ORCHARD PARK, NY – Here are my five takeaways from the Buffalo Bills’ 24-21 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday at Highmark Stadium:

1. As much as they tried to sleepwalk through this game, the Bills managed to stay awake just long enough to win a game in which they had no business losing.

For most of the first half they looked anything but ready to play. The Bills played as a team that knew they were significantly better than their opponents, as evidenced by Buffalo’s 12-3 record and New England’s 3-12 record. They played as if simply showing up was enough.

The game played out accordingly, and the Pats were able to force the Bills to sweat until Khalil Shakir caught an onside kick with just over a minute left. The result ensures that the Bills will not fall behind the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs. They’re still in contention for the top spot, although Kansas City is in charge and only needs to win one of its final two games to secure it.

The Bills’ most obvious deficiencies were once again their defense. The unit allowed the Patriots to break away with relative ease en route to a 28-yard touchdown pass from Drake Maye to Kayshon Boutte and a 14-yard touchdown run from Rhamondre Stevenson — capping a 16-play drive to move and take a 14-0 lead at the start of the second quarter.

Buffalo’s offense barely resembled the scoring machine it had been for most of the season and was actually outscored by the Patriots, 21-17. Surprisingly, it was the defense that paved the way to victory, committing three second-half turnovers on three consecutive New England drives, one of which was a fumble touchdown.

“I thought we played sloppy, especially in the first half, and overall we need to clean up some things,” Sean McDermott said. “The second half was much better and (we) controlled the offensive line offensively and defensively with the takeaways. But we can’t start the game the way we did.”

Not against a team with a rookie quarterback, Drake Maye; a rookie head coach, Jarod Mayo, who may not survive a second season and a roster facing a major offseason rebuild.

2. Josh Allen didn’t have another of his patented MVP-level performances, but that wasn’t the most concerning part of his day.

He said he lost “some feeling” in his right (throwing) hand after suffering what the team said was a bruised elbow on a seven-yard scramble early in the fourth quarter. After a false start on the next snap, the effects of Allen’s injury became clear when he threw a pathetic, shaky throw to Dalton Kincaid that was wide of the mark.

“Yeah, I mean, it took a good five to 10 minutes, so just make sure you get some blood flowing again, some activation,” Allen said, noting that the extreme cold exacerbated the problems with his hand. “So it was a strange feeling. I’m just glad it’s gone now.”

Even before the fourth quarter, there were moments when he missed the goal and seemed uncomfortable with the Patriots’ defensive performance. Allen threw for just 154 yards and one touchdown, with one interception, for a passer rating of 67.3. He wasn’t your typical runner either, rushing for just 30 yards on six carries.

Interestingly, Allen pointed out that the Bills deliberately limited the scope of their offensive playbook so as not to show too much before the playoffs.

“We’re in a weird place right now where we’re still fighting for the one seed, but we don’t control our own destiny,” the quarterback said. “And how much are we willing to show? Do we want to go to extremes and show everything we have in our arsenal? There is a line to follow…”

3. James Cook continued to show that he is an invaluable part of the Bills’ offense.

He was the Bills’ bright spot on Sunday, providing the spark they desperately needed with a 46-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 14-14 early in the second quarter.

Cook finished with 100 rushing yards on 11 carries, an average of 9.1 yards per attempt. He also caught three passes for 26 yards, including a four-yard touchdown to cap the first drive of the second half.

“When he’s angry and hungry, that’s how he runs,” McDermott said. “And it shows.”

“It was huge, it was huge,” Allen said of James’ performance. “He’s been so good for us this year. And he played the ball extremely hard.”

4. The Bills’ 13 penalties (six before the snap) for 78 yards, while the Patriots only had five for 34 yards, had a lot to do with Buffalo’s largely unimpressive performance.

Offensive tackle Spencer Brown drew two of the yellow flags thrown against the Bills. This brought his season total to 15 (including three that were rejected). Brown remains one of the team’s better O-linemen, but the offenses aren’t easy to ignore.

It also wasn’t the first time the Bills had to contend with an alarmingly high number of penalties this season. McDermott wants it to be the last one, especially with the playoffs looming.

“We have to come out with more discipline,” said McDermott, sounding more like the coach on the losing side. “I can’t beat myself.”

5. The race for the top seed for the AFC playoffs could be over by Christmas. A Chiefs win that day in Pittsburgh would mean the end.

Where would the Bills end up in their final two games, Sunday against the Jets in Highmark and the following week in the rematch against the Pats in Foxborough, Massachusetts?

That’s an interesting question.

If Baltimore loses to Houston in the other Christmas game, the Bills will be the No. 2 seed regardless of what happens against the Jets or New England. That might be the best consolation for missing out on top spot, as it means the Bills could essentially treat the last two games as a bye. They could sit out Allen and most of their other starters, especially the nursing injured, for at least part of each matchup.

Assuming the road to the Super Bowl goes through Kansas City – which would be the site of the AFC Championship Game if the Chiefs were the No. 1 seed and the Bills were either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed – the Bills need to be healthy and to get there fresh as possible, especially since the Chiefs had the advantage of a first-round bye.

If the Chiefs lose both games and the Bills win both, Buffalo would be seeded No. 1 based on its regular season win over KC.