Oct 5, 2026 1:05 AM
Updated Oct 5, 2026 1:29 AM
There's a reason why these teams are division rivals.
The Week four 29-26 win for the New England Patriots comes at a time when they needed it most. For weeks, doubt has swirled around whether this team could get its act together and, specifically, whether quarterback Drake Maye could regain the confidence to lead it down the stretch.
Sunday afternoon's trip to Buffalo proved that this team may not be having a massive fall from grace after all. Maye was 22 of 37 for 269 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. The third-year quarterback still has a bit of rust after the slow start, but you could argue he shook most of it off this afternoon at Highmark Stadium.
Of the three touchdowns Maye threw, two went to Romeo Doubs, and the game-winner went to second-year undrafted free agent Efton Chism III.
Chism's catch has been the game's main highlight since the final whistle blew. Take a look below in all its glory.
Mentioning that Chism got into the league and on the Patriots as a UDFA last season and made the squad both years needs to be noted, because Buffalo Bills safety CJ Gardner-Johnson made an attempt to dismiss Chism's unreal late-game catch to almost seal the Pats' much-needed victory.
In a locker room interview after the game, Gardner made it known that he was not impressed.
"We’re not getting into no bulletin board material,” Gardner-Johnson said after the game. "An elevated guy made a helluva catch. Probably won’t hear from him again, respectfully… A practice squad player made a helluva play. You do it again, he probably won’t make it again. Simple."
Chism took over for wide receiver Mack Hollins due to injury. He played a career-high 34 snaps and also caught a 19-yard catch a few plays earlier to get things moving for the Patriots on offense.
The catch, which his teammates have called clutch and many others have labeled a candidate for Catch of the Year, was Chism's second of his career.
One could see why Gardner-Johnson may want to get salty about it.
Another point worth mentioning: Gardner-Johnson called Chism an "elevated guy," meaning Chism would have been a practice squad player. In his two years in the league, Chism has had a roster spot with the team all along and has become a fan favorite, for that matter.
Gardner-Johnson, however, was once a practice squad player during his time with the Baltimore Ravens.
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