The NFL season is long. There will be poor performances, especially against inferior opponents.

The Buffalo Bills played down the competition for at least one half. And it didn’t cost them anything.

The Bills fell behind 14-0, but ended up scoring the next 24 points of the game and taking control of their game against the New England Patriots. The Bills won 24-21, keeping their slim hopes of being No. 1 alive.

It was a poor performance against a bad team, but the Bills needed to figure out some things going forward.

The Patriots take an early lead

The Bills didn’t get off to a good start. The defense gave the Patriots long drives and they trailed 14-0 to a big underdog.

At halftime, the Patriots had 239 yards, including 159 through the air and 80 rushing. They had 17 first downs. For a Bills defense that gave up 44 points to the Los Angeles Rams in a loss two weeks ago and 42 points to the Detroit Lions in a win last week, it was another bad sign late in the season.

The Bills finally pulled it together to regain the lead. James. Cook scored twice, once on a 46-yard run and the other on a 4-yard touchdown catch by Josh Allen. A field goal in the third quarter gave the Bills a 17-14 lead.

The defense didn’t play well in the first half and Allen wasn’t at his normal MVP level either. Allen was seen shaking his right hand in the second half after steadying himself when he was brought down, something the Bills obviously need to keep an eye on going forward.

The Bills were lucky to have their rest day coming up against the 3-11 Patriots.

Bills come back

Motivation could be a challenge for the Bills in recent weeks. They’re technically still in the running for the AFC’s No. 1 seed, but they’d have to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs 14-1 to even have a chance. The Bills have locked up the AFC East. They’ll likely get the No. 2 pick if they don’t catch the Chiefs. There’s not much at stake other than the chance to snag the No. 1 spot.

The Bills still did enough to win. The Patriots were still in it when they had a terrible turnover. Backed up near his own end zone, Drake Maye threw a reverse lateral to Rhamondre Stevenson, which bounced off the running back’s hands. The ball was live and cornerback Taron Johnson fell on it for a touchdown. That gave the Bills a 24-14 lead, and while New England played some good offensive football in the first half, the Patriots aren’t equipped to come back from a 10-point deficit at Buffalo.

The Patriots scored late, but that only made the final score closer. The Bills then recovered an onside kick and spent the rest of the game with a first-down quarterback sneak from Allen.

The Bills will be better when the playoffs begin. They had a big win against the Lions last week and were in for disappointment. But there are some things coach Sean McDermott should instill in his team.