The Buffalo Bills thought they had done enough to escape Sunday with another win. Instead, one late play flipped the game on its head and left them walking off their new home field with their first loss of the season. However, Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was not convinced the Patriots had actually outplayed Buffalo.

“A (practice squad) guy made a helluva catch,” he said of wide receiver Efton Chism III. “Probably won’t happen to him again, respectfully,”

Former Patriots center David Andrews was quick to push back after Gardner-Johnson dismissed New England’s performance following the 29-26 loss. Andrews pointed to the production on both sides and kept his response simple:

“The quarterback had more yards than your QB. As a team, more rushing yards. And scored more points than your team, which is really all that matters, but okay,” Andrews wrote on X.

In the fourth quarter, Chism III made a remarkable one-handed touchdown catch against tight coverage. With 1:50 remaining and the Pats at Buffalo’s 23-yard line, the wideout caught a deep throw from Drake Maye right in the end zone.

However, Gardner-Johnson got a key fact wrong. Per USA Today, Chism was never on the practice squad.

And Andrews got his numbers right. Buffalo QB Josh Allen threw for 253 yards, while Maye threw for 269 yards. The Pats also rushed for 143 yards against the Bills’ 91 yards on the ground. The last one was on the scoreboard for everyone to see: New England beat the Buffalo Bills 29-26.

Thanks to Chism catching that touchdown pass, the Pats were able to snap the Bills’ three-game winning streak.

Gardner-Johnson also pushed back on the idea that Buffalo had been beaten by a better team. His argument was that the Bills simply failed to play well enough to finish the game.

“They won the game, whatever. They didn’t do s*** better than us. We gotta play better.”

Chism’s catch was not simply a random moment from a player who had been sitting around waiting for an opportunity. The wide receiver had his role increase after Mack Hollins was injured, playing a season-high 34 offensive snaps. He finished with two catches for 42 yards, with both receptions coming during New England’s final touchdown drive. The second was the 23-yard touchdown that changed the game.

“When I am out there, and the ball’s in the air, I kind of black out,” he said after the game. “I am kind of in that little flow state. I saw it in the air, Drake gave me that opportunity, and I just … you gotta take advantage of those opportunities, you never know when they’re gonna come.”

“Snag of the year, man,” teammate Romeo Doubs said. “I watched the kid work all week. I’m just blessed to be around someone like him.”

This is Chism’s second season in the league. Last year, he played in only eight games, catching three passes for 75 yards and one touchdown. One of them was a 35-yard pass. He had clearly been buried in the depth chart, but he still leaves no stone unturned to put in the work needed from him.

“He keeps doing the right thing, stays after practice, ‘Hey Drake, you need anything, I’m here,’” Drake Maye said. “There are guys late in the building that I see, and it’s Chis. He loves this game. You get what you put into it, and I think you saw that with Chis.”

The Patriots still had to finish the job after taking the lead. Buffalo got the ball back with time remaining, but Allen’s final deep pass was intercepted by Craig Woodson, ending the Bills’ comeback hopes.

For now, the Patriots have a chance to build on the win quickly. New England returns home in Week 5 to face the Las Vegas Raiders on October 11. New England improved to 2-2 with the win, while Buffalo fell to 3-1, giving both AFC teams plenty to play for in Week 5.