FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots were a half away from ending Buffalo’s five-year reign atop the AFC East.
But after allowing Josh Allen and the Bills to score touchdowns on five straight possessions, the postgame message Sunday following a 35-31 loss centered on the Patriots not making the same mistakes with three games still to play.
“Move on to next week and learn from it,” said quarterback Drake Maye, who rushed for two touchdowns but also threw an interception in the third quarter that proved costly when Allen led the Bills to score that put Buffalo up 28-24.
The Patriots remain at the top of the AFC East standings with three games remaining, They have a one-game lead over the Bills.
“We know we have some football that’s still very important. Keep your head up, knowing that we had a chance. We were there. They made more plays and credit to them,” Maye said.
After scoring on four of their first five possessions to build a 24-7 halftime advantage, the Patriots were outscored 28-7 in the second half. New England possessed the ball just 7:20 seconds in the final two quarters.
A win over Buffalo would have resulted in a season sweep of the team that’s sat atop the division for the balance of the decade. It also could have kept the Patriots on pace with Denver, the top challenger for this year’s top seed in the conference.
Now, it’s about looking ahead after Buffalo snapped New England’s 10-game winning streak.
“It was a long stretch where we were feeling good about ourselves,” Maye said. “Now it’s about responding from losing to a good team.”
Over the final two quarters, the Patriots' lone touchdown of the second half came on a one-play drive, as rookie TreVeyon Henderson ripped off a 65-yard touchdown run that helped New England regain the lead in the fourth quarter at 31-28.
“We knew that Buffalo was going to come in and give it their best. The biggest thing is to see what we can learn and just continue to grow from here,” said Henderson, who added a 52-yard touchdown run in the first half as part of his strong day on the ground (148 yards on 14 carries).
A pass-interference call on New England’s Carlton Davis helped set the stage for James Cook's 11-yard touchdown run that would put the Bills up for good.
“At the end of the day, you’ve got to keep your foot on the pedal and keep it going, and don’t let them dictate,” said Maye, whose final pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage by Buffalo All-Pro Joey Bosa.
Cornerback Marcus Jones said their confidence remains high.
“It’s nothing that we haven’t been through before. We just have to get back to the things we need to get corrected and not look too far into the future, and just get ready for next week,” he said.
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New England Patriots running back Treveyon Henderson, middle, stiff arms Buffalo Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston (31) during the first half of an NFL football game in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks at a news conference after an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, middle, is sacked by Buffalo Bills outside linebacker Matt Milano, left, as linebacker Dorian Williams follows the play during the second half of an NFL football game in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Ultra-conservative José Antonio Kast secured a thumping victory in Chile’s presidential runoff election Sunday, defeating the candidate of the leftist governing coalition and setting the stage for the country’s most right-wing government in 35 years of democracy.
With over 95% of the vote counted, Kast won more than 58% of the votes as Chilean voters overwhelmingly embraced his pledge to crack down on increased crime, deport hundreds of thousands of immigrants without legal status and revive the sluggish economy of one of Latin America’s most stable and prosperous nations.
His challenger, communist candidate Jeannette Jara who served as leftist President Gabriel Boric’s popular labor minister, had just over 41% support.
“Democracy spoke loud and clear,” Jara wrote on social media, saying that she called Kast to concede defeat and congratulate him on his successful campaign.
Kast’s supporters erupted into cheers in the street, shouting his name and honking car horns.
His campaign spokesman, Arturo Squella, declared victory from the party headquarters in Chile's capital of Santiago.
“We are very proud of the work we’ve done,” he told reporters. “We feel very responsible for this tremendous challenge of taking charge of the crises that Chile is going through.”
Kast’s election represents the latest in a string of votes that have turfed out incumbent governments across Latin America, vaulting mainly right-wing leaders to power from Argentina to Bolivia.
On the surface, the two candidates in this tense presidential runoff could not have been more different, fundamentally disagreeing on weighty matters of the economy, social issues and the very purpose of government.
A lifelong member of Chile’s Communist Party who pioneered significant social welfare measures in Boric’s government and hails from a working-class family that protested against the 1973-1990 military dictatorship, Jara was a dramatic foil to her rival.
Kast, in contrast, is a devout Catholic and father of nine whose German-born father was a registered member of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party and whose brother served in the dictatorship. He had previously struggled to win over moderate voters in two failed presidential bids.
His moral conservatism, including fierce opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion without exception, had been rejected by many in the increasingly socially liberal country. The admiration he has expressed for the bloody military dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet also sparked widespread condemnation in his campaign against President Boric four years ago.
But in the past few years, fears about uncontrolled migration and organized crime have roiled the country. Enthusiasm for a hardline approach to crime spread, dominating the election and boosting Kast's law-and-order platform.
Supporters hold a portrait of Jose Antonio Kast, presidential candidate of the opposition Republican Party, after results show hime leading in the presidential runoff election in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025.(AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Supporters of Jose Antonio Kast, presidential candidate of the opposition Republican Party, celebrate preliminary results after polls closed for a presidential runoff election in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Supporters react to early results at the campaign headquarters of Jeannette Jara, presidential candidate of the ruling Unity for Chile coalition, in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Jeannette Jara, presidential candidate of the ruling Unity for Chile coalition, speaks after voting during the presidential runoff election in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Supporters of Jose Antonio Kast, presidential candidate of the opposition Republican Party, celebrate preliminary results after polls closed for a presidential runoff election in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Jose Antonio Kast, presidential candidate for the Republican Party, waves after voting in the presidential runoff election in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Voters arrive to a polling stating during the presidential runoff election in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Jeannette Jara, presidential candidate of the ruling Unity for Chile coalition, shows her ballot during the presidential runoff election in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Jose Antonio Kast, presidential candidate for the Republican Party, prepares to vote during the presidential runoff election in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Jose Antonio Kast, presidential candidate for the Republican Party, arrives to vote during the presidential runoff election in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A voter casts his ballot during the presidential runoff election in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Luis Soto prepares to vote in the presidential runoff election in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Richard Ferreira, a Venezuelan residing in Chile, waits for polls to open during the presidential runoff election in Santiago, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Police guard the Mapocho station polling station during the presidential runoff election in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Presidential candidate Jeannette Jara of the Unidad por Chile coalition addresses supporters during a rally ahead of the presidential runoff election in Santiago, Chile, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
A man cycles past campaign ads for presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast and Argentina's President Javier Milei reading in Spanish "Our future is in danger" ahead of the presidential runoff election in Santiago, Chile, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast of the Republican Party addresses supporters, from behind a protective glass panel, during a rally ahead of the runoff election in Temuco, Chile, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
A campaign banner reads in Spanish "Neither Jara nor Kast will make our lives better, don't vote, rebel and fight" ahead of the presidential runoff election in Santiago, Chile, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Presidential candidates Jose Antonio Kast of the Republican Party and Jeannette Jara of the Unity for Chile coalition shake hands during a debate ahead of runoff elections in Santiago, Chile, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
