The New England Patriots had control, momentum, and history within reach until it all slipped away. In a close 35–31 loss to the Buffalo Bills, New England lost a commanding lead and is now 11-3. And in the aftermath of the final whistle, the Pats quarterback Drake Maye did not shy away from responsibility.

Speaking candidly after the game, Maye put the loss squarely on execution, starting with himself.

“We just have to be better when we’re up. It starts with me making some throws,” Maye said. “And from there, like Coach says, no naps, not relaxing. I didn’t feel like we relaxed, just didn’t make enough plays. Credit to them.”

The numbers told a brutal story. After building a 24–7 halftime lead by scoring on four of their first five possessions, the Patriots were outscored in the second half. Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen led touchdowns on five straight Bills possessions, flipping the game entirely on its head.

The Patriots failed to take control of the ball. They had it for just 7 minutes and 20 seconds across the final two quarters, a jarring imbalance for a team that had flexed its muscle on the ground early.

A victory would have completed a season sweep of Buffalo, the franchise that has ruled the AFC East for most of the past decade. It also would have kept New England locked in pace with Denver for the conference’s top seed. Instead, Buffalo snapped the Patriots’ 10-game winning streak.

“It was a long stretch where we were feeling good about ourselves,” Maye said. “This is a chance for us to respond from something.”

The second-half touchdown was a one-play drive when TreVeyon Henderson exploded for a 65-yard score. Maye was sprinting 50 yards downfield to deliver a key block and put them ahead 31-28 early in the fourth quarter.

But the offense stalled from there. Maye finished with his worst quarterback rating of the year, 62.8, and averaged just 6.7 yards per attempt, both season lows since Week 1. Meanwhile, Buffalo’s offense never blinked. Star running back James Cook delivered the decisive blow with a go-ahead touchdown late in the final period, capping a second half in which the Bills ended every possession in the end zone.

Drake Maye’s message to the locker room

Since the defeat, the Patriots quarterback has put more emphasis on leadership and made it obvious that one loss cannot linger.

“Don’t let it beat you twice,” Maye said. “Move on to the next week and learn from it and take what we can. And know that we’ve got some football ahead of us that’s important, still very important. And don’t just hang our hat and keep your head up.”

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It had all the makings of being a defining moment for New England on Sunday: the Patriots ran for 246 yards, their early control in the trenches setting the tone, with an obvious air of confidence. Maye’s effort as a blocker embodied an identity this team has built-physical, selfless, relentless.

Yet football remains a four-quarter game, and given an opening, Buffalo proved ruthless. The Bills just made more plays when it mattered most, while New England failed to show that urgency down the stretch.

“Keep your head up and know that we had a chance,” Maye said. “We’re there, just they made more plays and credit to them.”

After Sunday’s defeat, the Patriots remain near the top of the AFC, but a warning shot had been fired. Despite the loss, the road ahead for New England is pretty clear.