Efton Chism III did what Mike Vrabel asks every Patriot to do: make the most of the chance in front of him.
Sunday against the previously unbeaten Buffalo Bills, that chance arrived in a big way. When Mack Hollins left in the third quarter with a calf injury, Chism moved into a much bigger role and played a season-high 34 offensive snaps.
With New England down and the clock bleeding under three minutes, he went up for a 19-yard catch that kept the drive alive. Three plays later, he delivered the biggest grab of the day - a fully extended one-handed touchdown that turned into the game winner.
“Snag of the year, man,” fellow wide receiver Romeo Doubs said. “I watched the kid work all week. I’m just blessed to be around someone like him.”
Chism said the moment felt like instinct once the ball was in the air.
“When I’m out there and the ball is in the air, I kinda black out. I’m kinda in that little flow state,” Chism said.
“Saw it in the air. Drake gave me an opportunity and you got to come down with those opportunities.
You don’t know how many you’re going to get.”
For the Patriots, none of this came out of nowhere. Chism has spent his first two seasons earning steady praise from coaches and teammates for the way he works away from the spotlight. Vrabel pointed to the routine that has defined him, saying it helped set the stage for Sunday - even though Chism wasn’t on the field when the Patriots practiced the play call that led to the touchdown earlier in the week.
“Nobody works harder,” Vrabel said. “There are plenty of guys who work hard, but I mean, Chiz is literally in [wide receivers coach] Todd Downing’s office before 6 o’clock every morning, if not 5:30, getting the game plan down to know every position.
“He’s an extremely hard worker. His toughness, his routine, it’s really cool to see guys like that take advantage of their opportunities and obviously stepping up in a critical situation is what this league is about.”
Chism entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Washington and made New England’s 53-man roster as a rookie last year after a standout training camp. He did it again this summer, earning another roster spot, though he was a healthy inactive in Week 1.
A.J. Brown’s injury later pushed him onto the game-day roster, and Hollins’ injury on Sunday - paired with Chism’s breakout performance - could open the door to a larger role going forward.
Drake Maye said the production lines up with what the Patriots have been seeing all along.
”I got two touchdowns to Chiz and he’s got two one-handers. So it’s a good trend we got going,” Drake Maye said.
“You guys see him in training camp. The world may be putting on the scene for Chiz but you guys have seen it for two years now.
“Just keeps on doing the right thing. Stays after everyday in practice, says ‘Hey Drake you need anything?
I’m here.’ There’s guys late in the building that I see and it’s Chiz.
He loves this game and you get what you put into it. I think you saw that with Chiz.”
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The Patriots walked out of Buffalo with a 29-26 win in a game that had plenty of the usual AFC East friction, plus a few swings that kept it from feeling settled until the final stretch. New England got touchdowns from Romeo Doubs and Efton Chism III, while Buffalo answered with a Josh Allen strike to Keon Coleman, and the game had the kind of back-and-forth edge that has made these matchups so hard to separate in recent years.
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Buffalo cornerback Christian Benford is unlikely to play, which adds another wrinkle to a matchup that already looked like it could turn on coverage and communication. For the Patriots, a game that might have been about establishing control in the AFC East now comes with more moving parts in the defensive backfields on both sides, and that could make Sunday feel a lot less predictable than it did a week ago. [Read more 🡒]