New England Patriots: Studs and duds from fourth straight loss vs. Bills

Stud: Players stepping up in the passing game

Without wide receivers Julian Edelman and N’Keal Harry, two of the top targets for the Patriots wide receiving group to this point in the season, New England was looking for others to step up in the passing attack through the air in Week 8.

The Patriots had some different players rise up to that challenge in the game to lead the receiving unit, most notably wideouts Jakobi Meyers and Damiere Byrd. Meyers tallied a team-best five catches for 50 yards while Byrd added three catches for 39 yards.

New England needs help at wide receiver, but it was good to see some other players step up to fill in for the likes of Edelman and Harry on Sunday.

Dud: Execution late

New England gave up 17 second-half points to Buffalo while trying to fight back and erase a first-half deficit to pull out the win.

The Patriots had a chance to drive the ball down the field in the final minutes of the game to either tie the game or pull away late, but a costly fumble late by Cam Newton in Bills territory turned the ball over and ended that hope for New England.

More often than not this year, the Patriots have hurt themselves en route to a tough start to the year. It was another case of that during the end of the game in Buffalo.