Danny Amendola’s numbers haven’t been anything special this season. When you play in an offense as deep as the New England Patriots’ is, that sometimes comes with the territory.
Amendola has shown a knack for making the most of his limited opportunities, however, which he again did Sunday afternoon.
The veteran wide receiver tallied just three catches in the Patriots’ 41-25 win over the Buffalo Bills but made two of the game’s biggest plays, catching one Tom Brady touchdown pass and setting up another with a 73-yard kickoff return to open the second half.
Amendola’s runback gave the Patriots prime field position at the Bills’ 24-yard line, and fellow wideout Julian Edelman dove into the end zone two plays later to put New England ahead 31-10.
“That (return) set us up for the whole second half,” Brady told reporters after the game. “It’s a 10-point swing, probably a 13-point swing, and that was huge. Danny is always around for big plays, important plays, and he is a great competitor. He gives everything he has for the team. He always knows when to make the right play, whether it’s to kneel in the end zone or to run it back like he did.”
https://youtu.be/j698yPWaWQY?t=3m31s
The 73-yard return was the second-longest of Amendola’s career and the longest by a Patriots player this season.
“We got good blocking on the return,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Monday in a conference call. “Danny did a good job of setting up the blocks. We had two double-team blocks on the play, and both of those doubles were very good. We got the three and the four both moved out of there, so there was quite a bit of space. The wedge did a good job on the kick-out blocks. (Barkevious) Mingo and (Patrick) Chung had big blocks on the back side to get Danny through, and Danny did a nice job of running.”
With wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell sidelined with a hamstring injury, Amendola played a season-high 32 offensive snaps against Buffalo. His touchdown catch — which came on New England’s first possession — was his first since Week 2, when he had two in a win over the Miami Dolphins.
Thumbnail photo via Timothy T. Ludwig/USA TODAY Sports Images
