The stat line doesn’t escape Sunday’s win, as Allen posted 193 passing yards, three touchdowns and added 48 rushing yards. Yet it was the magnitude of some of those passes and runs that propelled the latest comeback.
Allen scampered 20 yards on a big third down early in the third quarter. He fired bullet after bullet into a narrow window. After a penalty nullified a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, Allen was unfazed. He simply ripped a dart to Dawson Knox on third-and-goal from the 14 to take the lead in the fourth quarter.
After the Patriots answered with a 65-yard TreVeyon Henderson touchdown run, Allen responded again. He led a seven-play, 50-yard TD drive for the final score of a 35-31 victory.
“It all works out in the end,” McDermott said when asked about the MVP race. “And everybody’s going to vote how they want to vote. But there’s absolutely no question in my mind who the MVP of this league is.”
The Bills defense couldn’t get an early stop and allowed New England to eat up 246 rushing yards. However, after Allen and the offense started to shake up scoring drives, McDermott’s defense stiffened.
Buffalo’s offense scored touchdowns on five consecutive possessions, including their first four in the second half. After gaining a 209-yard advantage in the first half, the Bills outgained the Pats by 173 yards in the second half, Buffalo’s largest second-half total yardage margin since Week 7, 2024 (+227 vs. Tennessee).
Sunday’s 21-point comeback was tied for the third-largest in Bills history and was the largest since a 21-point performance in Week 3, 2011, against New England.
“You develop that kind of resilience over the course of the season, through a lot of adversity,” McDermott said. “If you’re able to stick with that, you learn something about yourself. You develop a little bit more toughness naturally, both physically and mentally. The team develops a little bit of that fortitude, qualities or qualities that they’re not panicking about.”
The win pushed the Bills to within one game of the Pats in the race for the AFC East title. The win also solidified Buffalo’s playoff spot. Next Gen Stats gives McDermott’s team a 99% chance of making the postseason with a 37% chance of taking the league. With Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs officially out, this could be Buffalo’s best shot to finally reach a Super Bowl with Allen at the helm.