Undoubtedly the engine of the offensive in victory. The Bills had an almost exactly 50:50 run-to-pass ratio with 28 carries to 29 passes. Those 28 carries produced 172 yards – a team average of 6.1 per carry. Starter James Cook led the way with an even 100 yards on just 11 carries, Cook’s third 100-yard game in the last four weeks. He has rushed for up to 928 yards in 15 games and is looking good for a 1,000-yard season. Quarterback Josh Allen added 30 rushing yards on six carries, bringing his total to 514 yards this season. This is the sixth season in Allen’s career in which he has reached at least 500 rushing yards, four in a row. Allen and Cook gave the Bills at least two 500-yard rushers for the fourth straight year, the longest such streak in team history. One disadvantage was Cook’s mistake, but O’Cyrus Torrence was in the right place at the right time to recover.

There just wasn’t much separation from the Bills’ receivers. It felt like Allen didn’t want much from the underclassmen he’d settled for most of this season, but rather looked down. He often found that no one was open. Allen finished 16 of 29 for 154 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His streak of pass attempts without an interception ended at 123 – but it was his seventh career streak of at least 100 or more attempts without a pick. The touchdown pass went to Cook covering 4 yards on third-and-goal. No Bills receiver had more receiving yards than Cook’s 26. Tight end Dalton Kincaid led the offense with four catches that only went for 15 yards. The usually reliable Khalil Shakir had just two catches on six targets for 22 yards — and he fumbled at the end of one of them (he recovered it) — while Amari Cooper had just one catch on two targets for 10 yards.

The Patriots set the tone early on the ground, gaining 33 yards on their first five carries. Linebacker Terrel Bernard and defensive end Von Miller combined to stop Antonio Gibson for no gain and temporarily recover, but New England finished the game with 126 yards on 30 carries. So why such a good grade, you ask? Takeaways. Bernard stripped Rhamondre Stevenson in the third quarter, and linebacker Dorian Williams was there to pounce on the fumble. Nickel cornerback Taron Johnson also recovered a fumble for a touchdown. With eight total tackles, Williams increased his season total to 105, giving him his first career 100 tackle season. Bernard led the Bills with 12 tackles on Sunday, increasing his season total to 98.

If the Patriots can get some protection around Drake Maye and add some weapons, the young quarterback could be a problem. He made some rookie mistakes but also showed a lot of success, going 22 of 36 for 261 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The Bills’ pass rush couldn’t put much pressure on Maye, as the only sack was shared by linebacker Baylon Spector and defensive tackle Austin Johnson. Safety Cam Lewis had his first career interception for the Bills, but that was the only pass defended. The secondary certainly missed starters Rasul Douglas, Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin.

Another week, another notable mistake. Head coach Sean McDermott wasn’t happy about the Patriots getting a fake punt in the second quarter. It certainly feels like special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley will be on the hot seat after this season. Tight end Quintin Morris called a penalty on special teams. It wasn’t all bad, however, as Tyler Bass hit a 50-yard field goal in the third quarter to give his team the lead. Bass has hit 50-yard field goals in two consecutive games, the third such streak in his career and just the 12th time in team history. Sam Martin placed two of his four punts inside the Patriots’ 20-yard line, making his net average of 37.8 yards look slightly better. Ray Davis had a 24-yard kickoff return that got the Bills off to a decent start to the drive. Rookie Brandon Codrington’s decision making as a returner was solid.

I watched McDermott after every single one of his games as Bills coach. Sunday was perhaps the most annoying I’ve ever experienced after a win. And for good reason. The Bills were undisciplined (13 penalties for 78 yards). They were unprepared early in the game and fell into a 14-0 hole. You got the result you wanted, and that’s the most important thing. But McDermott wants his team to play its best football at the end of the season. What the Bills put on the field against the Patriots wasn’t even close. The team has two weeks left in the regular season to address some of these issues before the playoffs begin. You have a lot to sort out at the moment. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady needs to figure out why his receivers had such trouble getting the lead, and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich needs to focus on getting his group ready to play from the opening whistle. They didn’t seem willing to do that against New England.