Even some New England players were stunned by the Patriots’ unprecedented offensive game plan against the Buffalo Bills.
The Patriots attempted just three total passes in their 14-10 Monday night win, the lowest single-game total in franchise history and the second-lowest by any NFL team since the 1970 merger.
Linebacker Kyle Van Noy couldn’t believe his eyes as he watched from the sideline.
“Honestly, it shocked me,” Van Noy said this week on “Green Light with Chris Long.” “I was tripping there, like, tapping (Dont’a Hightower) like, ‘What? Are you seeing this?’ I couldn’t believe it. But I think as the game went on, you started to (think), ‘All right, this is going to work. This formula’s going to work.’ Because they had a couple stops, but ultimately, the clock was getting ran.”
With heavy winds making passing and kicking difficult, Van Noy said the Patriots scoring eight points in the first quarter — they took an early 8-0 lead on a 64-yard Damien Harris touchdown and a Brandon Bolden two-point conversion — was crucial.
“That eight points right in the beginning was a game-changer, because eight points is a lot in a game like that when it’s that windy,” Van Noy told Long, his teammate with the Patriots in 2016. “You put the pressure on them that if they score, they have to go for two. And they chose not to (after Buffalo’s first-quarter touchdown), which was a little surprising. But that’s just a lot of pressure right off the bat, and I was shocked like everybody else that we only threw the ball three times.”
The three passes were enough for the Patriots, who rode a dominant 222-yard rushing effort and great situational defense to their seventh consecutive victory. The Bills reached the Patriots’ red zone on each of their final three possessions but came away with just three total points.
Van Noy and the Patriots now are enjoying a relaxing bye week before they return to action against the Indianapolis Colts next Saturday night.
