touchdowns, one on the ground and another through the air.
Josh Allen completed just 16 of his 29 passes for 154 yards, including a four-yard touchdown to Cook to tie the game at 14 in the third quarter. Allen also threw an interception, his first turnover in 224 offensive plays.
On the defensive side, Taron Johnson had a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown, along with three tackles. Cam Lewis made a key interception, while Dawaune Smoot and Greg Rousseau each forced fumbles. Dorian Williams recovered one of those loose balls, and Terrel Bernard notched a team-high 12 tackles.
GAME RECAP LINKS
- Bills 24, Patriots 21 | Final score, stats to know + game highlights (BuffaloBills.com)
- Buffalo Bills highlights: Bills win an ugly one against the New England Patriots in Week 16 (BuffaloRumblings.com)
- 5 takeaways from the Bills’ 24-21 win over the Patriots (BillsWire.com)
- Bills avoid upset scare with depleted defense forcing 3 turnovers to put away Patriots (Democrat&Chronicle.com)
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCES
FROM SOCIAL MEDIA
Sending Bills Mafia home with a souvenir. 🤗@JoshAllenQB | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/Dye6GEQRIt
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 23, 2024
🚨🚨THIS IS WILD🚨🚨#Patriots DE Keion White PUNCHED #Bills tackle Dion Dawkins IN THE PRIVATE SPOT.
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) December 22, 2024
😳😳😳
Wow.
pic.twitter.com/LZpMb9aK1v
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.