Patriots Stock Watch: Drake Maye's Coming Out Party

This was the biggest game of Maye's young career, and the gunslinger passed the test with flying colors. Maye went 22-of-30 for 273 yards, and despite not finding the end zone, was able to extend plays outside of the pocket and stretch Buffalo's defense thin. His first-career game-winning drive capped off what the Patriots hope to be a long win streak.

"Man, that was fun," Maye said postgame. "That was a tough one. That’s a tough one. It took everybody in that locker room, and the guys came out and we battled. We didn’t play the best in the first half. The defense helped us out. We came back offensively and got some things going. Two-minute drive at the end. Just go down and win it. That’s what you want."

TRENDING DOWN: Reserve Defensive Linemen

With the Bills driving down the field, the Patriots committed a number of costly penalties that helped push Buffalo deeper into New England territory. Though the starting defensive line pairing of Christian Barmore and Milton Williams played well, when backups Joshua Farmer and Cory Durden came in, that's when issues arrived. Both players committed major penalties, including an egregious unneccesary roughness call on Farmer, that almost sent the Patriots reeling.

TRENDING UP: WR Stefon Diggs

He's back, both to his old self and to his former stomping grounds. The wide receiver put together his best game as a Patriot — and made the massive free agent commitment the team gave him in the offseason well worth it.

"It was lit, prime time," Diggs said. "It was electrifying. I knew it was going to be a test for us."

Diggs caught 10 passes for a season-high 146 yards and while he didn't get the touchdown he so desperately wanted (as seen by the smacking of the turf after a long catch and run), he has quickly become Maye's go-to target at all three levels of the field.

TRENDING DOWN: OT Vederian Lowe

Lowe came into the game playing just eight snaps all season. With the addition of Will Campbell and Morgan Moses at the tackle spots, Lowe's starting role is not longer there. But late in the fourth and the Patriots pushing for a late-game conversation, Lowe entered the game as a jumbo tight end and instantly committed a false start. While the penalty felt ticky-tacky, it pushed New England back five yards and forced the punt unit to trot onto the field.

"The penalties were, again, I can tell you I disagree with some of the judgments and everything else," head coach Mike Vrabel said about the continued amount of penalties called on the field.

TRENDING UP: K Andy Borregales

The Patriots could have easily moved on from the rookie kicker after his three missed kicks during his first two games. Instead, the team stuck with Borregales, who went 3-for-3 on the night and drilled a 52-yarder to win the game. His strong leg has given the Patriots some important field goals over the last few weeks, but none was bigger than his most recent.

"It meant a lot,” Borregales said about the team sticking with him. "Obviously I’m a rookie, had my struggles in the beginning, but just having them come tap me on the shoulder, like, ‘Hey, don’t worry about it, on to the next one’ helped me remind myself that one kick doesn’t define me. Just keep moving on, because life doesn’t stop.”

TRENDING DOWN: S Jaylinn Hawkins

Hawkins did recover the Patriots' second forced fumble of the game, but struggled in pass coverage during the middle quarters. The safety, who was dealing with a minor hamstring injury throughout the week, put together an average performance, according to Pro Football Focus. The veteran was given a 60.1 grade, but was overwhelmed by the Bills' tight end duo of Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox.