Bills fans filled Highmark Stadium expecting another win, with the team riding an unbeaten streak into Sunday night. But the Patriots spoiled the momentum, handing Buffalo a 23-20 loss that snapped their hot start and raised tough questions. Afterward, Sean McDermott and Josh Allen owned the mistakes and outlined what needs fixing.

First, McDermott set the tone. He didn’t sugarcoat anything. “Obviously not the performance we were looking for. Though we beat ourselves, turning the ball over three times,” he told reporters. He broke it down further. New England scored ten points off Buffalo’s mistakes, while the latter failed to capitalize on their own takeaways.

That imbalance frustrated the head coach. Even when the offense found a rhythm, flags or miscues pulled them back. For McDermott, it was a simple truth: Buffalo did not play clean football. Then came the turnovers. They stung the loudest. Two of them belonged to Allen.

The first was a mishandled exchange with Dawson Knox, an error that gave the Patriots a short field early. Later, deep in the red zone, Allen forced a throw and paid for it with an interception. In a game this tight, those mistakes tilted everything. Allen owned them afterward, knowing he can’t hand away possessions and still expect wins in the AFC East.

Meanwhile, Sean McDermott pointed out another issue: pass coverage. “In the second half, I didn’t think the pass defense was good enough. Gave up some chunks there, which hurt us.” He wasn’t wrong. New England found openings downfield and extended drives. That added pressure to a defense already struggling to get stops. Finally, McDermott circled back to basics.

“You cannot turn the ball over and expect to win, you got to take care of the football.” Sean McDermott stressed that fundamentals will decide whether the Bills bounce back. If they want to reclaim control of the division, cleaning up the little things comes first. And what’s Allen’s take on the loss?

Josh Allen’s honest assessment of Bills’ offense

Quarterback Josh Allen didn’t hide his frustration after the loss in Orchard Park. He also addressed how the offense turned the ball over three times, and that cost them.

“We just played sloppy. Not gonna win a football game turning the ball over three times in our red zone. Gave them one in their red zone. That’s just bad, bad football. We just did not play good tonight,” Allen said.

He went even further, admitting, “We shouldn’t even have been in it with three turnovers. That’s just piss-poor offense.” However, statistically, Allen’s line wasn’t terrible. He threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns. Still, the turnovers changed the flow of the game.

His interception in the second half was his second of the season, and the fumbles from both Allen and Keon Coleman gave New England extra chances. In a three-point game, those mistakes loomed large. When asked about finding rhythm later in the game, Allen didn’t sugarcoat it.

“Yeah, just trying to find a rhythm and get into a good rhythm. Obviously Dalton Kincaid played fantastic tonight. We got to carry that over and got to find a way to win that one. But again, we shouldn’t have even been in it with three turnovers. So that’s again, that’s just piss-poor offense.” His praise of Kincaid was real, but so was his anger about the turnovers.

This loss also ended Buffalo’s long unbeaten run at Highmark Stadium in the regular season, a streak dating back to November 2023. Now, the City of Good Neighbors waits for a bounce-back. The Bills return on Monday night against the Falcons, and Allen knows the fix starts with protecting the football.