The last three weeks were brutal, but Mike Vrabel, Drake Maye, and the New England Patriots earned all the national criticism that was hurled their way.
If Sunday’s bounce-back win in Buffalo was any indication, the 2026 season can now officially start for Patriots fans. We have a season again.
Maye showed the kind of mental toughness his critics have been questioning since last year’s Super Bowl loss, and Vrabel’s defense closed the door on Josh Allen and the Bills for a gritty 29-26 win that New England sorely needed.
The Patriots improved to 2-2 and bested their division rival without A.J. Brown, Christian Gonzalez, or Christian Barmore in the lineup. The Bills dropped to 3-1, missing their chance to put serious distance behind themselves and the rest of the AFC East. Both the Jets (1-3) and Dolphins (0-4) lost on Sunday.
Are Vrabel’s Patriots back? It certainly felt that way after a performance that deserved more than a few game balls.
The Patriots finally looked like themselves again when they needed it most
Winner No. 1
Drake Maye - QB
It was far from perfect — but that’s why Maye was the biggest winner in this one. When bad things happened — like Maye’s early lost fumble in Buffalo territory — New England’s young quarterback didn’t unravel. After the defense forced a quick three-and-out, Maye promptly led a tone-setting, 63-yard touchdown drive.
Maye then traded punches with Allen much like he did in Week 5 of the 2025 season. In the end, it was Maye leading a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter and Allen throwing the game-sealing interception.
Maye needed that. We all did.
Winner No. 2
Efton Chism III - WR
Are you kidding me?
The Patriots lost Mack Hollins to an injury in this game, and Chism stepped up in a monster way. His one-handed catch for the go-ahead score with 1:50 remaining was unbelievable — so much so that it’s easy to forget him climbing the ladder for a key first down over the middle three plays earlier.
TOUCHDOWN PATRIOTS.
— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026
What a catch by Efton Chism III to take the lead!@NEvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/DtIZoenYNL
Chism just went from a fun underdog story to a player who could see his role in the offense soar in the coming weeks. As we’ve seen with Kyle Williams so far this season, big plays in the preseason can be a fluke.
Big plays in the fourth quarter in a comeback win over Buffalo on the road? That’s something else.
Winner No. 3
Romeo Doubs - WR
The Bills didn’t seem to respect the Maye-Doubs connection. They played a lot of man coverage on Doubs with no help over the top.
Like Maye, it wasn’t perfect for Doubs, whose bobble led to an interception that gift-wrapped three points for the Bills at the end of the first half. But Doubs responded and won his matchups more often than not on his way to a pair of touchdown receptions.
Doubs looked more like the player the Packers featured in the wild-card round of the 2025 playoffs in this game, and that’s a great sign for New England.
Winner No. 4
Hunter Henry - TE
Henry didn’t look like the same player through three games, which was concerning given the team’s decision to sign him to a two-year extension prior to the season.
Josh McDaniels got his top tight end going in this game, including on his biggest third-down call of the game with a minute remaining in regulation. The design and execution from Maye was perfect and Henry picked up 12 yards for the game-sealing first down along the right sideline.
Hunter Henry FIRST DOWN.
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 4, 2026
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/yZiRuBYVZN
Henry led all Patriots pass catchers with 62 yards and averaged 12.4 per reception. Much-needed seems to be the theme of this game for New England — and Henry’s performance was much-needed.
Winner No. 5
Mike Vrabel - HC
Honorable mention goes to Carlton Davis, Milton Williams, Craig Woodson, Gabe Jacas, Robert Spillane, and Christian Elliss. The Patriots were better defensively across the board in this one, but beating Allen on the road without Gonzalez and Barmore was next-level work from Vrabel.
The Patriots held the best rushing quarterback in NFL history to 4 yards on five attempts. From the offense to the defense, with key injuries on both units, Vrabel had his players ready to fight for their season on Sunday.
Loser No. 1
Whoever plays right guard
This week Ben Brown gets the honor. Last week it was Greg Van Roten and Walter Rouse.
The brutal truth is that the Patriots do not have a good internal solution to Mike Onwenu’s season-ending injury. If New England makes a move prior to next month’s trade deadline, guard might have to be at the top of the list.
Right guard is a new position for Brown. He’s definitely the best option to play there in the interim. But Sunday’s performance left plenty to be desired. Per Pro Football Focus, Brown allowed three pressures and three hurries against the Bills’ banged-up defensive front, and it felt way worse than that watching from home.
Loser No. 2
The entire rushing attack
The Patriots actually had some nice gains on first-down rush attempts in this game, but the whole operation struggled on shorter down-and-distance situations. Rhamondre Stevenson averaged 3.6 yards on 13 attempts. TreVeyon Henderson averaged 3.0 yards on 14 attempts.
Maye led the team with 54 rushing yards and had to throw it 37 times to help sustain drives and give the team a chance.
Why did the Patriots go out and make fullback Reggie Gilliam a priority free agent signing? The veteran continues to have minimal impact on the run game. The operation as a whole is not close to good enough right now.
Add us as a preferred source on Google