Patriots Rewarded For Bucking Trend After Kendrick Bourne Fumble

The New England Patriots don't exactly like it when a player fumbles.

That's an obvious statement, yes. We understand that no team wants to turn the ball over, but there are few NFL squads, if any, that have a shorter leash than the Patriots when it comes to putting the ball on the ground.

They bucked that trend Sunday, however.

The Patriots' eventual win over the Bills on Sunday almost ended in disaster. Kendrick Bourne, who finished with 63 yards on six receptions, fumbled the ball away with just about five minutes in regulation. That allowed Buffalo to take a late lead, which New England eventually erased after Mac Jones hit Mike Gesicki for a game-winning touchdown on their final possession.

Bourne was on the field for that touchdown, as the Patriots decided to allow him to work through his mistake on their game-winning drive. That's something out of the ordinary, which Bourne acknowledged and appreciated postgame.

"I appreciate coach sticking with me," Bourne said, per Chris Mason of MassLive. "(He believed) in me. Even my teammates, them coming to me and just keeping me locked in and focused, telling me they're going need me on the next drive. It goes a long way. So it helped my mental."

Bourne did not register a touch on the final drive, but found a way to contribute as a blocker and drew coverage away from the likes of Demario Douglas and Gesicki. He was allowed to play over DeVante Parker and Jalen Reagor, who registered minimal snaps in the contest.

"(I'm) very relieved," Bourne continued postgame, per team-provided transcript. "Just have got to take care of the ball better. Just trying to make a play, trying to be myself and kind of not thinking about the ball in a sense... Just trying to be aggressive, I was really trying to get to the sticks. I just have to know I could not really get there, and just secure the ball more when I am going down."

Though the outcome of the game wasn't decided by allowing Bourne to stay on the field, it obviously left the 28-year-old with some confidence after a rough play.