NEW: Patriots Hold Off Buffalo 24-17 to Clinch 11th Straight AFC East Title
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NEW: Patriots Hold Off Buffalo 24-17 to Clinch 11th Straight AFC East Title
The Patriots can clinch a first-round bye if the Kansas City Chiefs lose to the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
New England will also clinch a bye if they beat the Miami Dolphins next week.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTQuarterback Tom Brady completed 26 of 33 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown in the win.
Buffalo falls to 10-5 on the season.
Patriots Grab the Lead
After the Patriots held a brief 13-10 lead with 9:54 left in the third quarter, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen connected with John Brown on a 53-yard touchdown pass to take a 17-13 lead.
The Bills would take that lead into the fourth quarter.
In the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, New England cut the Buffalo lead to one, 17-16, on a 20-yard field goal by Nick Folk.
After the Patriots defense forced a Buffalo punt, the New England offense got the ball back with just over nine minutes left in the game.
Seven plays later, Brady handed the ball to Rex Burkhead for a one-yard touchdown run to give the Patriots a 22-17 lead.
New England would go for two on the play and convert with Brady hitting Julian Edelman over the middle to take a 24-17 lead.
On Buffalo’s final drive, New England cornerback J.C. Jackson broke up Allen’s pass in the end zone to seal the win.
Tied at Half
After trailing 3-0 early in the game, the Patriots offense responded with an 11-play, 75-yard drive ending with a Brady touchdown pass to tight end Matt LaCosse to take a 7-3 lead after a Folk extra point.
Folk would nail a 36-yard field goal to give New England a 10-3 lead with 5:04 left in the first half.
However, the Bills would respond.
With 16 seconds left in the second quarter, Allen connected with Dawson Knox on a 33-yard pass to the New England one-yard line.
The play was originally ruled a touchdown, but after a review, it was overturned.
Two plays later, Allen connected with a wide-open Dion Dawkins for a one-yard touchdown pass to tie the game 10-10 following an extra point by Stephen Hauschka.
Next Up
The Patriots close the regular season on Sunday, December 29 when they host the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium.
Game time is set for 1 p.m.