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The New England Patriots made a statement when they handed the Buffalo Bills a 23-20 defeat on Sunday Night Football in Week 5. After a couple of years of disarray and struggling, the Patriots are back, and they could quickly emerge as a serious playoff contender over the next few weeks.
From the get-go, it became clear that the Pats were going to give the Bills trouble in this one, but when all was said and done, they handed Buffalo its first loss of the season. Let’s look back at all the action and pick out four studs and four duds from this potentially season-altering victory for New England.
Stefon Diggs
If you thought Stefon Diggs‘ performance against the Carolina Panthers was good, he managed to one-up himself against his former team on Sunday. Diggs was simply phenomenal, catching 10 passes for 146 yards, helping keep the Patriots’ offense on track throughout this one.
Drake Maye
The numbers aren’t particularly flashy for Drake Maye (22/30, 273 YDS, 3 CAR, 12 YDS), but he went toe-to-toe with the reigning NFL MVP, Josh Allen, and won. After a slow start, Maye was surgical in the second half, and if there were any doubts about his standing with New England, it’s abundantly clear now that he’s the team’s quarterback of the future.
Andy Borregales
The early-season woes for Andy Borregales are a thing of the past. Borregales was perfect in this one, hitting two extra point attempts and nailing all three of his field goal kicks. His 52-yard game-winner could have been good from 70 yards, and his ensuing kickoff pinned Buffalo deep in its own territory, essentially ending their hopes of tying the game.
Marcus Jones
In Week 4, Marcus Jones earned his spot on this list for his special teams play. In Week 5, Jones is here because of his work on defense. Jones racked up seven tackles, one of which went for a loss, two pass deflections, and a crucial interception in the red zone that ended a drive where the Bills appeared to be on track to put points on the board.
Rhamondre Stevenson
It’s pretty tough to assess Rhamondre Stevenson’s performance. He scored both of the Patriots’ touchdowns, but he also lost yet another fumble in the first quarter of this one. With Antonio Gibson potentially done for the year, Stevenson needs to be better because it doesn’t seem the coaching staff fully trusts TreVeyon Henderson just yet.
Carlton Davis III
With Jones and Christian Gonzalez holding up well in coverage, Allen targeted Carlton Davis III frequently in this one. He wasn’t necessarily awful, but he was in coverage on Keon Coleman’s touchdown, and he whiffed on a handful of tackles that could have come back to bite New England if its offense didn’t play as well as it did.
Cory Durden
Over the past few weeks, Cory Durden found his way into the defensive line rotation, but he may have played his way...
