Cook scores twice as Bills upset Patriots 38-21

Foxborough, MA - The Buffalo Bills entered Week 13 with three wins and left Foxborough with their third consecutive victory, defeating the New England Patriots 38-21 despite facing a team that began the day at 8-3.

Buffalo rushed for 199 yards, converted both of its fourth-down attempts and finished with 352 offensive yards. The Bills improved to 4-8 after entering on a two-game winning streak, while New England fell to 8-4 with its second straight loss.

James Cook III delivered the leading performance for Buffalo's deep rushing attack. Cook ran 15 times for 103 yards and a touchdown, including a game-long 40-yard rush. He also caught three passes for 17 yards and another score, giving him two touchdowns in the win.

Ty Johnson provided another productive option with 44 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Together, Cook and Johnson accounted for 147 rushing yards and two scores as the Bills finished with 67 more rushing yards than New England.

"There was space for us to be productive, and more than one guy contributed," Cook said. "I wanted to be decisive with the ball and make every touch count. Putting together this kind of rushing performance gives us something positive to carry forward."

Josh Allen completed 16 of 25 passes for 172 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, finishing with a 94.0 passer rating. His scoring passes went to Cook and Joshua Palmer, who had two receptions for 31 yards.

Dalton Kincaid supplied Buffalo's biggest receiving numbers. The tight end caught four passes for a game-high 94 yards, and his 42-yard reception was the longest catch of the game. That production represented more than half of Allen's passing yardage.

"We had nearly 200 yards on the ground, Dalton gave us production in the passing game, and we converted both fourth downs," Allen said. "There are still things to clean up, especially the turnover, but scoring 38 on the road is a result we can build from."

The efficiency contrast was particularly notable on high-leverage downs. Buffalo went 5-for-11 on third down and 2-for-2 on fourth down. New England converted 3 of 9 third downs and did not convert any of its three fourth-down attempts.

Inside the red zone, the Bills recorded three touchdowns and one field goal across six trips. The Patriots reached the red zone four times, coming away with one touchdown and no field goals.

New England produced the game leaders in both passing and rushing but could not match Buffalo's point total. Drake Maye completed 20 of 27 passes for a game-high 203 yards and two touchdowns, earning a 119.8 passer rating. Rhamondre Stevenson carried 17 times - the most attempts in the game - and finished with a game-high 106 rushing yards and a touchdown.

A.J. Brown was Maye's primary target, catching nine passes for 86 yards and both of New England's receiving touchdowns. Brown's nine receptions were more than twice the total of any Buffalo receiver, though Kincaid finished with eight more receiving yards.

"We had some good individual production, but the result is what matters," Maye said. "Three failed fourth downs and one touchdown on four red-zone trips are numbers we have to look at honestly. We scored 21, they scored 38, and that's the difference we have to own."

The Patriots finished with 326 offensive yards, 26 fewer than Buffalo, and recorded 17 first downs to the Bills' 19. New England's defense sacked Allen twice and intercepted him once. Buffalo recorded one sack, with Greg Rousseau collecting it, while Cole Bishop registered a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass deflection.

For the Bills, the result continued a sharp change from their 3-8 start and extended their winning streak to three games. For the Patriots, a second consecutive defeat followed an 8-2 opening to the season.

Up Next

Buffalo will travel to face the Green Bay Packers in Week 14 looking to extend its winning run, while New England returns home to host the Minnesota Vikings and try to rebound.