The newest chapter of this rivalry was written on October 4, 2026, and it went New England’s way. The Patriots beat the Bills 29-26 at the new Highmark Stadium, scoring the final eight points in the last two minutes. That result makes the Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots match player stats worth a fresh look, especially with the rematch set for December 6 in Foxborough.
Below you will find the full Week 4 numbers, a direct comparison with the wild 35-31 Bills comeback from December 2025, the all-time series record, and what to watch when the two teams meet again. Every figure comes from official box scores and wire reports, so you can trust the data and use it for fantasy, betting research or plain fan debate.
Latest Update: Patriots 29, Bills 26
Here is what changed in the AFC East picture. After four weeks, Buffalo stood at 3-1 and New England at 2-2. The Patriots arrived off a 35-6 loss to Jacksonville and had a quarterback who was turning the ball over. The Bills arrived unbeaten, favored by about a touchdown, and fresh off a 24-16 win over the Chargers.
The game still went to the visitors. New England led 7-0 after one quarter, Buffalo flipped it to a 17-14 halftime lead, and the Patriots pulled ahead 21-17 in the third. A Tyler Bass field goal and a Keon Coleman touchdown gave the Bills a 26-21 edge with 4:27 left. Then Drake Maye answered with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Efton Chism III, and Rhamondre Stevenson caught the two-point conversion to make it 29-26.
Scoring Summary
| Quarter | Team | Play | Score (NE-BUF) |
| 1 | Patriots | Romeo Doubs 14-yd pass from Maye | 7-0 |
| 2 | Bills | James Cook 8-yd run | 7-7 |
| 2 | Patriots | Rhamondre Stevenson 1-yd run | 14-7 |
| 2 | Bills | Josh Allen 2-yd run | 14-14 |
| 2 | Bills | Tyler Bass 27-yd field goal | 14-17 |
| 3 | Patriots | Romeo Doubs 2-yd pass from Maye | 21-17 |
| 4 | Bills | Tyler Bass 38-yd field goal | 21-20 |
| 4 | Bills | Keon Coleman 34-yd pass from Allen (2-pt failed) | 21-26 |
| 4 | Patriots | Efton Chism III 23-yd pass from Maye, 2-pt good | 29-26 |
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots Match Player Stats From Week 4
The quarterback numbers were closer than the final minutes suggest, and both players were far from perfect.
| Stat | Josh Allen (BUF) | Drake Maye (NE) |
| Completions/Attempts | 23/33 | 22/37 |
| Passing Yards | 253 | 269 |
| Passing TD | 1 | 3 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks Taken | 1 | 1 |
| Passer Rating | 89.6 | 97.7 |
| Rushing | 5 for 4 yds, 1 TD | 8 for 54 yds |
| Fumbles | 1 (0 lost) | 3 (1 lost) |
Maye threw for more yards and two more touchdowns, and his 54 rushing yards on eight carries kept drives alive. Allen was more accurate on a percentage basis, completing about 70% of his throws, and he found the end zone on the ground, but one interception hurt. Maye’s three fumbles, one of them lost, are a reminder of why his ball security has been a talking point all month.
Receiving and Rushing Leaders From the Game
Buffalo’s passing game finally showed the shape new head coach Joe Brady wants. Keon Coleman led all receivers with six catches for 116 yards and a 34-yard touchdown. Khalil Shakir caught seven passes for 82 yards, including a 51-yard play, though he also lost a fumble. D.J. Moore, the offseason headline addition, was quiet with one catch for 11 yards.
For New England, Romeo Doubs was the red-zone target, catching six passes for 58 yards and two touchdowns. Hunter Henry added five catches for 62 yards, and Mack Hollins grabbed three for 53 yards. Chism only had two receptions, but the game was won by his 23-yard touchdown.
On the ground, the day was modest for both teams:
| Player | Team | Carries | Yards | TD |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | NE | 13 | 47 | 1 |
| TreVeyon Henderson | NE | 14 | 42 | 0 |
| James Cook | BUF | 12 | 75 | 1 |
| Drake Maye | NE | 8 | 54 | 0 |
Cook averaged 6.3 yards per carry, the best efficiency on the field, yet he received only 12 carries. That workload gap will be one of the loudest questions in Buffalo this week.
Josh Allen vs Drake Maye: Two Games, Two Very Different Stat Lines
The best way to understand this matchup is to place both recent meetings next to each other. The December 2025 game was a Bills comeback built on efficiency. The October 2026 game was a Patriots win built on volume and late-game poise.
| Stat | Allen, Dec 14, 2025 | Allen, Oct 4, 2026 | Maye, Dec 14, 2025 | Maye, Oct 4, 2026 |
| Comp/Att | 19/28 | 23/33 | 14/23 | 22/37 |
| Pass Yards | 193 | 253 | 155 | 269 |
| Pass TD | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| INT | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Rush Yards | 48 | 4 | 43 | 54 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Result | W 35-31 | L 26-29 | L 31-35 | W 29-26 |
Notice the swap. Allen threw three touchdowns and no interceptions in the win, then one touchdown and one interception in the loss. Maye did the opposite, going from zero passing touchdowns to three. In both games the quarterback who protected the football and made the final big play won.
The Bills also entered the October game with a clear statistical edge on paper. Through three games, Allen had completed 56 of 86 passes for 786 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Maye had completed 51 of 80 for 585 yards, one touchdown and six interceptions. The Week 4 outcome showed how quickly that kind of gap can shrink.
Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots Match Player Stats From the December 2025 Classic
To appreciate the current rivalry, go back to December 14, 2025, in Foxborough. New England was riding a 10-game winning streak and was one win away from clinching the AFC East. Buffalo trailed 21-0, then 24-7 at halftime, and still won 35-31.
Josh Allen: Slow Start, Perfect Finish
With no interceptions, Allen finished 19 of 28 throws for 193 yards and three touchdowns. He finished with a 123.1 passer rating after adding 11 rushing attempts for 48 yards. Eight different Bills caught a pass. Tight end Dawson Knox scored two touchdowns from 4 and 14 yards out, the latter of which gave Buffalo their first lead of the day, while Khalil Shakir led the way with five grabs for 65 yards.
James Cook: Three Touchdowns, Zero Wasted Touches
Cook was the game’s most complete player. He received a 5-yard touchdown pass, scored on rushes of 3 and 11 yards, and ran 22 times for 107 yards. His 11-yard run with 6:48 left capped a seven-play, 65-yard drive and put Buffalo ahead for good. Buffalo also held the ball for 35:21 compared with New England’s 24:39, which kept the Patriots’ explosive offense off the field.
TreVeyon Henderson: Highlights in a Losing Effort
Henderson was the best player on the losing side. He scored on runs of 52 and 65 yards while running 14 times for 148 yards, averaging more than 10 yards per carry. His second touchdown came just 14 seconds after Buffalo took its first lead. It was his fourth run of 50 or more yards in the season.
Drake Maye: Fast Start, Costly Mistake
Maye was spectacular early, scoring rushing touchdowns of 8 and 7 yards in the first quarter. He finished 14 of 23 for 155 yards with one interception, a deep ball picked off by Tre’Davious White. He was sacked three times, compared with two sacks on Allen. After the Bills adjusted, the Patriots could not keep their first-half rhythm.
Team Numbers That Decided the Game
| Stat | Buffalo Bills | New England Patriots |
| Final Score | 35 | 31 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of Possession | 35:21 | 24:39 |
| Third Down | 8-14 | 5-10 |
| Passing Yards | 193 | 155 |
Ball control and turnovers drove the swing. Buffalo scored five touchdowns, every one of them after trailing 21-0, and the Patriots never found a consistent way to slow them.
Running Back Head-to-Head: Cook vs Henderson and Stevenson
Running backs have shaped both recent games, just in different ways.
| Player | Dec 2025 Line | Oct 2026 Line |
| James Cook (BUF) | 22 car, 107 yds, 2 rush TD, 1 rec TD | 12 car, 75 yds, 1 rush TD |
| TreVeyon Henderson (NE) | 14 car, 148 yds, 2 TD | 14 car, 42 yds, 0 TD |
| Rhamondre Stevenson (NE) | Not a factor | 13 car, 47 yds, 1 TD, 3 rec for 27 |
The pattern is clear. Cook produces more when Buffalo gives him volume. Before Week 4 he had 58 carries for 346 yards and two touchdowns through three games, and he ran for 154 yards against the Chargers a week before this game. Henderson matched his 14 carries from December but gained only 42 yards, while Stevenson took a bigger share of the work in New England’s backfield.
2026 Season Context: What Has Changed Since Last Year
Several off-field changes explain why the Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots match player stats look different from a year ago.
- New Bills head coach. Buffalo fired Sean McDermott after a Divisional Round exit and promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Brady is expected to keep calling plays.
- A new WR1. The Bills added D.J. Moore to give Allen a true top receiver, and Keon Coleman’s 116-yard game on October 4 suggests the group is still developing.
- New England as the defending champion of the AFC. The Patriots won the 2025 AFC East, ending Buffalo’s five-year run of division titles, and reloaded with A.J. Brown and a deeper receiving group.
- Roster moves. Stefon Diggs left New England in March, while former Bills defensive tackle DaQuan Jones signed with the Patriots in September.
- A new stadium. October 4 was the Patriots’ first game at Buffalo’s new Highmark Stadium, which opened this year.
On defense, Buffalo’s Greg Rousseau came into Week 4 leading the league with six sacks and three forced fumbles, which is why the Bills’ pass rush is the matchup to watch against New England’s shifting offensive line.
Head-to-Head History: Bills vs Patriots All-Time Series
The two franchises first met on September 23, 1960, a 13-0 Bills win. Before the Week 4 game, the Patriots led the series 80-52-1, which now stands at 81-52-1 after their October win. Playoff games are tied 1-1, with New England winning in 1963 and Buffalo winning the 2021 Wild Card game 47-17.
Tom Brady’s era shaped the long-term record, as the Patriots went a combined 34-4 against Buffalo during his time as a starter from 2001 to 2019. Since then the series has been far more balanced, and the Patriots now hold a one-game win streak after Week 4.
Recent Meetings
| Date | Winner | Score | Venue |
| Oct 4, 2026 | Patriots | 29-26 | Highmark Stadium |
| Dec 14, 2025 | Bills | 35-31 | Gillette Stadium |
| Oct 5, 2025 | Patriots | 23-20 | Highmark Stadium |
| Jan 5, 2025 | Patriots | 23-16 | Gillette Stadium |
| Dec 22, 2024 | Bills | 24-21 | Highmark Stadium |
| Dec 31, 2023 | Bills | 27-21 | Highmark Stadium |
All six of these meetings were decided by seven points or fewer, and the last six games split three wins apiece. That is how a rivalry between equals looks.
What to Watch in the December 6 Rematch
The second meeting is scheduled for Sunday, December 6, 2026, at 4:25 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium. Here are the player matchups most likely to shape the box score.
- Maye’s turnovers. He has thrown an interception in both recent games against Buffalo, and his fumble count from Week 4 is a concern. Protecting the ball may decide the rematch.
- Cook’s carry total. He ran 22 times in the December win and only 12 in October’s loss, so his workload is worth tracking.
- Rousseau against the Patriots’ line. New England was on its third starting right guard in as many weeks before Week 4, so Buffalo’s edge rush is a real test.
- Coleman and Moore. If both receivers show up in the same game, Allen’s passing numbers should rise quickly.
- Late-game execution. Both recent games came down to the final quarter, so kicking, two-point decisions and clock management matter.
Another close game with lots of scoring is the safest assumption for gamblers and fantasy managers. The last two meetings produced 66 and 55 combined points, and neither defense has been able to dominate the other.
Key Takeaways From the Latest Stats
- Patriots 29, Bills 26 is the newest result. New England scored the final eight points and is 2-2 against a Bills team that started 3-1.
- Maye is the stat leader in the last meeting. 269 passing yards, three touchdowns and 54 rushing yards, even with a costly fumble count.
- Allen’s efficiency dropped. His rating fell from 123.1 in the December comeback to 89.6 in October.
- Cook remains the most efficient back. He averaged 6.3 yards per carry in October and scored three times in December.
- The series is balanced again. The Patriots lead overall at 81-52-1, but the last six games are split three apiece.
Final Verdict
The Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots match player stats tell a consistent story. The quarterback who avoids the big mistake and makes the final play wins, and neither side has yet found a way to pull away. Buffalo has the better balance on paper and the more explosive rusher in Cook. New England has the stronger recent trend and a quarterback who answers when the game gets tight.
With the December 6 rematch at Gillette Stadium, the tiebreaker for the AFC East may arrive well before the playoffs. Bookmark this page, because the stat lines will be updated after the next game.
