They got Joshed.

In the first half of Sunday’s big clash with Buffalo at Gillette Stadium, it looked like they New England Patriots had flipped the script. Pats QB Drake Maye was hearing “MVP!” chants once again after doing his best Josh Allen impersonation rushing for two TDs, and the reigning MVP was looking anything but. Down 21-0 to a team that had won 10 straight, you could see somewhere in the Patriots equipment room the boxes gor the Hats and T-Shirts being opened. Just to get ahead of things.

But Allen ruined all that,just like he put Bengals QB Joe Burrow into a funk. This is what he does, even though his numbers yesterday (193 yards passing but three TDs) and 48 yards rushing. He just made the plays as Buffalo did the unthinkable: Five straight TDs on five straight possessions.

We understood what was at stake,” Allen said. “But at the same time, that wasn’t really in the back of our heads. We were just, hey, we’ve got to find a way to win the football game. And that’s what we did tonight.”

In the end, Maye couldn’t replicate Allen by taking the Patriots down the field. Three-and out from their own 27 with 5:19 to play. And then four and out when they got the ball at their own 17 with 2:43 to play.

“So, then the drive that we needed our offense to get, I was confident, and I thought for sure that we’d take that football and go down and score a touchdown ” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said. “And we just weren’t able to. That’s why I went for it.”

Even Vrabel has changed his expectations, because that’s what winning 10 straight will do. But the reality was the Bills, likely not willing to give up their division crown just yet, got a defensive spark even after Pats rookie TreVeyon Henderson ripped off his second long TD run of the day.

“They had been playing really tough football in the second half,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. Credit Bobby (Bills defensive coordinator Babich) and the defensive staff and the players for that. Good adjustments again.”

“Just gotta make a play and do my part when we had the ball and a chance to win the game, “,Maye said, “go win the game.”

Truth be told, if these teams were to play each other 10 times, right now anyway, they’d split 5-5. Their last six games have all been decided by one score.

Bills QB Josh Allen looks to throw during Sunday’s game at Gillette Stadium. (AP photo)

But Allen can be the difference. He almost was in the first meeting.

“He’s 6’5”, 250 pounds, runs fast, hard to tackle, hard to get down on the ground,:”Vrabel said. “He has an accurate, strong arm. I’m giving you a dissertation on a league MVP. Just watch all the games and know that it’s the same as it was last week. Had a guy free. Weren’t able to make the play. Last week’s team had a guy free, we weren’t able to make a play. “That’s why they drafted him and pay him $60 million. I don’t know what to tell you. Just exactly what we knew what it was going to be, that we were going to need to get a stop or be able to tackle and if we pressured and we came free — so hopefully we get another opportunity to do that.”

That’s what we want to see from a neutral prospective, because Patriots-Bills is a battle royal. Let’s do Josh vs. Drake in the playoffs.