Takeaways As Patriots Upset Bills 23 20 On Sunday Night Football Nbc

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 17, 2025, 4:11 AM

takeaways as patriots upset bills 23 20 on sunday night football nbc

Send this article to your social connections. Send this article to your social connections. The Patriots finally have their signature win. Entering Buffalo as major underdogs against the lone undefeated team left in the NFL, Drake Maye and the Patriots reeled off a 23-20 win against the Bills. In a back-and-fourth matchup on primetime TV, Maye led the way for New England in crunch time — orchestrating a seven-play, 37-yard drive that ended with rookie kicker Andy Borregales booting a 52-yard field... Phil Perry, Tom E.

Curran and Ted Johnson share instant reaction to the Patriots’ gutsy 23-20 win over the Bills In his 17th career start, ironically the exact mark of a full season, the Patriots quarterback earned his first signature win. Maye's five career wins prior to the 23-20 victory against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on Sunday night pale in comparison to his first primetime start. "I would say it's an even bigger moment for Drake Maye," Patriots insider Phil Perry said on Patriots Postgame Live following the Week 5 verdict. "You get the ball with two minutes left. It's a tie game against a team that everybody thinks is going to the Super Bowl and you make two special throws, in my opinion."

Subscribe to NBC Sports Boston's podcast network to hear our Insiders bring you the latest insights on your favorite teams! Maye and the offense took the field with 2:12 remaining in a tie game and proceeded to lead a crunch-time scoring drive, as the Patriots gained 37 yards on seven plays before rookie Andy... Phil Perry, Tom E. Curran and Ted Johnson share instant reaction to the Patriots’ gutsy 23-20 win over the Bills The New England Patriots walked into Highmark Stadium as heavy underdogs against the undefeated Buffalo Bills, but emerged with a stunning 23-20 upset win on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. This game had it all, from a low-scoring, fumble-filled first half to Drake Maye and Josh Allen trading touchdown drives in a high-scoring second half.

But the Patriots got the last laugh. After Matt Prater’s game-tying field goal with 2:17 remaining, Drake Maye led New England's offense 37 yards in seven plays to set up Andy Borregales' 52-yard, go-ahead field goal with 15 seconds remaining. Check out our live blog below for a full game recap with postgame analysis and more: The New England Patriots are no longer the punching bag team of the AFC East division. After spending the last five years being treated as little brother to the Buffalo Bills, the Patriots rolled into Orchard Park and punched big brother in the mouth. The game had everything—great defense, highlight reel offensive plays, big momentum swings and the crowning of a new primetime star who went toe-to-toe with the reigning NFL MVP.

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye completed a game-winning drive to knock off Josh Allen and the Bills in a 23-20 win on the road at Orchard Park. It was a signature win for the second-year signal-caller against arguably the best team in the league. Four-time Pro Bowl receiver Stefon Diggs had a massive performance in his return to Buffalo by hauling in 10 receptions for 146 yards in the game. Emotions were clearly high for Diggs, who served as Allen's No. 1 receiver for the four years he spent in Buffalo. However, this time, he arrived as a member of the rival Patriots and helped Maye hand Allen his first loss of the season.

The Patriots' defense deserves a lot of credit for the win as well. They forced three turnovers, including a Marcus Jones interception on Allen. The unit also held Bills running back James Cook to 49 yards rushing. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez came up big late in the game by forcing two incompletions on back-to-back pass attempts by Allen. By Chad Graff, Joe Buscaglia and Rebecca Tauber The NFL’s undefeated teams are no longer.

The New England Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills 23-20 Sunday night, just hours after the Denver Broncos gave the Philadelphia Eagles their first loss of the season. The Bills got off to a slow start, ultimately turning the ball over three times. Buffalo kept it close thanks to some last-minute moves by Josh Allen, but it was Patriots quarterback Drake Maye that shone Sunday night alongside receiver Stefon Diggs, who made a statement in his return... “Obviously I love those guys, still got a good relationship with those guys, still got a lot of respect for them,” Diggs said of his former Bills teammates in an interview with NBC Sports... “But I love the game of football more.” How about this for some Patriots magic?

Drake Maye flashes MVP-level athleticism by staying on his feet long enough to hit Stefon Diggs despite a pass rusher hanging from his legs, then delivers a pinpoint dart to Kayshon Boutte along the... What a performance from Mike Vrabel's team on the road against a Super Bowl favorite. This one should have Pats fans celebrating all night. Well, folks, we're back in a deadlock, and we have Josh Allen to thank for it. The Bills quarterback somehow manages to evade just about every Patriots defensive linemen on back-to-back plays, rolling right, drifting around and between rushers before launching two throws, one all the way out of the... Allen is fortunate he didn't suffer an injury or give the ball away while extending each play, but his supersized acrobatics follow enough movement by Joe Brady's unit to set up a game-tying 45-yard...

The underrated tale of this matchup: A lack of discipline. We've seen some feisty defense from both sides, particularly New England, but with just a few minutes to play, the Bills and Patriots have combined for 18 penalties amounting to 173 penalty yards. That's not a small amount. New England's last infraction helped stall Drake Maye and the offense on a three-and-out, providing Buffalo a chance to retake the lead in the closing minutes. Mike Vrabel wants a disciplined Patriots bunch, but a late hit by defensive tackle Joshua Farmer on James Cook gifts the Bills 15 yards and a first down in scoring range. Josh Allen does the rest from there, trucking through contact for a rushing first down of his own, then lacing a pass to Keon Coleman for a touchdown.

We've still got almost a full quarter to play, and Diggs is up to 134 yards on nine catches. That easily leads both teams. Not only that, but the veteran is showcasing his trademark route-running and post-catch toughness on some highlight-reel grabs, including a long catch-and-run that puts New England right back in the red zone for another... Safe to say Diggs arrived at Highmark Stadium motivated to put on a show. And most importantly, it has his new team on top, with Drake Maye and Co. going blow for blow with Josh Allen's Bills.

The Patriots and Bills battled back and forth in front of a national audience on Sunday night, with the tied game coming down to a final drive. Drake Maye (22-of-30, 273 yards) found his clutch, completing two big passes along the way to help set up Andy Borregales' game-winning 52-yard field goal as the Pats knocked off their unbeaten divisional rivals,... It was a turnover and penalty marred first half, with neither team able to score a touchdown, but in the second half things broke open with four touchdown scores on the first five possessions. Maye was outstanding, while connecting with Stefon Diggs on 10 receptions for 146 yards. It was a huge win for the Patriots, who stacked their second victory in a row and look to be finding their stride and identity under new head coach Mike Vrabel. The two divisional rivals were feeling both sloppy early, combining for multiple turnovers in the first quarter.

After an opening Patriots punt, the Bills would have an uncharacteristic first possession, failing to score a touchdown on their first drive for the first time all season long, but that wasn't the worst... Josh Allen mishandled a handoff and the ball landed on the ground, recovered by Patriots rookie defensive lineman Josh Farmer. It was only Buffalo's second turnover of the season and set the Patriots up just over midfield. But Maye and the offense couldn't capitalize on the takeaway, with Rhamondre Stevenson fumbling for the third time this season on the very first play of the drive, handing the ball right back to... If you heard champagne popping at around 11:30 p.m. ET on Sunday night, it was probably the ’72 Dolphins.

The last unbeaten team in 2025 has a loss, as the Patriots pulled off an upset to defeat the Bills, 23-20, in Western New York on Sunday Night Football. Second-year quarterback Drake Maye put together his first game-winning drive, with a couple of completions setting up rookie Andy Borregales’ go-ahead 52-yard field goal with just 15 seconds left on the clock. Maye showed some significant growth in his first primetime start, completing 22-of-30 passes for 273 yards. He had just one incompletion in the second half, going 13-of-14. Many of those passes went to former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, who caught 10 passes for 146 yards on 12 targets. It was Diggs’ best performance since 2022 — when he caught 10 passes for 148 yards in a Buffalo win over Kansas City.

Takeaways As Patriots Upset Bills 23 20 On Sunday Night Football Nbc

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