"Coming out of their Week 14 bye, the Patriots immediately stepped into the biggest game of their season, as they faced the Bills in what could have been a hat and t-shirt game to officially steal the division from the reigning champions. It looked like it would be an easy win for New England, based on their impressive first-half performance, only for a total collapse and questionable officiating to completely derail their efforts and hand them their first loss since September."
"Although blaming referees is never something any team or fanbase wants to do, both the Bills and Patriots could do just that with how John Hussey's crew called their matchup. Unfortunately for New England, though, they were the biggest losers of the day, with phantom PI calls giving the Bills extended opportunities to score. When it happened for a third time, even some Patriots legends had to express their opinion about it."
Coming out of a Week 14 bye, the Patriots faced the Bills with an opportunity to clinch the division. New England dominated the first half but collapsed in the second half and surrendered the lead. Multiple questionable officiating decisions, including several phantom defensive pass interference calls by John Hussey's crew, extended Bills drives and altered momentum. Former linebacker Dont'a Hightower publicly criticized a pivotal flag as unjustified. Patriots defensive breakdowns compounded officiating controversies. The loss ended New England's unbeaten run since September and leaves the division race undecided heading into a final game against the Dolphins.
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