Patriots vs. Bills results: Score, highlights from 'Monday Night Football' game

Jacob Janower

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Patriots vs. Bills results: Score, highlights from 'Monday Night Football' game image

For quite some time, it seemed as if the Patriots and Bills were only going to score field goals on Monday night.  

That was until James White capped off a 10-play drive with a short touchdown run in the fourth quarter to deliver an unfamiliar method of scoring that ultimately turned a small Patriots lead into an insurmountable one, given the offensive struggles from both sides. The Patriots came away victorious with a 25-6 win.  

Cornerback Devin McCourty added the Patriots' (6-2) second touchdown of the quarter, an 84-yard interception return for a touchdown that halted a Bills (2-6) drive and put the game away for New England.  

MORE: NFL playoff picture

Tom Brady wasn’t at his best on Monday night. He led his team down the field a few times but was held back as the Patriots frequently failed to get in the end zone. He was 29 of 45 for 324 yards in the game.  

The Patriots defense excelled against a Bills offense that entered as the worst team in the NFL in points per game and passing yards per game.

Derek Anderson had 290 yards passing, a Bills season high, but he also had two turnovers and left the game late in the fourth quarter with an apparent arm injury.  

LeSean McCoy was held to 13 yards on 12 carries and the Bills had only 46 rushing yards on the night.  

The Patriots extended their division lead to two games over the Dolphins, while Buffalo continues to sit in last place in the AFC East.

It won’t get much easier for the Bills, as they will play the first-place Chicago Bears. New England will host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football.  

Patriots vs. Bills: Score, updates, highlights

Patriots: 25

Bills: 6

Final: Patriots 25, Bills 6

11:28 p.m.: Buffalo with another turnover on downs and the Patriots will run out the clock with under a minute left.

11:26 p.m.: Derek Anderson gets sacked and appears to have injured his right arm. Nathan Peterman is in the game at quarterback with 1:25 remaining. 

11:17 p.m.: The Bills grasp at getting back in the game is unsuccessful after third and fourth down incompletions. 

11:07 p.m.: INTERCEPTION FOR TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS. Devin McCourty picks off Anderson on third down and outruns the Bills to take it 84 yards to the house. That should be the dagger in this one. Patriots 25, Bills 6. 

11:02 p.m.: Jason Croom looked to have made a tremendous one-handed snag in the end zone for a touchdown, but he dropped the ball briefly as he was headed to the ground and it is reversed to an incomplete pass. After a false start, the Bills will have third-and-15.

11:01 p.m.: The Bills aren't going away and are marching down the field. Anderson is five of six for 61 yards on the drive. 

10:50 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS. James White powers it in from one yard for the first touchdown for either team tonight. The two-point conversion is no good. The Patriots lead seems almost insurmountable with how the Bills offense has played tonight. Patriots 18, Bills 6. 

10:50 p.m.: The former Bill Chris Hogan makes a catch and stays in bounds to get to the one-yard line. 

10:47 p.m.: James White makes a man miss on a third down catch and picks up a crucial first down. Patriots are in Bills territory.

10:43 p.m.: The Bills offense just can't take advantage of any opportunities and will punt again. Anderson is 12 of 22 for 152 yards. 

End of third quarter: Patriots 12, Bills 6

10:34 p.m.: FIELD GOAL, PATRIOTS. Gostkowski is now 4 of 5 kicking field goals today as he hits another chip shot. Patriots 12, Bills 6.

10:33 p.m.: The Bills bring a huge pass rush on third down and Brady is forced to throw it away as the Patriots touchdown woes continue. 

10:29 p.m.: Rob Gronkowski makes a slick grab over a defender on the first play following the turnover. The officials reviewed whether Gronkowski had both feet in bounds and the catch is confirmed. 

10:28 p.m.: Fumble! Kyle Van Noy sacks Derek Anderson, jars the ball loose, and the Patriots recover. Huge swing to give New England great field position. 

10:23 p.m.: It just hasn't been New England's night. The Bills defense holds strong to force another punt. Brady is 23 of 36 in the game. 

10:14 p.m.: FIELD GOAL, BILLS. Buffalo can't do anything on offense with its good field position, but Stephen Hauschka connects on a 51-yard field goal to cut into the Patriots lead. Patriots 9, Bills 6.

10:11 p.m.: Pinned near their own end zone, the Patriots fail to convert on third down. Micah Hyde with a 31-yard return on the punt and the Bills will start their drive at the New England 31. 

10:05 p.m.: The Bills momentum is wiped out after McCoy is stopped for a loss and Anderson misses on back-to-back passes. A third down penalty by Benjamin didn't help matters and the Bills find themselves in a familiar position: punting. 

10:02 p.m.: One play after a penalty that wiped out much of the yardage on a catch and run by LeSean McCoy, Kelvin Benjamin makes a great adjustment and grabs a deep ball that moves the Bills down to the Patriots' 39. 

Halftime: Patriots 9, Bills 3

9:41 p.m.: Gostkowski misses the 50-yard field goal before the half and it remains a six-point game. 

9:39 p.m.: Three straight completions by Brady and the Patriots are already approaching field goal range. They have no timeouts and 30 seconds on the clock. 

9:36 p.m.: FIELD GOAL, BILLS. The veteran Stephen Hauschka caps off the 10-play drive with a 47-yard field goal to get the Bills on the board with 1:39 left in the half. Patriots 9, Bills 3. 

9:32 p.m.: Another third down conversion to Zay Jones has the Bills past midfield for the first time in the game. We have reached the two-minute warning. 

9:26 p.m.: Derek Anderson with a big third down conversion on a pass to Andre Holmes that brings the Bills up to midfield. 

9:20 p.m.: FIELD GOAL, PATRIOTS. They have had to spend a ton of time on the field, but the Bills defense has held strong and forces its third field goal of the game. Brady is 16 of 25 for 159 yards so far. Patriots 9, Bills 0. 

9:12 p.m.: The Bills get just four yards on a three-and-out and the punt goes only 19 yards to the New England 45. 

9:04 p.m.: FIELD GOAL, PATRIOTS. New England can't get anything going after the completions to Hogan and Edelman. Gostkowski hits again, this time from 40 yards. Patriots 6, Bills 0. 

9:02 p.m.: Was only a matter of time, but Brady seems to be getting in a groove now. He has a pair of chunk play completions to Chris Hogan and Julian Edelman. 

End of first quarter: Patriots 3, Bills 0

8:54 p.m.: Brady takes matters into his own hands on a third-and-7 and scrambles past the first down marker. 

8:50 p.m.: Not exactly a surprising development, but outside of a Derek Anderson pass to Lesean McCoy, the Bills have not been able to do much during their possession. They have now punted on consecutive drives.

8:39 p.m.: FIELD GOAL, PATRIOTS. New England fails to convert on three plays within the 7-yard line, but Stephen Gostkowski kicks through a chip shot field goal. Patriots would have preferred a touchdown there but they are on the board. The highlight of the drive might have been this block from Tom Brady. Check it out. Patriots 3, Bills 0. 

8:31 p.m.: Brady with four straight completions to start the drive, including three to James White. New England is at the Buffalo 43. 

8:25 p.m.: Bills offensive coordinator and former Patriots assistant coach Brian Daboll has some tricks up his sleeve. Three out of the first four plays are a direct snap to the running back, and then the Bills run a flea flicker that falls incomplete. Ultimately, the trickery doesn't pay off, as the Bills have to punt. 

8:20 p.m.: On third-and-14, Brady goes deep to Josh Gordon — who was active throughout the first drive — and it falls incomplete. New England's punt is downed at the Bills own 32. 

8:18 p.m.: With Sony Michel out, the Patriots are switching it up and trying Cordarelle Patterson in the backfield as a running back. He has two carries for two yards so far. 

8:13 p.m.: Brady interacting with the Buffalo-heavy crowd prior to the game.

7:45 p.m.: Some news prior to tonight's game pertaining to Josh Gordon's status tonight.

Jacob Janower