Report Card Grades for Bills' NFL Week 4 Game vs. Patriots

Entering Week 4 of the 2026 NFL season, the Buffalo Bills were 3-0 despite playing with fire on a weekly basis. 

On Sunday, they got burned by the division-rival New England Patriots in a 29-26 defeat. 

Here are my grades for all of the key players from the home loss.

Quarterback

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Josh Allen

Josh Allen: C

It didn't help that Allen once again lost top receiver DJ Moore to a shoulder injury, or that his pass protection had its share of problems. I also wonder how far from 100 percent Allen might be, as he sure seemed uncharacteristically hesitant to take off with his legs for the second consecutive Sunday.  

Regardless, it was a mediocre performance for the franchise quarterback, who made a horrendous decision on a game-sealing interception. That throw was unsmart and unnecessary when Allen didn't need to be desperate yet, and it wasn't his only questionable decision. 

It was also one of the least effective rushing performances of Allen's career, as he gained just four yards on five attempts (only his third game with a yards-per-attempt average below 1.0 in nine years). 

It was an outing to forget for a quarterback on a Hall of Fame track. 

Running Back

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

James Cook

James Cook: A

The Pro Bowl back averaged 6.4 yards per carry in Week 2, 6.4 yards per carry in Week 3, and 6.3 yards per carry in Week 4. 

The difference is that while he ran the ball a combined 45 times in the last two outings, Cook carried it just 12 times with Buffalo trailing for much of the day against New England. 

Still, it's a shame they didn't ride him more—especially considering that he rushed for 57 yards on his last five carries. 

Cook also had several key blocks, including a tremendous play in which he saved Allen from getting trucked on a 51-yard Khalil Shakir catch-and-run that went down as Buffalo's biggest play of the game. 

Wide Receiver

AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes

Keon Coleman

DJ Moore: Incomplete

The veteran wasn't fully healthy coming into this game and exited after potentially aggravating a shoulder injury in the second quarter. He had just a single catch for 11 yards and played 23 snaps. 

Keon Coleman: A+

This might have been the best game of Coleman's career to date. He stepped up in a big way with six catches for 116 yards, but it was quality as much as quantity. 

Coleman made an incredible grab off a deflection on third down during a fourth-quarter scoring drive and later caught back-to-back passes for a combined 58 yards—the second of which was the go-ahead touchdown with less than five minutes remaining. 

The guy has found a groove in his third season. 

Khalil Shakir: C

Seven catches on eight targets for 82 yards is a pretty stat line, but he fumbled late in the second quarter and had a bad drop that forced Buffalo to punt late in the third quarter. With Moore down, they needed more from him. 

Joshua Palmer: D-

Palmer's workload increased with Moore out, but he failed to contribute beyond a three-yard catch on four targets. He dropped an easy deep pass from Allen on a third-down play in the second quarter, enabling the Patriots to decline a Dion Dawkins penalty and force Buffalo off the field.

I do wonder if we'll see intriguing rookie Skyler Bell get a shot soon. 

Tight End

AP Photo/Adrian Kraus

Dawson Knox

Dalton Kincaid: D-

Where was he? Kincaid was targeted only twice and made just a single seven-yard grab late in the game. One of the hottest players in the league from the first two weeks of the season has just three catches in his last two games. 

Dawson Knox: B+

Knox caught both of the short passes thrown his way, one of which required maximum toughness as he was hammered by Christian Elliss. He was also once again a big factor as a blocker, twice powering critical Allen sneaks. 

Offensive Line

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Dion Dawkins: D-

Yikes. The five-time Pro Bowler was responsible for another sack, was beaten badly on what should have been a safety when Allen got away with intentional grounding in the end zone, and committed two more penalties (one of which was declined only because Palmer dropped a gimme deep ball). He's having a poor season at the age of 32. 

Alec Anderson: C+

At least he avoided penalties this week. And while Anderson again struggled overall with his pass blocking, he wasn't the weakest link this time. The left side of the line is a problem right now, but that's more on Dawkins than Anderson. 

Connor McGovern: B-

Up-and-down day for McGovern. I'm not holding that weird offside penalty against him, but he was beaten badly on a play that resulted in Allen taking a hit to the throwing hand in the third quarter. He and Anderson opened up several big holes for Cook. 

O'Cyrus Torrence: B

No glaring mistakes in pass protection and stout blocking when the offense ran in that direction. It was a solid performance. 

Spencer Brown: B

See: Torrence, O'Cyrus.

Edge

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Bradley Chubb: B

I actually really liked what Chubb did in run defense. The veteran also had a key third-down pressure to get the offense the ball back late in the first half and got his hands on Drake Maye several times. You get the feeling the sacks will come. 

Greg Rousseau: A-

The two-sack-per-game streak came to an end, but I counted eight quarterback pressures and at least four hits on Maye from the disruptive Rousseau. He was also tremendous against the run, and he did have a strip-sack that was overturned but still should have been ruled intentional grounding. 

Defensive Line

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Ed Oliver

Deone Walker: C-

The rising star actually looked a little off for most of the day and was victimized on several run plays and Maye scrambles. His tackling can be hit-or-miss. Still, Walker spearheaded a huge stop on Rhamondre Stevenson near the line of scrimmage leading to a New England punt late in the third quarter.

Ed Oliver: Incomplete

Just 28 snaps from the former top-10 pick. He was still being eased back from a hip injury and now has a knee injury. Oliver was technically credited with a strip-sack, but Landon Jackson made that play happen. 

Landon Jackson: B+

Beyond that aforementioned pressure leading to a turnover, Jackson had another strong performance in run defense but did miss some action with a knee injury. He is also still good for a couple of poor angles per game. 

DeWayne Carter: B

You didn't hear Carter's name much across 45 snaps, but he did have several good run stuffs and took down Maye near the line of scrimmage on two scrambles. 

Greg Gaines: B+

I didn't note any negative plays for the veteran, who saw an uptick in action with the mounting injuries up front and held his own. He was quick to recover that Maye fumble in the second quarter. 

Linebacker

AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

Terrel Bernard

Terrel Bernard: C

Last week, I wrote that Bernard is nowhere to be found far too often. That was again the case on Sunday. 

Dorian Williams: C+

He was part of a few impressive stops against the run but was also exposed again in pass coverage inside the box and let both Maye and Stevenson slip away on plays that he should have made. This linebacker corps is not the main problem but isn't doing much to help. 

Secondary

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Dee Alford

CB Maxwell Hairston: D-

With Christian Benford out, Hairston was utterly exposed in a rough outing against a limping offense that had no business moving the ball the way it did. 

The second-year first-round pick was routinely beaten in coverage, including twice by Romeo Doubs on fourth-down plays (one of which he played inexcusably far off the line of scrimmage inside the red zone). 

CB Davison Igbinosun: C+

The rookie second-round pick's first start contained some mistakes but could have been a lot worse. His coverage was solid on a wild one-handed Efton Chism touchdown grab, and it was encouraging to see him avoid pass interference on a late-first-half Hail Mary. On the other hand, he was beaten deep by Mack Hollins while also committing a pass interference penalty on a third-quarter New England touchdown drive. 

And while he's not paid for his tackling and run defense, he actually did excel in those areas. 

CB Dee Alford: B+

It's a shame Alford played just 24 snaps before leaving the game with an ankle injury, because prior to that he had put together his best performance of the season. Beyond a second-quarter interception, his coverage and tackling were solid. 

S C.J. Gardner-Johnson: C

No big plays but also no major gaffes from the veteran, who was the hero a week ago but was mainly anonymous on Sunday. 

S Cole Bishop: D

Several notably poor angles and missed tackle attempts plagued Bishop, who looked lost in run defense and struggled to close in zone coverage. He's out of place too often. 

Special Teams

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Greg Dortch

K Tyler Bass: B-

It was a real buzzkill when Bass followed up Buffalo's first touchdown by leaving the kickoff short of the landing zone, giving New England the ball on the 40-yard line. He did nail his two field-goal attempts and converted both of his PATs. 

P Tommy Doman Jr.: B+

The rookie punted four times. Two were strong (downed at or inside the 10), one was subpar, and one was average. 

KR/PR Greg Dortch: B

There were no home runs but also no mistakes. His 16-yard punt return in the final minute of the second quarter increased the offense's chances of pulling off a late-half score.