AFC East champion Bills finish sweep of Patriots
FOXBOROUGH, MASS. — The Buffalo Bills put a cherry atop the changing of the guard in the AFC East.
A week after unseating the Patriots as division champions, Buffalo became the first AFC East team in two decades to sweep New England in a season series with a 38-9 victory Monday night.
Josh Allen passed for four touchdowns to help the Bills stay in the mix for the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs.
The Bills (12-3) last swept the Patriots in 1999. The last division opponents to sweep the Patriots were the Jets and Dolphins in 2000. The Patriots’ 19 straight seasons without losing both games to a divisional opponent comprised an NFL record. New England (6-9) will finish with its first losing record since 2000, coach Bill Belichick’s first season there.
Allen completed 27 of 36 for 320 yards. He now has 34 touchdown passes, surpassing Jim Kelly to set a franchise single-season record. With his eighth 300-yard game, he also surpassed Drew Bledsoe’s single-season team record of seven.
“We’ve got one game left. And all that, it’s cool, the records, this and that,” Allen said. “But the plan is to get to 13-3 and give ourselves a chance in the playoffs. It doesn’t mean much if we can’t get it done.”
Stefon Diggs had nine catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns, setting a Bills single-season record for receiving yards.
“I’m new to this team, so I’m basking in (the) ambience of everybody,” Diggs said. “I’ve got a young quarterback who’s balling.”
The Patriots struggled to move the ball for most of the night, with running back Damien Harris out for the second straight game with an ankle injury. Cam Newton had a touchdown run but was just 5 of 10 for 34 yards passing before being pulled in the third quarter for backup Jarrett Stidham.
Newton’s 34 yards passing were the fewest by a Patriots starting quarterback since 1993. He said the season has been frustrating because his work hasn’t translated into wins.
“I’ve sacrificed so much this year, and it hurts when you have an outing that you have tonight,” he said.
With an offseason looming that promises a multitude of changes, Belichick
said he hasn’t decided who will start the Patriots’ finale Sunday against the New York Jets.
“It was the opportunity to give him a chance to play,” Belichick said of inserting Stidham. “Cam did a good job for us. I mean, that wasn’t the problem. We were just not very competitive.”
The Bills had no trouble against a depleted Patriots defense that was missing linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley and defensive tackle Lawrence Guy due to shoulder injuries. Their absences were most glaring in the passing game.
New England struggled to put pressure on Allen, allowing him time to find open receivers. The Patriots allowed a season-worst 474 yards overall.
“They outplayed us across the board, outplayed us and outcoached us,” Belichick said.