Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots entered Highmark Stadium as big underdogs to the Buffalo Bills, and for good reason. Whereas the Patriots had played some inconsistent football over the first four weeks of the season, earning a 2-2 record along the way, their AFC East rivals were a perfect 4-0 and looking like the best team in football.
Four highly-contested quarters later, the Buffalo’s perfect season had gone up in smoke; New England had pulled off a major upset to snap a four-game losing streak at the Bills’ home arena. That game saw plenty of noteworthy performances, and a look at our weekly positional grades shows that the team also performed at a high level as a whole.
Quarterback: Starting the first primetime game of his career, second-year quarterback Drake Maye out-dueled reigning league MVP Josh Allen on the road. Completing 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards, he managed to orchestrate two end-of-half scoring drives and generally looked in command of the offense throughout the night — all while being unfazed by the high-quality opponent and hostile environment. He made good decisions with the ball and some impressive individual plays both in and out of structure. Introducing himself to a national audience, Sunday sure felt like a coming-out party for the 23-year-old. | Grade: A
Running back: Despite going up against a below-average run defense missing its best defensive lineman, Ed Oliver, the Patriots again failed to find consistent success on the ground. In total, their backs combined to gain just 59 yards on 19 carries. Those numbers do not tell the full story, though: Rhamondre Stevenson also lost a fumble but did score two touchdowns; Antonio Gibson was lost to a torn ACL on a second quarter kickoff return; TreVeyon Henderson did have some positive moments in an increased role. All in all, though the group had a challenging outing. | Grade: C-
Wide receiver: Stefon Diggs was the star of the show on Sunday. Returning to his old stomping grounds clearly motivated to make an impact, he ended up catching 10 of 12 targets for 146 yards — his best outing since joining the Patriots this offseason. Diggs was clearly the team’s top skill position option, and his performance overshadowed the other wideouts. As a whole, the non-Diggs group was inconsistent. Kayshon Boutte, for example, caught three passes for 43 yards but also was penalized twice; DeMario Douglas saw some slightly increased involvement, while neither Mack Hollins nor Kyle Williams made much of an impact. | Grade: B+
Tight end: The Patriots relied heavily on their two tight ends again, but only one of them caught any passes. Hunter Henry finished with two grabs on four targets for 46 yards. Both of his receptions were big plays, but he also failed to haul in a goal-line pass at the end of the first half. Austin Hooper, on the other hand, had a rather uneventful Sunday night while working primarily as a...
