Maye Throws Three Touchdowns as Patriots End Bills' Unbeaten Start
The New England Patriots ended Buffalo's unbeaten start to the season with a 29-26 win at Highmark Stadium, Drake Maye throwing three touchdown passes in a comeback decided inside the final two minutes.
Maye overcame two first-half turnovers to lead an eight-play, 73-yard drive that produced the winning score.
Chism Settles It
Buffalo had moved 26-21 ahead when Josh Allen found Keon Coleman with a 34-yard touchdown pass with 4:27 remaining. The two-point conversion failed when Palmer did not look for Allen's pass.
Maye responded immediately. He capped the drive with a 23-yard throw to Efton Chism III, who took it one-handed in the right corner of the end zone with 1:50 left. Maye then found Rhamondre Stevenson for the two-point conversion to put New England three ahead.
Allen had a minute and the ball at the Buffalo 40, but went deep down the left and was intercepted by Craig Woodson. Maye rolled right and lobbed a 12-yard pass to Hunter Henry to run out the clock.
"Gets us back in the race," head coach Mike Vrabel said afterwards. "Josh was unbelievable."
Maye finished 22 of 37 for 269 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, adding 54 rushing yards from eight carries. His lost fumble came when Bills tackle Ed Oliver shoved an offensive lineman into him.
Allen's Night of Records
Allen was excellent in defeat, completing 23 of 33 for 253 yards with a touchdown and a two-yard rushing score.
That run, which tied the game at 14 with a minute left in the first half, was his 88th career touchdown from scrimmage, breaking the Buffalo record held jointly by Hall of Famers Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed. It was also his 86th rushing touchdown, moving him level with Priest Holmes in 16th on the all-time NFL list.
The interception was his third of the season. Receiver Khalil Shakir also lost a fumble.
The AFC East Tightens
The result moves New England to 2-2 and closes the gap on Buffalo, who drop to 3-1. It was the first game the Patriots have played at the new Highmark Stadium.
Maye had thrown his fifth, sixth and seventh turnovers of the season the previous week and had appeared on the injury report, making the response more significant.
Elsewhere in Week 4, Kansas City, Minnesota and San Francisco all moved to 4-0. Cleveland beat Pittsburgh 27-24 on Thursday and Indianapolis won 30-13 against Washington in London, where Jonathan Taylor became the NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards and touchdowns in international games.
The Los Angeles Rams won 24-20 at Philadelphia with a defensive performance that held the Eagles to 172 total yards and nothing from 12 third-down attempts, despite missing Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald and Jaylen Watson.
Atlanta closed the week by beating New Orleans 45-24 on Monday night, Bijan Robinson running for 145 yards and two touchdowns while Brian Robinson Jr added three scores of his own.
