Last-place Pats lose third straight to Bills

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Music by Eddie Murphy and Rick Astley played over the sound system. The throwback Pat Patriot uniforms were resplendent in red.

On the field, too, the New England players were reminding fans of a bygone era.

A worse one.

Josh Allen threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns on Thursday night to lead the Buffalo Bills to a 24-10 victory over the Patriots, their third straight victory over New England. It’s the first time the Bills have beaten the Patriots three times in a row since 2000 — before Tom Brady took his first NFL snap.

“These games get bigger and bigger. So when you fall short, it’s disappointing,” Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty said. ““We have some time. We need to regroup, reset, decide what we want the rest of our season to be.”

With Brady running the

New England offense, the Patriots won six Super Bowls and 17 AFC East titles in 19 years. But Brady’s departure created an opening atop the division, and the Bills have taken over, with two straight division titles and the inside track on a third.

After Thursday’s win, Buffalo (9-3) is a half-game ahead of Miami and three games ahead of the lastplace Patriots (6-6). New England hasn’t finished last since back-to-back fifthplace finishes in 1999-2000.

“It’s not over yet. We’re 6-6, we’ve got more games to play, and that’s what we’re going to do,” New England linebacker Matthew Judon said. “Were going to see this team again.”

Mac Jones completed 22 of 36 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown, but the Patriots went 3 for 12 on third down and failed to score in their only trip inside the red zone. The Bills ran 72 offensive plays to New England’s 51, and con

Adam Glanzman / Getty Images Patriots safety Devin McCourty breaks up a pass intended for Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs in the second quarter at Gillette Stadium on Thursday in Foxborough, Mass.