Tempers boiled over for New England long before the final whistle in their 35-31 collapse against the Buffalo Bills. Cornerback Carlton Davis was already fuming over a late fourth-quarter pass interference flag that extended a crucial Buffalo drive.
What he thought was a clean third-down breakup on Keon Coleman instead turned into a drive-saving penalty, and Davis later pointed to how long it took the flag to arrive as what really stung, arguing that in a one-score game, officials should either throw the marker immediately or let the players decide it on the field.
The emotional edge spilled onto the sideline as well. Early in the third quarter, running back Rhamondre Stevenson made contact with Bills linebacker Matt Milano near the boundary, sparking a brief scuffle and drawing a flag. It ultimately went down as offsetting penalties, but Stevenson made it clear afterward that he didn’t feel good about how it happened.
Speaking with reporters, Stevenson admitted he “made a dumb decision” by initiating contact with Milano on the sideline and said he was fortunate the play didn’t hurt New England even more, per Mike Reiss.
Owning the mistake publicly was a sharp contrast to the frustration elsewhere in the locker room, but it also highlighted how thin the line is between playing with an edge and losing composure. That balance was missing as the game unraveled.
Even so, not everyone outside the building is smashing the panic button. Lifelong Patriots fan and analyst Bill Simmons reacted to the loss with surprising restraint, noting that New England still split a pair of crunch-time games with Buffalo and remains alive for a high playoff seed once injured pieces like Milton Williams and Will Campbell return.
Between Davis’ anger, Stevenson’s accountability, and Simmons’ big-picture calm, the Patriots’ mood board after this one is complicated. What’s clear is that discipline, not just toughness, will determine how this season finishes.
Biting your tongue after a bad flag is hard, but Rhamondre Stevenson knows his sideline shove on Matt Milano didn’t help the Patriots.
