Patriots are early contenders in AFC East after years of being on the outside

Mike Vrabel didn’t shy away from calling the Patriots’ matchup with defending AFC East champion Buffalo a chance to gauge where they were at this point in the season.

New England’s response on the field — a 23-20 win over the previously undefeated Bills — underscored a confidence that the Patriots coach said he already had in a group that announced itself as a division contender after years of being out of the mix.

This marks the first time since 2019 that the Patriots (3-2) have opened the season 2-0 in AFC East play.

“We talked about how we need to improve along the way, and this was the next step that we needed to take,” Vrabel said.

Those strides were evident all over the field.

Defensively, the Patriots kept Bills quarterback Josh Allen mostly in check while forcing three turnovers. Buffalo’s 20 points marked a season low.

Offensively, quarterback Drake Maye didn’t throw a touchdown pass but was 13 of 14 for 182 yards passing over the final 30 minutes of the game. His steadiness helped set up a pair of second half TD runs by Rhamondre Stevenson, along with kicker Anthony Borregales’ go-ahead field goal with 15 seconds left.

It was also the first game-winning drive of Maye’s NFL career.

“I think it speaks volumes that we are taking steps in the right direction,” receiver Stefon Diggs said. “But don’t get too high or too low about it. It’s early in the season — second quarter of the season. We are trying to do some of the right things. We did some good things out there. Obviously, a lot of things to correct because we felt we left a lot of plays out there. But a win is a win.”

What’s working

The connection between Maye and Diggs is growing stronger with each game. Diggs pulled in 10 receptions for 146 yards against his former team. Maye’s longest pass of the game was in the third quarter when Maye scrambled and found Diggs for a 32-yard strike. Stevenson scored from 4 yards out on the next play to put New England in front 13-10 and the Patriots never trailed again.

What needs help

Penalties continue to be an issue for this team. On Sunday, they had eight infractions, costing them 93 yards. For the season, New England’s total is up to 43, which is tied for the second-most in the NFL.

Stock up

Stevenson. His two TDs marked his first two scores of the season. It was also his first multi-touchdown game since he had two in last season’s Week 8 win over the Jets.

Stock down

As good as Stevenson was around the goal line, he also lost a fumble on a run early in the first quarter. It was his third of the season. But Vrabel said his belief in Stevenson still is strong.

“I think Rhamondre is an excellent protector of the other people with the ball, whether that’s in blitz pickup or chasing the ball, being around it and doing all those little things,” Vrabel said. “So, I think it’s just a fine line of making decisions.”

Injuries

Vrabel didn’t have an immediate update on the status of running back Antonio Gibson after he left in the second quarter with a knee injury following a hit by Cam Lewis. But ESPN reported Monday that testing revealed a season-ending ACL tear for Gibson.

Key number

2019 — Prior to Diggs’ effort on Sunday, that was the last year that the Patriots had a receiver (Julian Edelman) post back-to-back 100-yard receiving games. Diggs also became the first Patriots player since Randy Moss to post at least 25 catches and 350 yards in their first five games with the team.

Up next

The Patriots visit New Orleans (1-4) on Sunday.

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