Patriots versus Bills Part III was a completely one-sided affair.
After the two AFC East rivals split the regular season series, Buffalo rolled to a 47-17 win over New England in a wild card showdown at Highmark Stadium on Saturday night.
Despite having already faced Buffalo twice this season, the Patriots allowed a record-setting performance by quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense. Allen and Co. became the first team in the Super Bowl era to score a touchdown on each of their first seven offensive possessions of a playoff game, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
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Quarterback Josh Allen and tight end Dawson Knox connected for the first two scores, while running back Devin Singletary ran in the next two as Buffalo took a commanding 27-3 lead into halftime.
On the opening possession of the second half, Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones threw his second interception of the game and Buffalo converted the turnover into a 34-yard touchdown pass from Allen to wideout Emmanuel Sanders.
New England finally found the end zone on the subsequent drive when Jones hit wide receiver Kendrick Bourne for a three-yard score to cut Buffalo’s lead to 33-10 late in the third quarter. But the Bills answered right back to put any hopes of a potential Pats comeback to bed, as Allen and wideout Gabriel Davis combined for a 19-yard touchdown.
After forcing a punt, the Bills scored their seventh and final touchdown, which may have been the highlight of the night. On second-and-goal from the 1, Allen hit a wide-open Tommy Doyle, a backup offensive tackle, for the QB’s fifth passing touchdown.
The Bills had their touchdown, and scoring streak, come to an end when they ran out the clock on the game’s final possession.
Allen finished the night with more touchdown passes than incompletions, going 21 of 25 through the air for 308 yards and five TDs, in addition to rushing the ball six times for 66 yards. He’s the first QB to record at least 300 yards, five touchdowns and 60 rushing yards in a playoff game, according to Pro Football Reference.
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Allen’s counterpart at the quarterback position, Jones, was making his postseason debut on the heels of a strong rookie campaign and went 24 of 38 passing for 232 yards, two touchdowns and two picks. Jones and the Pats' offense were outgained 300-127 in total offense in the first half and 482-305 for the game.
The blowout defeat is a disappointing end to an up-and-down season for New England. The Pats started the season 2-4 before reeling off seven straight wins. They looked primed to claim the division crown after beating the Bills in Week 13, but then dropped three of their last four games and had to settle for a wild card spot.
The 47 points Buffalo scored on Saturday are the most the Pats have surrendered in any game, regular season or postseason, since Bill Belichick took over as head coach, per Pro Football Reference.
The No. 3-seeded Bills are now one win away from their second straight AFC Championship Game. If the No. 2-seeded Kansas City Chiefs beat the No. 7-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, Buffalo would travel to K.C. for a rematch of last season's AFC title game. Should Pittsburgh upset Kansas City, the Bills would host the No. 4-seeded Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round.
