FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots seemingly had the AFC East division title within their grasp.

By opening their Week 15 showdown with the Buffalo Bills by scoring 21 unanswered points, the Pats appeared poised to not only earn the victory but also to bring the division title back to southern New England for the first time since 2019. Unfortunately, the Bills were not about to go down without a fight.

Despite taking a commanding 24-7 lead into halftime, the Patriots surrendered four second-half touchdowns [five straight, dating back to the second quarter] to the Bills — who buried New England’s momentum in their eventual 35-31 victory over the Pats at Gillette Stadium.

In addition to ending the Patriots’ 10-game winning streak, the loss also allows Buffalo to remain in the race for the division title. With the Pats and Bills now tied in head-to-head matchups, only one game separates them with three weeks left to play in the season. As such, New England’s remaining three games [against the Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, respectively] take on greater significance — and therefore, must be approached with a greater sense of urgency.

In that vein, here are five key takeaways from the Week 13 action at Gillette Stadium.

“To Be the Man, Ya Gotta Beat the Man”

While one may be hard-pressed to read the immortal words of legendary pro wrestler Ric Flair without emitting an enthusiastic “Wooo,” Pats fans are hardly jovial following their team’s second-half collapse in Week 15. Though this matchup seemingly carried a “changing-of-the-guard-esque – esque” aura for Patriots fans in the days leading up to it, the Bills — led by quarterback Josh Allen — reminded everyone watching that they are still the reigning AFC East champions, and Allen is still the MVP.

Buffalo’s veteran quarterback completed 19-of-28 for 193 yards and three touchdown passes. Conversely, Pats starter Drake Maye completed 14-of-23 passes for 155 yards, two rushing touchdowns and one interception

Collectively, Buffalo was able to make plays down the stretch while New England exhibited difficulty in converting in must-have situations in all three phases — a fact not lost on Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.

“We weren’t able to get any stops,” Vrabel told reporters from his postgame podium. “When we had an opportunity to make a play, we weren’t able to make it. Penalties. And that’s how this game goes. A few small plays make the difference.”

Unfortunately for the Patriots, those “few small plays” did not break their way in Week 15. As a result, their quest to reclaim their spot as “the man” in the AFC East must wait at least one more week.

Big Play TreVeyon

Though it may be difficult to find the silver lining in such a pivotal loss, the big-play abilities of rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson should have Pats fans smiling for the foreseeable future. New England’s second-round (38 overall) selection in April’s draft has exceeded his post-draft hype.

Henderson delivered New England’s “plays of the day” by rushing for a 52-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to give the Patriots a 21-0 lead, and delivering a 65-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, which briefly gave the Patriots a 31-28 lead, as well. In total, Henderson finished the game with 148 rushing yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns, while catching two passes for 13 yards.

Passing Game Could Not Capitalize of Benford’s Absence

With the Bills’ top cornerback Christian Benford out for Week 15 due to a toe injury, one may have been inclined to believe that New England’s passing game may look to exploit perhaps Buffalo’s greatest defensive deficiency in this contest. The Patriots looked to be in agreement early, as Maye connected with receiver Kayshon Boutte on a 30-yard connection to put the Pats in scoring position on their opening drive. However, the Pats were unable to muster sustained success in the passing game.

Former Bills receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins combined for 67 receiving yards on seven catches, while team captain Hunter Henry missed a crucial third down catch with just over five minutes remaining in the game, which would have reset the Pats’ drive. In the final analysis, Benford’s absence did not move the needle for the Pats’ aerial attack against Buffalo’s defense — one of the many missed opportunities for the team in Week 15.

Run-Defense Deficiencies

New England’s defense entered this matchup with a great deal of confidence in their run defense — ranked third in the NFL by allowing a stingy 89.5 yards per game on the ground. Yet, Buffalo running back James Cook found a great deal of success against the Pats in Week 15, carrying the ball 22 times for 107 yards and three rushing touchdowns.

Where the Pats were unable to capitalize on key Bills’ absences, Cook was able to take advantage of New England’s d-line being devoid of defensive tackle Milton Williams (ankle, injured reserve) and linebacker Robert Spillane — who was active, despite his questionable pre-game status due to a foot injury. Instead, the Patriots make-shift front seven — consisting of interior linemen Christian Barmore, Khyiris Tonga and Joshua Farmer — as well as linebacker Anfernee Jennings off the edge — struggled to contain Cook, as well as Allen and reserve rusher Ty Johnson throughout the afternoon.

Special Teams Struggle

Despite being a strength for much of the season, New England struggled in the game’s third phase during Week 15. The Pats tacklers had difficulty with securing their targets, as returner Ray Davis averaged over 40 yards per kick return. New England also fell victim to some costly penalties on special teams. Most notably, the Pats were whistled on a potentially 47-yard return by Patriots kick returner Kyle Williams, which was called back by a holding penalty on Marte Mapu late in the third quarter.

Additionally, a first-half facemask penalty on Patriots special-teams captain Brenden Schooler allowed the Bills to secure their first scoring drive of the game. New England’s lack of discipline on special teams is likely to be a key area targeted for improvement at practice in the coming days.