Patriots lose No. 1 overall pick by beating Bills: Takeaways from 23-16 win

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Bufffalo Bills are better than the New England Patriots at everything. That includes losing.

In a game that seemed neither team wanted to win, the Patriots squeaked it out 23-16, losing out on the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Bills, who had already locked up the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs, had nothing to play for and no real incentive to hand the Patriots the top pick in the draft. The Patriots will now pick fourth.

Fittingly, in an uncompetitive contest, the biggest play of the game was a missed extra point from Bills kicker Tyler Bass.

Patriots first-year head coach Jerod Mayo finishes the season 4-13 — the same record Bill Belichick had in his final season before getting fired.

Now we wait to see if it’s enough for Mayo to keep his job.

Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye started but went three-and-out in what wound up being his only series. Perhaps a third-down sack from Von Miller, let up by right tackle Demontrey Jacobs, accelerated the Patriots’ decision to pull Maye.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen played just one snap to increase his consecutive starts streak before he was replaced by Mitchell Trubisky. The Patriots’ defense forced a turnover on downs when Trubisky couldn’t pick up a first down on consecutive sneaks.

Rookie sixth-round pick Joe Milton III replaced Maye at quarterback on the Patriots’ second possession, taking over at their own 45-yard line. He was 6 for 6 for 51 yards and scored on a rush from 1-yard out. He celebrated with a standing backflip.

The Patriots’ defense got the memo that they should tank by allowing a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to the Bills.

Milton did not. He hit Kayshon Boutte on a scrambling 48-yard touchdown pass to give the Patriots a 14-7 lead. Milton went 9 of 9 for 122 yards with a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown in his first two drives.

The Bills cut into the Patriots’ lead with a 49-yard field goal to make it 14-10.

Milton fumbled a handoff to running back Antonio Gibson on the Patriots’ first possession of the second half. The Bills responded with a 1-yard touchdown run from James Cook, but a missed extra point gave the Bills a 16-14 lead.

The Patriots responded with a 41-yard field goal by Joey Slye to take a 17-16 lead after a 12-play, 54-yard drive. Austin Hooper caught his 45th pass of the season, earning him a $125,000 contract incentive.

The Patriots increased their lead to 20-16 with a 42-yard field goal by Slye midway through the fourth quarter. They went up 23-16 with a 50-yarder from Slye later in the fourth quarter.

Maye gets one series

Smart move on the Patriots’ part to bench Maye after one series, especially after seeing Jacobs let up a sack on third down.

The Patriots saw all they needed out of Maye, who had a great rookie campaign, this season.

And it was worth getting a look at Milton to see if he can be the team’s backup quarterback next season.

Tavai benched?

Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai, who said Friday on WEEI that booing fans have to “know their place” then doubled down on those comments later in the locker room, didn’t play during the first quarter. He was on the field for the Patriots’ first defensive snaps in the second quarter.

That feels like a benching and will be a question worth asking Mayo and Tavai after the contest is over.

If that is the case, it sends the right message to a fanbase that has turned apathetic this season. Gillette Stadium was roughly half-full, and there were plenty of Bills fans in attendance.

Baker’s first career catch

Patriots rookie wide receiver Javon Baker received just two offensive snaps in the first half. So, even with starters rested and Milton at quarterback, Baker still couldn’t get any first-half run. He did pull in his first career reception on a 12-yard first-down grab in the third quarter.

Bills playing games

Nothing the Bills were doing in this game seemed overly serious. They ran two players with two quarterbacks on the field as Mike White lined up at wide receiver. At one point, they passed up the opportunity for a 53-yard field goal so punter Sam Martin could punt the ball inside the 20-yard line for an incentive. They got Cook to 1,000 yards then pulled him for Ray Davis and Ty Johnson but brought him back onto the field to run in his 16th touchdown of the year to tie O.J. Simpson for the single-season franchise rushing touchdown record. They also played third-string quarterback Mike White for the second half and declined a penalty to let the Patriots kick a 42-yard field goal.

It’s pretty clear they weren’t actively trying to win this game.

— QB Joe Milton III: The sixth-round pick provided a spark off the bench and led the Patriots on two straight scoring drives and a win. He finished 22 of 29 for 241 yards with a passing touchdown and rushing touchdown.

— CB Alex Austin: The young cornerback continues to flash potential. He allowed one pass on three targets for -1 yards with a pass breakup.

— WR Kayshon Boutte: Boutte was on the receiving end of a 48-yard touchdown pass from Milton. He caught seven passes on seven targets for 117 yards with the touchdown. He left the game in the fourth quarter with a head injury.

Down

— DE Keion White: White was dragged while defending the run. He also stayed in the game longer than most other Patriots starters.

— S Kyle Dugger: Dugger also had issues with tackling. He’ll need a bounceback next season.

— Starting offensive line: Left tackle Vederian Lowe, left guard Layden Robinson and right tackle Demontrey Jacobs all were flagged for false starts. Center Cole Strange also didn’t snap the ball while the rest of the offense moved, indicating he was the issue on the play. Jacobs also let up a sack with Maye at quarterback on the opening drive. Rookie Caedan Wallace, who came in at right tackle, was also flagged for holding twice and ineligible man downfield once.

— The tank: At least some people within the organization were hoping for a loss to gain the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. It would have been better for the organization in the long term, since they potentially could have traded down to pick up additional draft capital from a quarterback-needy team. It’s unlikely they’ll get any trade offers for No. 4, but they can still take the best player available at a position of need.

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