The Bills kept their slim hopes of the No. 1 seed in the AFC alive and are a step closer to at worst, locking up the No. 2 seed.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — In the offseason, Rhamondre Stevenson left no doubt as to his feelings when asked about New England’s depth chart at running back.

MVP frontrunner Josh Allen threw for one touchdown, while running back James Cook added two scores in the victory.

James Cook scored two touchdowns, Buffalo’s defense forced three second-half turnovers and the AFC East champion Bills overcame a 14-0 deficit to pull out a 24-21 win over the New England Patriots.

On the Patriots’ end, rookie quarterback Drake Maye went 22-of-36 passing for 261 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. His favorite receiving target on the day was wideout Kayshon Boutte, who hauled in five receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown.

1:13: Hunter Henry 9 Yd pass from Drake Maye (24-21 Bills) Bills running back James Cook took off against the Patriots. His efforts led the way on a chilly day at Highmark Stadium. In total, Cook had 14 touches. He made most of them count.

But hopefully health… helps. The Bills defense was without several starters in Week 16 including cornerback Rasul Douglas (knee), safety Taylor Rapp (neck) and linebacker Matt Milano (groin). Those three might be Buffalo’s top-three pass defenders.

The Buffalo Bills (11-3) host a struggling New England Patriots (3-11) team on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024 at Highmark Stadium. The Patriots have lost four straight games. Date: Dec. 22 Time: 4:25 p.m. ET Over their last five meetings, Buffalo has tallied four wins versus New England.

The Patriots and Bills played a far more competitive game than most anticipated. Here are five takeaways from Highmark Stadium.

When the Buffalo Bills made the trade to acquire star wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns, many thought that he would become the No. 1 target for superstar quarterback Josh Allen. Unfortunately,