Bills defeat Patriots 27-21, setting up matchup with Dolphins for AFC East title

Remember when the Bills were reeling?

At one point this season, they were 5-5 having lost two in a row to the Bengals and Broncos.

But the Bills have since gone 5-1, with their only loss coming against the Eagles in overtime. And now that they've defeated the Patriots on Sunday and the Dolphins lost to the Raiders, the Bills will play for the AFC East title in Miami next week.

Sunday's game got off to an inauspicious start for Buffalo, as New England’s Jalen Reagor returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. But then the Bills defense picked up three takeaways and forced two points for the rest of the first quarter, which led to 20 Buffalo points.

Early in the second quarter, Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas picked off his second pass of the game — this one he returned for a 40-yard pick six to give Buffalo a 20-7 lead.

Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe got some offensive points with a 17-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, making the score 20-14 at halftime.

But the Bills stayed in control throughout the game, with Josh Allen taking in a 1-yard touchdown to make the score 27-14 early in the third period. While Ezekiel Elliott had a 6-yard TD early in the fourth quarter, the Patriots could never get anything else going.

Quarterback Josh Allen did not have an impressive passing performance, going just 15-of-30 for 169 yards with an interception. But he was plenty effective on the run, rushing for 44 yards with two TDs. James Cook added 48 yards on the ground.

The Patriots actually out-gained the Bills 294 to 281. But Zappe finished 16-of-26 for 209 yards with three interceptions. He also rushed five times for 37 yards with a TD. Elliott had 39 yards on 14 carries.

Now at 10-6, the Bills have won double-digit games for five consecutive seasons — the first time that's happened in franchise history. The Bills beat the Dolphins 48-20 back in Week 4 at home. Now their second matchup will determine the division.

At 4-12, the Patriots will finish out the season with a matchup against the Jets.