For a 14-10 win that saw Mac Jones throw just three passes, a lot went into the New England Patriots beating the Buffalo Bills on Monday night.
However, there is one play in particular that Kyle Van Noy believes has been overlooked amid the postgame discourse.
Damien Harris scampered 64 yards in the first quarter for an ice-breaking touchdown that gave the Patriots an early 6-0 lead at Highmark Stadium. Going against the wind, Bill Belichick opted for a two-point attempt, which Brandon Bolden converted by running into the end zone, just inside the left pylon.
“I feel like we had a good plan overall,” Van Noy told NBC Sports’ Tom E. Curran during Tuesday night’s “Quick Slants” episode. “We kind of knew what was — the weather, you can’t control that — but we don’t know what (Belichick’s) thinking all the time so it’s very interesting how some things go.
“Like, for example, the PAT, like we went for two. That was a big play. I don’t think people realize how big that was right at the beginning. To be confident and to explain why we went for two because they had a target for the kicking, like that’s just so detailed and it’s very impressive. But we got the two-point and got the pressure on them early, and I think that was a really big key because eight points in a game like that is a lot.”
New England, with the wind at its back, later received a pair of Nick Folk field goals that the BIlls never overcame.
Belichick’s run-heavy gameplan was executed to perfection Monday night in Buffalo. But getting that early eight-point lead was immense, as it allowed the Patriots to play the game on their terms, which the Bills clearly were not equipped to deal with.
