Patriots show they are back in primetime win over Bills

The Buffalo Bills entered Sunday night as the only unbeaten team left in the NFL, as owners of a 14-game win streak at home, as one of the most complete teams in football, and as 8.5-point favorites over the visiting New England Patriots. Oh, and they wore their fancy new all-white “Rivalry” uniforms.

And yet, when Patriots kicker Andy Borregales split the uprights from 52 yards out with 15 seconds left on the clock, none of it mattered. Buffalo went on to lose 23-20, dropping to 4-1 on the season.

The Patriots’ win, meanwhile, was a statement: only five games into Mike Vrabel’s tenure as head coach, they have shown that they are back.

The messy ending of the Bill Belichick era, the failed Jerod Mayo experiment, and even the inconsistency displayed earlier this season — none of it mattered on Sunday. At least for one night, Vrabel and his team showed a national audience that they can not just hang with the best teams in football but indeed beat them even when the odds are stacked against them.

The culture shift at One Patriot Place under Vrabel played its part in that, as did the team’s investments this offseason. The main catalyst, at least on the field, however, was second-year quarterback Drake Maye. His final stat-line is nothing to write home about — 22-of-30 for 273 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions — but he went toe-for-toe against reigning league MVP Josh Allen, and in the end orchestrated a seven-play, 37-yard drive to set up Borregales’ game winner.

Along the way, Maye showed why New England invested the third overall pick in last year’s draft in him.

His ability to escape pressure and make plays on the move is reminiscent of a young Josh Allen, and on par with the league’s best. Meanwhile, working under veteran offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels — a two-time failed head coach but top-tier offensive coordinator and quarterback developer — he has managed to significantly tone down the gunslinger in him that at times hurt him as a rookie.

Against the Bills, all of that was on full display. While there is a long way to go this season, and no guarantee New England will end up in the playoff mix after all, Maye and company looked like the Patriots of old.

They may not have been perfect, but they made the plays when it mattered and delivered a quality win. One that will put the rest of the league on notice.