New York—The Buffalo Bills, their first AFC East title in 25 years already in hand, completed a season sweep of division rivals New England Monday with a 38-9 triumph at the Patriots’ Gillette Stadium.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw four touchdowns, three of them to Stefon Diggs as Buffalo completed a season sweep of the Pats for the first time since 1999.
Allen completed 27-of-36 passes for 320 yards and four touchdowns—setting Bills franchise records for TDs in a season with 34 and completions with 375.
He surpassed the marks held by Jim Kelly and Drew Bledsoe.
Diggs caught nine of Allen’s passes for 145 yards and three TDs.
The Patriots, whose 11-year reign atop the division had already ended, seized a 3-0 lead on a 45-yard field goal by Nick Folk on the opening drive of the contest.
But the Bills seized control from there, with a Tyler Bass field goal followed by touchdowns on their next four possessions.
Zack Moss scored on a five-yard touchdown run to give the Bills a 10-3 lead, capping a drive that saw Buffalo convert two fourth downs.
Patriots quarterback Cam Newton scored on a nine-yard TD run to trim the deficit to 10-9 after a missed extra point from Folk.
That’s as close as the Patriots would get.
Lee Smith caught a four-yard scoring pass from Allen as the Bills stretched their lead to 17-9.
Allen hit Diggs for a 50-yard touchdown to give the Bills a 24-9 halftime lead, and Allen would connect with Diggs on scoring passes of 18 and eight yards before they both hit the bench for the end of the fourth quarter.
The Bills improved their record to 12-3 and moved into the second seed in the AFC, with the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs assured of the top seed and a first-round bye going into the final week of the regular season.
It’s the first time the Bills have won 12 games in a season since 1993.
