Patriots vs. Bills Week 4: Drake Maye Outduels Josh Allen as Efton Chism's One-Handed TD Stuns Buffalo

Third-and-5, 23 yards from the end zone, trailing by five with under two minutes left in Orchard Park. Drake Maye rolled right, lofted one downfield, and Efton Chism III reached up with his right hand and simply took it. The catch, and the two-point conversion that followed, sent the New England Patriots past the previously unbeaten Buffalo Bills 29-26 on Sunday at Highmark Stadium.

For Maye, it was a statement game after a month of think pieces. He threw three touchdown passes, overcame two first-half turnovers and handed Buffalo its first loss under coach Joe Brady and its first ever at the new stadium. New England is 2-2. Buffalo is 3-1, and the AFC East suddenly has a conversation again.

Haymakers, a Reversal and a Wild Half

New England's first possession started at its own 3 and ended 97 yards and 12 plays later, with Maye hitting Romeo Doubs for a 14-yard touchdown. Buffalo answered with a 13-play grind that James Cook III finished on an 8-yard run.

Then the chaos started. Maye was strip-sacked at the Buffalo 30 to kill one drive. On the next one, Buffalo's Cole Bishop scooped up another apparent Maye fumble and returned it for a touchdown, only for replay to rule it an incomplete pass. Maye responded by scrambling 26 yards to the 1, and Rhamondre Stevenson punched it in for a 14-7 lead.

Josh Allen tied it with a 2-yard run with a minute left in the half, his 88th career touchdown from scrimmage, which the AP said broke the Bills record held by Hall of Famers Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed. The final minute was a blooper reel. Khalil Shakir fumbled at the New England 39 and Elijah Ponder recovered, but on the very next snap Dee Alford intercepted Maye's pass for Doubs and returned it 37 yards to the 9. Tyler Bass kicked a 27-yarder with two seconds left, and Buffalo led 17-14.

New England opened the third quarter with a 14-play, 73-yard drive that took 6:45 and ended with Maye's 2-yard fade to Doubs. Bass trimmed it to 21-20 early in the fourth, and then Allen did Allen things: an 80-yard drive in five plays, finished by a 34-yard strike to Keon Coleman for a 26-21 lead with 4:27 left. The two-point try failed.

Maye Goes Toe to Toe

Maye finished 22 of 37 for 269 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, and he led the Patriots with 54 rushing yards on eight carries. That is a different quarterback from the one the AP described as having opened the season with six interceptions and a lost fumble.

"It's relieving a little bit," Maye said. "I know I've got to play better and still left some stuff out there today. But we've got to build on it."

His coach was louder about it. "Gets us back in the race. Josh (Allen) was unbelievable," Mike Vrabel said. "Felt like Drake went toe to toe with him."

Doubs, who caught six passes for 58 yards, scored his first two touchdowns as a Patriot, per the team. Hunter Henry added five catches for 62 yards, and Stevenson scored on the ground and caught the two-point conversion that made it 29-26, giving him five two-point plays, the most in team history, according to the Patriots.

Allen was excellent in a losing effort, going 23 of 33 for 253 yards with a touchdown pass and a rushing score. Coleman caught six balls for 116 yards, and Shakir had seven for 82.

The Catch and the Pick

Down 26-21, Maye led an eight-play, 73-yard drive, hitting Chism for 19 yards before the dagger. Chism was getting extended snaps because Mack Hollins left with a calf injury, and he caught that ball like it owed him money, a full-extension, one-handed snag that belongs in the same highlight conversation as Odell Beckham Jr.'s famous grab.

"Shoot, when I'm out there and the ball is in the air, I kind of black out," Chism said. "Drake gave me an opportunity and you have to come down with those opportunities."

Buffalo still had 1:50 and Allen. It got to its own 40 with about a minute left, and on second-and-6, Allen spun away from Dre'Mont Jones and launched one deep. It was underthrown, and Craig Woodson picked it off, his first career regular-season interception, according to the Patriots. Maye then rolled right for a 12-yard completion to Henry, and New England ran out the clock.

"Should have thrown that one out of bounds and live another day. That's what I should have done," Allen said. "It stinks. I feel like we hurt ourselves."

Five Numbers From Orchard Park

• 4: New England's offensive touchdowns, double its total from the first three weeks combined.
• 29: The Patriots' offensive points, matching their total from the first three games combined, per the AP.
• 405 to 340: New England's edge in total yards, built on 143 rushing yards and 26 first downs.
• 2 for 2: New England on fourth down, a big reason it held the ball for 33:41.
• 2: Buffalo turnovers, a week after a five-giveaway win over the Chargers.

The AFC East Has a Pulse

The defending division champions were 1-2 and coming off a 35-6 loss at Jacksonville. Now they are a game behind Buffalo with a quarterback who finally looked comfortable. New England was also the first visiting team to win at the new Highmark Stadium, per the Patriots, and hosts Las Vegas next.

Buffalo has more to fix than one throw. DJ Moore left with a shoulder injury late in the first half, tackle Ed Oliver was sidelined by a knee injury, and the defense was already without top cornerback Christian Benford (toe). Brady refused to hide behind any of it.

"We're not going to make excuses. We're not gonna let others make excuses for us," Brady said. The Bills visit the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football on Oct. 12.

Credit Where It's Due

Vrabel, who spent the week preaching accountability, ended it handing out flowers. "I'm happy for him, I'm proud of him. He deserves all the credit," he said of Maye. One one-handed catch does not fix a season, but it can absolutely change the vibes of one, and in New England the vibes just flipped completely.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Postgame quotes as reported by the Associated Press. Team notes from Patriots.com.