FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Buffalo did nearly enough to stave off the Patriots' claim to an 11th straight AFC East title.
A late Patriots touchdown and a Josh Allen-led drive that stalled in the red zone ended Buffalo’s hopes of winning its first division crown since 1995 in a 24-17 loss at New England on Saturday evening.
Allen got off to a slow start but led a scoring drive just before halftime that tied the game at ten. Then led another one in the third quarter that gave the Bills a 17-13 lead.
He found Dion Dawkins for a one yard score just before halftime to tie the game at 10. Dawkins said after the game, "I'm thankful to score, but I would trade that score for a 'W' any day."
With the Bills down three in the third quarter, Allen connected with John Brown for a 53-yard touchdown that put the Bills up 17-13. The Bills did not turn the ball over.
The Bills did not sack Tom Brady. Brady was 26 of 33 for 271 yards and a touchdown.
The Patriots ran 35 times for 143 yards. The Patriots had the ball for 38 minutes, 52 seconds, while the Bills time of possession was 21:08.
Bills coach Sean McDermott said "it's hard to win when you've got Tom Brady on the field as many times as he was."
The Bills had a first-and-goal at the Patriots 8-yard line with 2:21 remaining and were stopped by the Patriots.
"We have to find a way to punch it in there and that goes on my shoulders," Josh Allen said.
The Bills close out the regular season next Sunday afternoon at home against the New York Jets. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at New Era Field.
The Bills are locked in as the fifth seed for the AFC playoffs.
