Alex Van Pelt Defends Aggressive Patriots Play Vs. Bills

Three second-half turnovers by the Patriots helped the Buffalo Bills pull away and defeat New England at Highmark Stadium last Sunday.

The first turnover was a fumble by running back Rhamondre Stevenson, his seventh of the season. The second was an interception on a poor throw by Drake Maye and the third involved both.

Maye threw a backward pass to Stevenson out of the backfield. The pass hit Stevenson and fell to the ground, and Buffalo recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown.

During his Thursday media availability, Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt was asked about the play involving Maye and Stevenson. He noted three Patriots’ errors on the play, which resulted in the Bills taking a 21-14 lead in the fourth quarter.

“That was a difficult one. We really had three errors on the play and they were all critical. To not have one of those, we may have survived the down,” Van Pelt told reporters at Gillette Stadium. “We were a little fast throwing the lateral. We were expecting that to be a forward pass. We ask our guys to cut the (defensive) end to that side. We didn’t get his hands down, that’s No. 2. And then our back … we lost a little ground on the wide route … so those three got us in a crucial play in the game.”

Although the play did not benefit the Patriots, Van Pelt defended the call deep in New England’s territory.

“It’s a very safe play,” he said. “It’s a kick-it-out to the back with a lead blocker.”

The Patriots have been criticized all season long for their lack of creative play-calling, and New England certainly stayed competitive against the Bills with its aggressiveness during large stretches Sunday. However, the risks did not pay off as the Patriots hoped.