BSJ Game Report: Patriots 29, Bills 26 - Vrabel pushes all the right buttons and Maye has his day in big win at Buffalo

Everything you need to know from the Patriots’ 29-26 win over the Bills in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis:

HEADLINES

This game felt similar to the opener in Seattle. The Patriots were the better team in that one until the 4th quarter, when it all fell apart. This time, the Pats didn’t crumble like a stale cookie down the stretch, pushing themselves right back into the AFC East conversation, which is the first goal Mike Vrabel set for this team.

Not only that, but Drake Maye finally had his late-game comeback. The Pats got the ball with 4:21 left, needing a touchdown to beat the Bills on that new(ish) sod at the sparkling Highmark Stadium. He did it without A.J. Brown (IR), or Brown’s replacement, Mack Hollins, who left the game in the third quarter with a calf injury. 

Instead, Maye leaned heavily on the beleaguered Romeo Doubs and Efton Chism, and the second-year pro, in particular, shined on the game-winning drive. Chism climbed the ladder for a 19-yard grab on a 2nd-and-10 from midfield, running the route Hollins is known for. Then, three plays later, Maye gave Chism a chance on a one-on-one ball down the sidelines and the undrafted kid from Eastern Washington made a ridiculous one-handed catch with the defender in his hip pocket to put the Pats up for good. 

Sure, the defense had to weather one more Bills drive - Craig Woodson ended that with an interception off a dumb throw by Josh Allen - but this was, first and foremost, a Maye kinda day.