Patriots Great Praised Myles Bryant For Role In Upset Win Vs. Broncos

The New England Patriots celebrated Christmas Eve with an upset win over the Denver Broncos, and Myles Byrant was praised for his role in the victory.

ESPN's Mike Reiss posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he believes Bryant saved the Patriots' win with his "intelligence and instincts."

Bryant recorded seven tackles and returned five punts in the Patriots' win, but Reiss pointed out it wasn't directly what the 25-year-old cornerback did but his movements that allowed his teammate to make the play.

"Defense looked gassed on prior 2 TD drives... momentum all with Broncos, who need only about 15 yards for FG attempt," Reiss wrote. "First down ... 7-man rush ... Bryant peels out of it when he realizes RB Samaje Perine is releasing for a screen…which disrupts the timing and allows for teammates (hello Christian Barmore) to rally and bring Perine down for loss of 3 yards instead of a potential big play against that 7-man rush."

McCourty responded to Reiss's take much to naysayers disbelief.

"Continues to make plays like that…plays every position in the secondary and took over the punt return job…all this playing in the high altitude," McCourty posted on X. "One of the hardest working little dudes I know LOL."

Unfortunately for Bryant, many fans flocked to both Reiss and McCourty's posts to disagree with their assessment of the undrafted University of Washington product. While many agreed that Bryant is hard working and some said he has improved, they still played armchair coach stating he's too small and a liability in man-to-man coverage.

Bryant and the Patriots will focus on playing spoilers to the Buffalo Bills as New England attempts back-to-back wins for the first time this season. The Patriots also have the opportunity to sweep the season series against the Bills since New England defeated Buffalo 29-25 in Week 7.