Pats Pulpit
The Buffalo Bills had won 14 consecutive home games in the regular season. That wasn’t lost on head coach Mike Vrabel and the AFC East visitors.
The New England Patriots pulled off a 23-20 upset Sunday night at Highmark Stadium, where things were tied with two minutes left to play.
Here’s a glance back on the 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff as different sides of the division move forward with 4-1 and 3-2 records.
Sunday in Orchard Park marked the first NFL primetime start for Drake Maye. The 23-year-old captain under center looked like himself under the lights. He completed 22-of-30 passes for 273 yards with no touchdowns and no turnovers against the Bills.
In what was a “great gauge” for the Patriots, Maye chipped in a dozen yards as a rusher. He got stronger with time. Beginning in “11” personnel after the Bills deferred, the opening drive moved the sticks once before ending in a third-and-7 sack and punt. The next possession ended with a catch that became a fumble recovery for linebacker Terrel Bernard. But a tie game became a 6-3 game by halftime as an 11-play drive featured connections of 22 and 10 yards. The lead would change hands more from there.
As the third quarter turned to the fourth quarter, the score read 13-10. Maye hit tenured tight end and co-captain Hunter Henry through a collision down the seam for 24 yards. Before long, a catch-and-run for 30 yards by a certain former Bill got the Patriots to the goal line. That 11-play, 90-yard drive would be capped off by a pitch for a 20-10 advantage with 12:10 to go.
But by the two-minute warning, the evening was knotted at 20-20. A pinpoint sideline throw behind safety Cole Bishop landed in the gasp of wide receiver Kayshon Boutte. And in bounds for 19 yards to put the Patriots on the doorstep of attempting a game-winning field goal.
A three-headed backfield worked as one last week versus the Carolina Panthers. Versus the last unbeaten team left in the NFL, it needed to be more of the same. Only two units around the league had given up more rushing yards altogether than defensive coordinator Bobby Babich’s 657.
Rhamondre Stevenson turned seven carries into 14 yards and two catches into 13 yards on Sunday night, giving and then extending the lead for the Patriots. The starting running back’s two touchdown plunges arrived in the second half after he lost his third fumble of the year. There was no margin for error. Or so it seemed.
Antonio Gibson subbed in for 26 yards from scrimmage across seven opportunities. Yet the do-it-all veteran stayed down, clutching his right knee, after fumbling on kickoff return that the Patriots recovered in the second quarter. He limped off the field with the help of the training staff and was quickly ruled out.
That put eyes on TreVeyon Henderson in a healthy backfield of...
