One Stat Recap: Buffalo Bills run to victory against the New England Patriots

The Buffalo Bills beat the New England Patriots on Sunday for the first time since head coach Sean McDermott arrived in Buffalo. It was a close game, which is exactly how New England drew it up.

As ESPN’s Mike Reiss pointed out on Twitter, the Patriots played the Bills much like they played the Kansas City Chiefs (and much like how the Bills played the Chiefs). They played light boxes and asked the Bills to beat them on the ground. This game plan was designed to limit big plays and keep the game close, in hopes of a turnover or big play for the Patriots, leading to a win.

The Bills took what the Patriots gave them and ran the ball all day long. They set new season highs in rushing attempts (38), rushing yards (190), yards per carry (5.00), and rushing touchdowns (3). Devin Singletary and Zack Moss both rushed for over 80 yards against the Patriots. Neither of them had hit that mark yet this season.

All this rushing success only gave the Bills a three-point lead when they gave the ball back to New England with just over four minutes remaining in the game. Unfortunately the big play the Pats were looking for came at their expense when Justin Zimmer forced a Cam Newton fumble at the 13-yard line that Dean Marlowe recovered to seal the victory for the Bills.