With the AFC’s No. 2 seed secured, the Buffalo Bills (13-4) rested most starters and fell 23-16 to the New England Patriots (4-13) in their regular-season finale on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium.
While the outcome didn’t impact Buffalo, it proved costly for New England, dropping them from the top pick in the 2025 draft to fourth.
Both starting quarterbacks made brief appearances. Josh Allen played one snap, extending his active streak to 115 starts, while rookie Drake Maye’s lone series ended with a Von Miller sack, earning Miller a $1.5 million bonus.
Joe Milton replaced Maye and impressed, leading two touchdown drives. He scored on a one-yard run and connected with Kayshon Boutte for a 48-yard touchdown. Buffalo’s Mitch Trubisky found Ray Davis for a two-yard score, and Tyler Bass added a 49-yard field goal.
Sam Martin’s punt inside the six-yard line in the second half earned him a $100,000 incentive. Buffalo capitalized on a fumble recovery with a James Cook one-yard touchdown, tying O.J. Simpson’s franchise record of 16 rushing scores in a season. However, Bass missed the extra point.
Joey Slye’s three field goals sealed the win for New England. The Bills’ final drive ended with four incompletions by Mike White, cementing the Patriots’ victory.
GAME RECAP LINKS
- Patriots 23, Bills 16 | Final score, stats to know + game highlights | Week 18 (BuffaloBills.com)
- Bills 16, Patriots 23: Stress-free, record-setting day full of bonuses for Buffalo (BuffaloRumblings.com)
- Bills backups lose but Buffalo goes into playoffs healthy and spoils Patriots’ No. 1 pick (Democrat&Chronicle.com)
- 5 takeaways from the Bills’ 23-16 loss to the Patriots (BillsWire.com)
- Buffalo Bills RB James Cook ties O.J. Simpson for franchise record (BuffaloRumblings.com)
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Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].