Bills reminded of what they're missing after Stefon Diggs' return to Buffalo sparks Patriots' win

“I love you, man,” Allen said, tapping Diggs on the head.

“You too, brother,” Diggs replied.

The reunion between two players who spent four years together rewriting the Bills' passing, receiving and scoring records was notable for several reasons. The biggest, perhaps, was a reminder of Diggs’ play-making ability.

Productive as Buffalo’s spread-the-wealth “Everybody Eats” offensive approach has become since Diggs was traded to Houston in April 2024, the loss was a reminder of the impact a game-changing receiving threat can make on an outcome.

The upstart Patriots (3-2), under second-year quarterback Drake Maye and first-year coach Mike Vrabel, appear to have one in the 31-year-old Diggs, who had 10 catches for 146 yards against Buffalo.

The Bills (4-1), by comparison, provided an example of how offenses can struggle without a reliable go-to threat.

Allen still finished 22 of 31 for 253 yards and two touchdowns. The numbers fail to reflect that New England was focused on bottling up running back James Cook.

Buffalo committed three turnovers, with Allen losing a fumble on a botched handoff and then throwing an interception inside the red zone. Meanwhile, Keon Coleman — the player the Bills selected with their first draft pick after trading Diggs — finished with four catches for 23 yards and lost a fumble at his own 11.

Coleman has had his bright spots, as have the other members of Buffalo’s relative no-name group of receivers. But no one this year has established himself yet as Allen’s primary target, aside from tight end Dalton Kincaid. The third-year player leads the team in yards receiving (287) and TDs receiving (three).

And that could become an issue moving forward for the five-time defending AFC East champions and their Super Bowl aspirations.

Though Allen has sealed three of Buffalo's four wins in the fourth quarter this season, he fell short against the Patriots. Trailing 20-17, the Bills saw their final drive stall at the New England 27, with Allen throwing three straight incompletions and settling for a game-tying field goal with 2:17 remaining.

Maye took over and led a 37-yard drive that began with him avoiding a sack to complete a 12-yard pass to Diggs. And it ended with Andy Borregales hitting a 52-yard field goal.

Diggs’ tenure in Buffalo wasn’t without its difficulties. The receiver’s cryptic comments of wanting out and several sideline outbursts became distractions. But the Bills' offense nevertheless remained among the league’s most productive last season and led to Allen earning NFL MVP honors.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane, meanwhile, lost his patience this spring when confronted with criticism over whether he did enough to address the receiver position. Beane responded by noting the team added Joshua Palmer in free agency to join a returning group featuring Coleman, Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel.

Time will tell if that’s enough. But it contributed to costing the Bills their first loss of the season — and first regular-season home loss in 15 games.

What’s working

Buffalo’s defense has cleaned up its third-down issues by limiting opponents to converting 8 of 22 opportunities over the past two outings. The Bills allowed Miami to go 10 of 15 in Buffalo’s 31-21 win.

What needs help

Ball protection. After committing one turnover over a 12-game span including playoffs, the Bills have four giveaways in their past two outings, including Allen’s interception in a 31-19 win over New Orleans.

Stock up

Kincaid. The tight end had a career-best 108 yards receiving against New England.

Stock down

Coleman. Though he scored on a 2-yard catch and made a drive-extending, back-shoulder reception for a 13-yard gain on third-and-6, the fumble was inexcusable. He has combined for 114 yards receiving over his past four outings since gaining 112 in the opener. Without providing specifics, coach Sean McDermott on Monday revealed that Coleman was benched for the opening series for disciplinary reasons.

Injuries

LB Matt Milano’s return after missing two games with a pectoral injury was brief. He aggravated the injury in the first half and is listed as week to week. C Connor McGovern returned and finished the game despite two dislocated fingers.

Key number

45-28 — Allen’s career record when committing a turnover, and 15-20 when doing so in the second half.

Next steps

Travel to face the rested Atlanta Falcons (2-2) on Monday night. Atlanta is coming off its bye week, with the Bills making their fourth prime-time appearance of the season before entering their bye week.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl