​The New England Patriots faced a tall task on Sunday. A trip to Buffalo put them across the field from the unbeaten Bills, an unenviable position for a team that had stumbled to a 1-2 start against the backdrop of Drake Maye struggles. Falling two games under .500 and surrendering a tiebreaker to Buffalo would have had some hitting the panic button.But Maye came through in the clutch as the Patriots authored a surprising 29-26 upset victory.MORE: Josh Allen threw the game away against the PatriotsThe previously embattled quarterback connected on a 23-yard touchdown strike to Efton Chisholm III to take the lead for good with 1:50 to play. Chism, a little used receiver out of Eastern Washington, made his best play as a pro to reel in throw despite having a defender draped all over him. CJ Gardner-Johnson on why #Bills lost:
“Practice squad player made a helluva play… They didn’t do %$ better than us. We gotta play better.” https://t.co/NJmINX4Djl— Thad Brown (@thadbrown7) October 4, 2026Of all the things the Bills prepared for this week, Chism beating them with a remarkable individual effort might not have been one of them. His heroics breathed new life into a downtrodden New England side that had been getting criticized from a lot of different directions. There’s no telling how large it will prove to be should the Patriots right the ship and play excellent ball from here on out. Bills corner CJ Gardner-Johnson was quick to downplay the moment during his postgame availability. “We not going to get into no bulletin board material,” Johnson said. “An elevated guy made a hell of a catch. Probably won’t hear from him again. Respectfully.”CJ Gardner-Johnson on why #Bills lost:
“Practice squad player made a helluva play… They didn’t do %$ better than us. We gotta play better.” https://t.co/NJmINX4Djl— Thad Brown (@thadbrown7) October 4, 2026“They didn’t do s— better than us,” Johnson added. “We’ve got to play better.”Later in the clip Johnson claimed the Patriots barely scored—even though their 29 were more than enough to win. He also dismissed the idea that there were any red flags for the Bills going forward.Those are bold words. In the end, they don’t really matter. If Maye targeted an end-of-the-roster guy on the biggest play and it worked, well, that means all involved get credit. Teams don’t get extra points for scoring with their main guys. It’s a team game.New England and Buffalo have another game this year. It’ll be interesting to see what Chism’s role on the team is at that point and if he can pull out some magic for a second time.