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Lost the ball just before the end of the game: Patriots quarterback Cam Newton
Photo: John Munson / AP
For the New England Patriots, participation in the playoffs this NFL season is increasingly remote.
At the Buffalo Bills, Bill Belichick's team - who has won the Super Bowl six times with the Patriots since 2000 - lost 21:24.
It is the fifth loss in just two wins this season and the fourth in a row.
In the NFL, only the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New York Jets wait longer for a win.
Should the Patriots miss the playoffs, they would take place for the first time since 2008 without the team from the state of Massachusetts.
The Patriots still had a chance of victory with the last drive of the game: 31 seconds before the end, however, Patriots quarterback Cam Newton, who is to succeed Tom Brady who has migrated to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this year, defeated 13 yards ahead the end zone the decisive loss of the ball by fumble.
Dean Marlowe secured the exposed ball - and with it success for the Bills, who lead the AFC East with six wins and two losses.
In the end, the Partiots had their worst start to the season since 2002.
The only NFL team with a completely white vest comes from Pittsburgh: The Steelers were able to prevail in the top game at the Baltimore Ravens 28:24 and also won their seventh game this season.
Pittsburgh also benefited from unusual mistakes by Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, the most valuable NFL player of the preseason.
With the third play of the game, Robert Spillane intercepted a pass Jackson and ran with him into the end zone.
It was the first time in 23-year-old Jackson's young career that an interception resulted in an opposing touchdown.
By half time, however, the Ravens managed to turn the game to 17: 7 in the meantime.
Only after another interception at the beginning of the third quarter did the Steelers turn the game around: Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who only threw for 24 yards in the first half, increased significantly and after the break brought passes over 158 yards to the teammate, the pass Chase Claypool caught the decisive touchdown about seven and a half minutes before the end of the game.
After that, the Steelers defense brought home victory.
Mahomes towers above, Brees takes Brady's record
The most impressive throwing game of the day was once again shown by Patrick Mahomes: The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback scored five touchdown passes and gained 416 yards against the still-winless New York Jets.
The Super Bowl champion of the previous year leads the AFC West with seven wins and one loss.
Quarterback veteran Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints won back the record for the most touchdown passes in NFL history at 26:23 after extra time against the Chicago Bears: With two passes to win points, Brees now has 560 touchdowns, one in front Competitor Brady, who had the chance to climb back to the top of the statistics on Tuesday night against the New York Giants.
All results and tables of the NFL can be found in the SPIEGEL sports center.
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cev / dpa
