Patriots Rookie Kicker Earns First Signature Moment vs. Bills

"Really, I just treated it like any other kick,” a smiling Borregales told reporters postgame. “ I watched it halfway and saw it was down the middle, so I pretty much knew immediately.”

Though the kick did not officially bring an end to the game, it put the Bills into what ultimately became an untenable situation, with neither the time nor the field position for quarterback Josh Allen to orchestrate any late-game heroics. For his efforts, Borregales was treated to a chorus of his Patriots teammates chanting his name, “Andy … Andy … Andy,” as he entered the locker room. The gesture apparently had an emotional effect on him.

"That was awesome,” Borregales said.”We take pride in building a brotherhood, a family. I treat every single one of those guys in there as my brother, and I'll die for them."

While some may be content to rest on their laurels, Borregales punctuated his role in the potential Patriots’ victory by delivering a textbook deep-kickoff on the next play. The rookie’s impressive boot forced a Buffalo runback which drained seven seconds off the clock, while drawing a costly holding penalty to force the Bills an additional ten yards back.

Borregales, whom the Patriots selected at pick 182 in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, has the skill set to become a fan favorite in short order. The 23-year-old spent four seasons with the Miami Hurricanes, appearing in 50 games. During that span, he made 74 of 86 field goal attempts as well as 183 of 184 extra points. His best season came in 2025, when he went 18-of-19 on field goals — including a long of 56 — and a perfect 62-of-62 on extra point attempts.

Having used valuable draft capital to secure his services, the Patriots made it clear that Borregales was entering the season with great expectations on his shoulders. After narrowly winning a fierce training camp battle with veteran John Parker Romo, the 22-year-old drew the eye of his critics by missing a Week 1 field goal attempt against the Las Vegas Raiders, as well as a pair of extra point attempts in Week 2 versus the Miami Dolphins. Still, Borregales stayed the course and has connected on 7–of-8 field goal attempts and 12-of-14 point-after attempts through five weeks of the 2025 season.

In the final analysis, Borregales’ draft status may keep him in the crosshairs of Patriots fans. However, the native Venezuelan knows that there is much work to be done to write his name into the same hallowed tomes as Vinatieri, Stephen Gostowski, Gino Cappelletti and others. 

For now, he will understandably bask in the glow of his first NFL game winner … at least, until the Patriots hit the practice fields to begin their preparations for Week 6.