Sunday 29 September 2019 22:03, UK
New England's defense dominated in Buffalo as the Patriots held off the stubborn Bills to move to 4-0 with a 16-10 win.
Josh Allen threw three interceptions and was sacked four times as the Patriots' defense swarmed around the second-year quarterback all game.
Buffalo's D held Tom Brady to just 150 yards on 39 attempts - including a pick - but Allen's turnovers and a special teams touchdown helped the defending champions to a fourth straight win.
It was all Patriots early as they scored twice in the first quarter - both aided by Buffalo giveaways.
Buffalo's first drive of the game ended in an Allen interception as he forced a deep pass towards receiver John Brown, with New England safety Devin McCourty stepping in front to returned it to midfield and give Brady a short field.
A perfectly-placed 26-yard pass from Brady to James White set up New England at Buffalo's goal line, and Brandon Bolden strolled in untouched from four yards.
On the Bills' very next drive, they turned the ball over again - and this time, it resulted in a touchdown on the very same play.
Punter Corey Bojorguez lined up his kick, but J.C. Jackson came flying in to block it and special teams ace Matthew Slater picked the ball up perfectly in stride to return it 11 yards and give the Pats a 13-0 lead after kicker Stephen Gostowski had missed his extra-point attempt on the first TD.
Despite the two-score lead, Buffalo's defense was superb and kept them close all game.
They held the Patriots without a touchdown for the rest of the first game - with Micah Hyde picking off Brady in the end zone in the second quarter.
And after Frank Gore had broken free for a 41-yard run and put his name in the history books - becoming the fourth player in NFL history to reach 15,000 yards - Buffalo finally got on the board with a Stephen Hauschka field goal before the half.
Despite Allen ending the half with an even worse stat line than Brady - five of 17 for 60 yards and two picks - Buffalo came out as the hot team in the second.
On their first play of the second half, the Bills moved 75 yards down the field and scored with an impressive drive. When Allen leapt over the goal line from one yard out to cap the nine-play drive and make it 13-10, it marked the first time the Patriots defense had conceded a touchdown all season.
However, the game followed the same script as the first half as, after the Bills' defense held New England again, Allen threw a costly pick with an ill-advised throw into coverage. This time, it was Jackson who made a tremendous play to force Allen third's interception of the day.
New England added a Gostkowski 23-yard field goal, but on Buffalo's next drive, Allen was forced out of the game by a fierce hit to the head. With the quarterback already being tackled to the ground, cornerback Jonathan Jones led with his helmet and knocked Allen to the turf.
Backup quarterback Matt Barkley came in and found John Brown for 28 yards on his first throw, but that drive ended with the Bills turning the ball over on downs.
Even as their defense held strong to stop Brady for two straight drives, Barkley couldn't put together a scoring drive on two attempts late in the fourth quarter.
Jamie Collins sealed the game for New England when Barkley's third-down pass was tipped high into the air and the linebacker hauled it in, allowing Brady to kneel and run down the clock.
New England - Brady and company face a three-game stretch in which they will be heavily favoured to continue their streak. First, they visit the Washington Redskins - potentially rookie Dwayne Haskins' first NFL start - then they host the Giants and visit the Jets.
Buffalo - The Bills visit Tennessee next week before reaching their bye week. They return in Week Seven and will host the Miami Dolphins.
Week Four concludes on Monday night with Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Cincinnati Bengals - follow the action live on Sky Sports Action and Main Event from 1am.
