Buffalo
Bills
3-8
18
FINAL
21
New England
Patriots
9-2
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a tightly contested Week 13 matchup, the New England Patriots topped the Buffalo Bills 21-18, securing a critical victory in the 2026 season. This win not only boosts their playoff hopes but also strengthens their position in a fiercely competitive division.
Tom Brady was the star of the show, throwing for 246 yards and two touchdowns, showcasing his veteran poise under pressure. Benjamin Watson was his favorite target, racking up 79 receiving yards and playing a key role in the Patriots' offensive success. Meanwhile, Willis McGahee led the Bills with 67 rushing yards, but it wasn't enough to overcome New England's scoring prowess.
Defensively, the game was highlighted by Vincent Wilfork's disruptive presence, as he recorded 1.5 sacks, putting pressure on the Bills' quarterback throughout the contest. The turning point came late in the fourth quarter when Brady connected with Watson for a crucial touchdown, giving the Patriots the lead and setting the stage for a defensive stand that sealed the game. Donte Whitner's 14 tackles weren't enough to swing momentum back in favor of Buffalo, as the Patriots held strong to secure the victory.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Brady | QB | 38 | 31 | 82% | 246 | 2 | 2 | 89.2 |
| J.P. Losman | QB | 26 | 11 | 42% | 143 | 1 | 1 | 57.0 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willis McGahee | HB | 12 | 67 | 5.6 | 40 | 1 | 20 | 1 |
| Laurence Maroney | HB | 14 | 51 | 3.6 | 13 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Corey Dillon | HB | 5 | 20 | 4.0 | 17 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Michael Robinson | HB | 4 | 15 | 3.8 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Troy Brown | WR | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Tom Brady | QB | 6 | 2 | 0.3 | — | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Chad Jackson | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Pass | FB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Donald Caldwell | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Benjamin Watson | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J.P. Losman | QB | 7 | -1 | -0.1 | — | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Watson | TE | 7 | 79 | 11.3 | 16 | 1 | 18 | 0 |
| Bradley Cieslak | TE | 5 | 62 | 12.4 | 18 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| Chad Jackson | WR | 6 | 54 | 9.0 | 13 | 1 | 20 | 0 |
| Troy Brown | WR | 4 | 44 | 11.0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Lee Evans | WR | 2 | 41 | 20.5 | 3 | 1 | 26 | 1 |
| Donald Caldwell | WR | 4 | 28 | 7.0 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| George Wilson | WR | 3 | 24 | 8.0 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Laurence Maroney | HB | 7 | 23 | 3.3 | 22 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Robert Royal | TE | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Derrick Gaffney | WR | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Patrick Pass | FB | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Daniel Graham | TE | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donte Whitner | SS | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terrence McGee | CB | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| London Fletcher | MIKE | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rashad Baker | FS | 3 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vincent Wilfork | DT | 4 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jarvis Green | REDG | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Asante Samuel | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Artrell Hawkins | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Mike Vrabel | LEDG | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Chris Kelsay | REDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nate Clements | CB | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ellis Hobbs | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Eugene Wilson | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aaron Schobel | LEDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John McCargo | DT | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kiwaukee Thomas | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matthew Bowen | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Narond Alexander | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anthony Hargrove | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Williams | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Takeo Spikes | SAM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Troy Vincent | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Richard Seymour | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Willie Andrews | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Larry Tripplett | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Angelo Crowell | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ashton Youboty | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yukota Simpson | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tedy Bruschi | MIKE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Gostkowski | K | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Josh Miller | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rian Lindell | K | 1 | 1 | 1 | 45 |
| Brian Moorman | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

