Buffalo Bills receiver Isaiah McKenzie entered Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots having not caught more than two passes for more than 12 yards in a game this season.
McKenzie, however, was among the biggest reasons why the Josh Allen-led Bills were able to jump to the top of the AFC East standings with a 33-21 victory over the Patriots at Gillette Stadium. McKenzie caught 11 of the 12 balls thrown to him for 125 yards and one touchdown in the effort.
He did a vast majority of his work, including crucial catches for 17 and 15 yards, respectively, with Patriots slot cornerback Myles Bryant in coverage. Those two receptions by McKenzie helped the Bills put together a 13-play, 76-yard scoring drive to extend their crunch-time lead and essentially put the game away.
McKenzie was asked how he felt the matchup with Bryant went, and unlike some wideouts around the league, wasn’t overly cocky regarding his production.
“It’s just how the game unfolded, we’re always trying to find a mismatch. I wouldn’t say 41 (Myles Bryant) is a bad player, he’s a good player,” McKenzie said, per the team. “Just today, I was having a good day and they kept feeding me.”
The loss dropped the Patriots, who were the top seed in the AFC before their Week 15 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, all the way back to sixth in the conference. It also was a loss that didn’t sit well with New England players, specifically captain Devin McCourty, given the game’s importance.
