Patriots and Bills Clash in Gritty Battle: Which Team Will Surge After a Sloppy First Half?

The opening forty-five minutes of Sunday Night Football? Well, it was nothing short of a chaotic mess. The Patriots managed to squeak out a 19-yard field goal right as the clock hit zero, grabbing a narrow 6-3 edge heading into halftime. I have to say, that near-touchdown at the end of the half for New England had me on the edge of my seat—especially with Drake Maye’s pass to Hunter Henry just slipping through those fingers at the 1-yard line. Meanwhile, the Bills were stumbling early—two fumbles and three punts wouldn’t put any coach in a good mood. The penalties? Eight in the first half, racking up 65 yards lost—a real pain point. Josh Allen was surprisingly sharp in the passing game, connecting on nine of eleven throws for a neat 100 yards, plus some sneaky scrambles adding 32 yards on the ground. But those turnovers? Absolutely costly. On the flip side, a rough patch for Patriots’ Rhamondre Stevenson with his third fumble in three games forced some reshuffling—enter Antonio Gibson, who then sadly went down with a knee injury. Despite all this, TreVeyon Henderson’s been carving out a modest 19 yards on a handful of carries, and Maye’s got his eyes set on the field, chucking 9 of 16 for 89 yards. And let’s not forget Stefon Diggs, making a decent impact with three catches in his return to Buffalo. Now, all eyes are on the Bills as they prepare to kick off the second half—will they clean up the sloppy start and turn it around? Time will tell. LEARN MORE

It was a sloppy first half of Sunday Night Football, with the Patriots hitting a 19-yard field goal at the buzzer to take a 6-3 lead into halftime.

New England had a chance to score a touchdown to end the half after a defensive pass interference penalty put the ball on the 1-yard line with just four seconds on the clock. But quarterback Drake Maye’s pass to Hunter Henry went off the tight end’s hands and fell incomplete.

The Bills lost two fumbles and had to punt on their first three drives before scoring a field goal on their fourth. Buffalo committed eight penalties for 65 yards in the first two quarters, adding to the club’s sloppy play.

Quarterback Josh Allen finished the first half 9-of-11 passing for 100 yards. He also rushed for times for 32 yards.

The Bills’ first fumble was credited to Allen, as there was a botched handoff in the backfield during the first quarter.

On the other side, Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson also lost his third fumble in the team’s last three games. That prompted Antonio Gibson to be on the field more, but he was lost to a knee injury midway through the second period.

TreVeyon Henderson has taken three carries for 19 yards.

Maye is 9-of-16 passing for 89 yards so far. In his return to Buffalo, Stefon Diggs has three catches for 33 yards.

The Bills will receive the second-half kickoff.