Mac Jones has been here before, down by a touchdown late in the game and requiring a game-winning drive to win, but the last time he and the Patriots offense performed this well was in his rookie season against the Texans. They scripted a different ending to the screenplay on Sunday against the Bills. Instead of concluding with a last gasp, they produced the game-winning drive that has long eluded them.
After watching the movie on Monday morning, Bill Belichick declared, “There were a lot of big plays on that drive.” “Mac performed an excellent job, but the protection and the receivers were all involved. When we most needed it, the team’s offensive execution was excellent.”
Mac and the offense took the field at their own 25-yard line, but the Bills had just seized the lead with a touchdown and a two-point conversion, making it 25-22 Buffalo at the two-minute warning. The biggest play of the game was the opening one, a 34-yard screen pass that almost resulted in a penalty for an unauthorized man downfield. On the snap, center David Andrews shot off the line of scrimmage in an attempt to block a player. Stevenson soon got the Patriots just outside field goal range by slicing by two aspiring tacklers and sprinting along the sideline.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott bemoaned, “The first play was a huge play for them, right?” “They set up a screen, and our defense is three deep and four beneath. We didn’t exert enough pressure to take advantage of the formation and make the necessary tackles.”
“That last play was just get the running backs some space so it was a swing pass to me,” Stevenson said. “Three guys were blocking me on the outside.” They performed an excellent job of hiding those men, and I attempted to intervene.”
