There was no escaping the message from this game.

The Bills’ 33-21 victory over New England, Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium, was everything it appeared.

They weren’t out-smarted, out-toughed or out-muscled.

They weren’t ‘lucky,” they didn’t benefit from questionable officiating and they surely weren’t out-coached.

Buffalo beat the Patriots fair-and-square on their home field and even the most myopic fan in Foxboro could see it.

AND, SUDDENLY, the standings in the AFC East have a dramatically different look.

When yesterday began, New England (9-5) led the division and, with a win, would have virtually have clinched the title over the Bills, 8-6, who, with that loss, would have fallen from the AFC East title race and into a cauldron of conference wild-card playoff hopefuls.

Ah, but a victory would change everything.

And that’s exactly what happened.

The Bills, in a game of playoff proportions, could put their title aspirations back in their own hands with a win, or, in defeat, need help just to secure a playoff berth.

ON THIS DAY, the Bills produced their best effort of the season, given the circumstances, and secured an open path to a repeat as AFC East champion.

Buffalo’s win made both the Bills and Pats, 9-6, and due to having the better division record (5-1 to 4-2), by winning out, would win the AFC East. There are no guarantees, of course, though Buffalo, which finishes the schedule with two home games — Atlanta (7-8) and the Jets (4-11) — will be favored in both. New England, which closes the season at home with Jacksonville (2-13) and at Miami (7-7), has to win out and hope Buffalo loses at least once to claim the division.

BUT IT’S hard to envision the Bills losing either of the last two, especially if they’re going to play the way they did yesterday against the Patriots.

Consider that despite playing with a mix-and-match offensive line that struggled even when healthy, quarterback Josh Allen was never sacked, never turned the ball over and endured only four “hits,” an impressively small number.

Buffalo even managed to find a running game, though Allen produced all but 50 yards of it (12 carries for 64 yards).

BUT THE real revelation was speedy wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie who made Bills fans forget about the coronavirus absence of slot wideouts Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis by producing the game of his NFL career.

The fifth-year speedster from Georgia caught 11 passes (of 12 targets) for 125 yards, both career highs, and added a 3-yard touchdown reception.

However, the defense also did its job.

Buffalo outgained the Pats by 140 yards, had a 175-yard edge in passing yards and held New England to a pathetic 1-for-10 on third down conversions.

And, oh yeah, the Bills held an over 10-minute advantage in time of possession and never punted once.

This game was every bit as one-sided as the score and, if nothing else, was a huge injection of confidence.

That doesn’t preclude a stumble in Buffalo’s last two games, but coach Sean McDermott’s speeches will have a bit more zest coming off a pair of consecutive wins.

Of course, there is one irony.

New England is 6-1 in road games this season and the way AFC playoff scheduling could work out, Buffalo, if it wins out and clinches the division, will have a home game.

And oddsmakers say the Bills’ opponent at Highmark Stadium could well be — you guessed it — the Patriots.

(Chuck Pollock, an Olean Times Herald senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@oleantimesherald.com)