The Bills not just encountered their initial defeat of the year in their 23-20 setback versus the Patriots on “Sunday Night Football,” but they additionally finished a noteworthy run, too. The Bills perpetrated three giveaways while only forcing one, stopping their 26-game sequence (counting postseason games) of not relinquishing the turnover margin. That was the lengthiest sequence in NFL annals on record, stretching back to 1940.
It marks the initial instance Buffalo has yielded the turnover disparity since Week 7, 2023 — coincidentally, also a defeat to the Patriots.
The errors commenced right from the get-go: During Buffalo’s opening possession of the evening, Josh Allen and Dawson Knox fumbled what resembled a sweep attempt for the tight end, and New England’s Joshua Farmer gathered.
The Patriots defense secured a subsequent takeaway prior to the quarter’s conclusion, with Robert Spillane dislodging a ball from Keon Coleman’s hold and Jaylinn Hawkins recovering.
Marcus Jones obtained New England’s third takeaway of the game, leaping ahead of an Allen throw intended for Khalil Shakir.
Securing the ball, naturally, constitutes merely one segment of the turnover equation. The Patriots’ proficiency in averting turnovers proved beneficial, although they certainly flirted with danger in that facet. Rhamondre Stevenson relinquished a fumble shortly following the Bills’ initial turnover, and Antonio Gibson fumbled a kickoff return, albeit New England ultimately recovered.
