3 Key Takeaways from Bills vs. Patriots | Week 5

 3 Key Takeaways from Bills vs. Patriots | Week 5

The Buffalo Bills (4-1) suffered a 23-20 home loss to the New England Patriots (3-2). Here's what we learned:

1 — The NFL's last remaining undefeated team lost in the final minute

For the first time since 2014, there are no undefeated teams in the NFL after five weeks of the regular season. After the Eagles lost to the Broncos at home on Sunday, the Bills entered their primetime matchup as the only 4-0 team remaining in the league.

Even the raucous crowd under the lights in Orchard Park couldn't lift the Bills from 60 minutes of uneven and unusual football. Despite outscoring their opponent, winning time of possession, and having more first downs, the Bills suffered their first loss of the 2025 season.

"We just played sloppy," quarterback Josh Allen said. "We didn't play well tonight."

Buffalo trailed 6-3 at halftime, the first time they had gone without a touchdown in the first half since playing against the Giants in Week 6 of the 2023 season. The Bills opened Sunday with a 9-8 (.529) record at halftime since 2022, a winning percentage that ranked among the top three in the NFL.

Head coach Sean McDermott said, "We played the game the way they wanted to."

The performance may have been inconsistent, but the Bills had a chance to win late in the game. Trailing 20-10 early in the fourth quarter, Allen led the Bills on an eight-play, 74-yard drive, culminating in a two-yard touchdown pass to WR Keon Coleman, bringing the Bills within a field goal.

The Bills' defense responded and got the necessary stop, but Allen and company couldn't capitalize once they reached Patriots territory. After connecting with WR Khalil Shakir for a 12-yard gain to reach New England's 27, Allen threw three consecutive incomplete shots, forcing them to settle for Matt Prater's game-tying field goal instead of the go-ahead touchdown.

The incomplete shots, in addition to the field goal, left the Patriots with over two minutes left, and they capitalized with a seven-play, 37-yard drive. New kicker Andres Borregales hit a 52-yard shot with 15 minutes remaining.

The game that could have opened the way for a three-game division lead suddenly finds the Bills just one game ahead in the AFC East. Although it's only the first week of October, Allen considers this loss a missed opportunity for Buffalo.

He said, "If you look at it from a paper perspective, I mean, it was a very decisive game in terms of what we could have done in it, and we didn't take advantage of our opportunities."

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2 — Unusual "self-inflicted wounds" thwarted comeback attempt

Missed opportunities, turnovers, and a season-high 11 penalties were the main factors in Buffalo's first home regular season loss since November 2023.

Buffalo's first drive of the game was a microcosm for the rest of the night on both sides of the ball. The defense sacked Patriots quarterback Drake Maye on third-and-7 from the New England 48-yard line, leading to a two-yard loss and forcing a punt.

On the Bills' opening offensive series, the timing was wrong on an end-around snap exchange between Allen and TE Dawson Knox, resulting in a New England fumble recovery and Allen being charged with a turnover. McDermott confirmed after the game that the intent was to get Knox to take the handoff.

Allen added, "It was just a bad snap exchange."

This was the first time this season the Bills didn't score on their opening series. The Bills fumbled on two of their first three possessions, while one was a punt after four plays.

McDermott said, "It just seemed like we weren't in enough rhythm offensively. And when we got into rhythm, we got penalties, hurt ourselves, and it cost us early in the game."

Trailing 13-10 in the third quarter, the Bills had a chance to take the lead and reached New England's 9-yard line, but consecutive mistakes cost them. A pass interference call against WR Khalil Shakir on a bubble screen to TE Dalton Kincaid put the Bills up 19. On the very next play, Allen tried to throw the ball to Shakir in the middle of the field, but diving CB Jacque Jones intercepted it.

"They were making the play, I saw Khalil, and I left (the throw) a little inside," Allen explained.

Allen had played the entire 2024 season and the first four games of the 2025 season without committing multiple turnovers in a single game.

Allen said, "We shouldn't have even gotten into this with three turnovers. This is a very poor offense."

Noting how Buffalo's defense held the Patriots without a touchdown in the first half and then made a crucial stop midway through the fourth quarter, Allen blamed himself and the offense for Sunday's result.

"I think our defense played well and they saved us twice, but we won't win many NFL games because they lost the ball three times," Allen said.

The Bills' streak of scoring 30+ points in four consecutive regular season games also ended with the loss.

3 — Dalton Kincaid's Career Game

Third-year tight end Dalton Kincaid remains a top-ranked pass catcher for Buffalo, racking up a career-high 108 yards on six catches. He now ranks first on the team in yards and touchdowns and second among all NFL TEs in yards.

"He's beating man coverage," Allen said. "He enjoyed it a lot tonight. He's doing a good job of being friendly and making some plays."

Three of Kincaid's six catches came against man coverage, where he gained 15, 20, and 20 yards.

Kincaid reflected on his performance and emphasized that his statistics are less important than the overall result.

"Some are good, some are bad. We lost the game, we have to look at the tape and improve," he said.

In five games, Kincade has 279 yards receiving and three touchdowns, including 14.3 yards per catch and 125 yards after the catch.