New England Patriots

Highlights recap: Patriots grind out 25-6 win over Bills in Buffalo

Devin McCourty's interception return for a touchdown proved to be the decisive moment.

Rob Gronkowski
Rob Gronkowski makes a catch along the sideline against the Bills. AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes

By Hayden Bird

4 minutes to read

The Patriots might not have been at their best, but it was enough to get a win over the Bills on Monday night. The 25-6 win sent New England to 6-2, while correspondingly dropping Buffalo to 2-6.

Here’s a look back at the game as it happened, including highlights:

Fourth quarter

Patriots 25, Bills 6 (5:54)

: The Bills took over on the ensuing kickoff at the 25-yard line, but a holding penalty on LeSean McCoy pushed Buffalo back to the 15. From there, Anderson orchestrated an initially impressive drive. He moved the ball from the Bills’ own 15-yard line deep into Patriots territory purely through the air.

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On 2nd and 10 at the New England 25-yard line, it at first appeared Anderson had thrown a touchdown to Bills tight end Jason Croom. After a review, the play was revealed to be an incompletion. On 3rd and 15, Anderson was intercepted by Patriots safety Devin McCourty, who returned it 84 yards for a touchdown.

Patriots 18, Bills 6 (10:01): In a 10-play, 85-yard drive, the Patriots finally found the end zone in Buffalo. Brady found Edelman and White repeatedly, with runs from Patterson and a 22-yard catch by Chris Hogan to put the ball at the one-yard line. White finished it off, rushing in to add to New England’s lead. The one blemish was that a two-point conversion attempt failed.

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https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/1057110767441301504

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Third quarter

Patriots 12, Bills 6 (2:06)

: The Patriots’ punt back to the Bills placed Buffalo at their own 20-yard line, but Kyle Van Noy’s strip sack of Anderson on the drive’s second play quickly returned possession back to New England. Brady immediately found Gronkowski on a tipped catch for 22 yards. Yet despite having 1st and goal at the seven-yard line, the Patriots couldn’t get into the end zone, and Gostkowski kicked a 25-yard field goal.

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Patriots 9, Bills 6 (7:42): After the Buffalo defense forced New England’s first three-and-out of the game, Micah Hyde returned the ensuing punt 31 yards for the Bills to the Patriots’ 35-yard line. Despite their own three-and-out, the Bills were still in range for Hauschka, who nailed a 51-yard  field goal to make it a three point game.

Second quarter

Patriots 9, Bills 3 (1:43)

: After struggling to move the ball on their first few drives, the Bills found a way to move the ball in a 10-play, 46-yard drive. Quarterback Derek Anderson converted two third downs, including a 21-yard completion to receiver Andre Holmes on 3rd and 6 on the Buffalo 29-yard line. When the drive stalled, Stephen Hauschka hit a 47-yard field goal.

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Patriots 9, Bills 0 (5:46): It was more of the same on the Patriots’ fourth drive of the game. Taking over at their own 38-yard line, Brady again moved the ball primarily through the air into Buffalo territory. Completions of 15 yards to James White and 11 yards to Rob Gronkowski put the Patriots in field goal range. And yet another Gostkowski field (from 38 yards) capped an eight play, 42-yard drive.

Patriots 6, Bills 0 (11:51): Facing a 3rd and 7 at the New England 23-yard line, Tom Brady scrambled for the necessary yards. In doing so, he moved 997 career rush yards. In total, another 11-play drive from Patriots moved them back into field goal range. Yet once again, the drive stalled, and Gostkowski hit the 40-yard kick to double New England’s lead.

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First quarter

Patriots 3, Bills 0 (4:49)

: On New England’s second drive, Tom Brady orchestrated an up-tempo drive that found success mainly through the air. Driving into the red zone, the Patriots were unable to get into the end zone, and had to settle for a 25-yard field goal from Stephen Gostkowski to open the scoring. In total, New England went 73 yards on 15 plays.

Patriots 0, Bills 0 (12:54): Despite the pregame reports, Josh Gordon started for the Patriots. Also, Cordarrelle Patterson got the start in the backfield, rushing for six yards on the first play of the game. However, the drive later stalled when Tom Brady’s deep throw to Gordon on 3rd and 14 was dropped. New England’s first drive of the game ended in a punt.

Coin Toss

Pregame news and notes

https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/1057062744766201856

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Before kickoff, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted a report that the Patriots have a list of wide receiver trade targets that allegedly includes Demaryius Thomas and Golden Tate:

This comes after an earlier report from NFL insider Jay Glazer that the Patriots were interested in trading for another receiving option. The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 4 p.m. EST.

Inactives

Pregame reading