What the Patriots are saying about Mac Jones’s game-winning drive against the Bills

Mac Jones had the ball in his hands with just under two minutes to play and the Patriots trailed by one score Sunday afternoon.

This wasn’t the first time this season Jones had the opportunity to lead a game-winning drive. He won a similar spot against Philadelphia in the opener, and in Week 2 against the Dolphins.

On Sunday, Jones led his first game-winning drive of the season, capping an 8-play, 75-yard march to the end zone with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki.

Jones said it felt good to successfully complete a scoring drive at the end of the game. He called it a ‘crumb of success’. The Patriots improved to 2-5 with the win and are now 2-1 in division play.

“Yeah, I think you just have to keep fighting, and you know, it’s just a crumb, right? That’s what I always say. And you have to build on that. You have to build on that and attack the same way every day. It’s about playing for each other, playing for the man next to you and understanding why. So we did that today and we have to continue to do that every day, both in training and during games.”

Defensive lineman Davon Godchaux said he found Jones and gave him a message for the final drive.

“I went to (Jones) and said, ‘What would Mike (Jordan) and Kobe (Bryant) do now?'” defensive lineman Davon Godchaux said. “They’ll freeze the game. They’ll win it. You can ask him I went up to him, grabbed his helmet, looked him straight in the eyes and said, “I need you.”

“Once Gesicki came in, I knew it was a play we always run in practice,” Godchaux continued. “Mike Gesicki is so athletic, a jump ball to the pylon will win it all the time.”

Gesicki’s touchdown, his first of the season, snapped a three-game losing streak for New England. The Patriots, and especially Jones and Bill Belichick, faced a lot of criticism during that period.

Gesicki took a moment during his press conference to stand up for Jones.

“I don’t think a lot of the conversations and things that happen with him are honest. Honestly, I think he did an incredible job of blocking all that out. I think he’s done an incredible job of guiding us internally through all the adversity.

“Today, with our backs against the wall, you hear all the talk about us having a chance to win the game and not being able to close out the game and all that,” Gesicki continued. “Today we had a chance, and he stood there and delivered play after play after play.”

Jones completed 25 of his 30 passing attempts and threw for 272 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He didn’t turn the ball over. The Patriots earned their first home win of the season at Gillette Stadium.

Godchaux said he felt like the offense saved the defense and got the job done. Safety Jabrill Peppers said he was happy the offense finished a game the right way.

“Man, I feel good about those guys,” Peppers said. “I’m glad they were able to march methodically through the field. I know it feels good for them now that all that hard work is paying off in practice.”