Buffalo - 33, New England - 21
Q. (Question about Isaiah McKenzie)?
JA: I's stepping up. I'm so happy for him. I've got all the faith in the world in him. For him to come out and play this way day after Christmas, it means a lot to him, but I think it means a lot to everybody on this team. Just seeing a guy like that who has his ups and downs throughout the year, loses the returning position, is sacked for a couple games, comes out, and he was unbelievable today.
I think he had 11-plus catches, 100-plus yards, the touchdown on the opening drive. Just an absolute phenomenal day for him. I'm so, so happy for him. I can't express that enough.
Q. Josh, you had over 300 yards passing, over 100 yards on the ground, didn't get sacked. The offensive line, how would you say they played? Especially when Ike goes down early and had to reshuffle everything.
JA: I think it was the Christmas presents I got him. They were pumped up, and they played a little harder for him. Never hurts to treat those big guys. I'm super proud. Again, adversity. Just guys being pulled out. Ryan Bates stepping up. He played fantastic. Ike goes down. Dion comes back in after being at home with COVID and not really knowing much of the game plan and not actually practicing the game plan. That's really tough to do.
I'm so happy for our guys, how they responded. But again, we've got two more games left. We've got to keep going.
Q. The personnel calls, obviously, but all season long it's just been interesting in a year maybe that after all Isaiah did last year on offense, he really hasn't been utilized this year I know you've got Sanders, but don't you think there could have been ways to get him more involved this year?
JA: Sure. Hindsight is 20/20. It is what it is. We can't figure out what makes us go in the past. We have to figure out what makes us go in the future. He was an absolute beast on the field today. Again, that's going to give us opportunities going forward and helping this team out, but we're going to need everybody going forward.
Q. Josh, you converted on fourth down four times today. What does it do for you, what does it do for the offense when the coach is being that aggressive on the play call?
JA: To be able to have that trust means a lot. Again, when you convert those and continue to convert those, what a killer it is for a defense. That's a really good team we just played. Obviously, they've had a lot of success this year. It's an elite defense. Again, having that trust to go for it on fourth down situations, that's big for us. It gives us some groove. It gives us some confidence going forward. I can't thank Coach enough for putting us in this position and believing in us.
Q. Many of your wins this season have come from taking an early lead and holding onto it. What does it do for you as an offense from being able to play from ahead from a strategy standpoint? What does it do?
JA: It keeps you two dimensional. Running, rollouts, nakeds, quick game, quick shots. It forces the defense to play all types of situations and really every inch of the grass. Again, our guys stepped up. We had a lot of key plays today that maybe the game's different if it goes the other way. There's still some things we left out there that we want back.
Proud of guys like Kum and Isaiah stepping up. Guys like Rick Bates, especially on the defensive side of the ball, they played fantastic. It was a complete situational football win today and complementary football. The return game looked good. Special teams is good. We had no punts today.
Matt Haack came out and was like, we need to get a picture. I've never done that in my career. We got a picture. That was pretty cool.
Again, whether or not we continue going, we've got to keep going, and we can see this team in the future, and we know that. Just got to keep finding ways to produce on the field.
Q. What did you guys prove today coming in here to get the W?
JA: I don't know, we're where we want to be right now. We've got to continue to find ways to win football games and move the ball and take advantage of our opportunities and playoff caliber mindset. That's what we have.
Q. You had space today. What do you think was the key?
JA: Again, guys stepping up making plays. I think day bow had a great day calling plays for us. It really comes down to execution. That's what he told us at halftime. It's not about the coaches. It's about the players who are on the field making sure we're in the right spots, doing the right things, communicating well. We did that well tonight. Obviously, there's places we didn't. We've got to clean that up and turn our focus to next week.
Q. On the last possession you guys had to score a touchdown. You just scored, the game's close, there's still plenty of time. What was the thought process going into that drive. What was said on the sideline even in the huddle where you took the field there. What was going through your mind?
JA: We knew we needed points. I think we had a five-point lead at the time, field goal puts us up by eight, forces them to score a touchdown with a two-point conversion. Just the thought process there, knowing we needed points, but we wanted to put six on the board and give our defense that kind of bumper and boost.
Again, the team that we just played, again, that's a great team. They came into Buffalo, and they played us really well, and they came out, and I think they played really well today. Again, whether or not we see them in the future, we don't know, but we had guys step up and make some plays tonight.
Q. Josh, understand that you said you've got two games left and work still to do. What does it mean as a team, given everything you've been through, against this opponent in particular, to come in and retake control of your own destiny at this point? In terms of the division.
JA: Again, we have to finish. It starts off with our next one. That's all we're really going to focus on. We can't look too far into the future. It's got to be the next one, and we'll go from there.
Q. What are the Christmas presents for the offensive line?
JA: Got them some watches, some nice ones.
Q. Two straight weeks, Devin's made an impact. What has his emergence meant to the offense these past couple weeks?
JA: It's been fantastic. Devin, I can't say it enough how reliable he is. He's smart. If you watch him on any given play, whether he gets the ball or not, he is around the ball. He is helping the pile, following the ball, in case someone fumbles. He just does everything the right way. He's everything you want in a running back. Again, he's had his opportunities this year, and today he had some good ones.
My mind goes to that first series play, he catches a flat two yards downfield, and he turns it into a first down and allows us to skip a first down. Obviously, the touchdown run, just some tough yards. Again, when you have someone that -- you know you can rely on him that much. I have so much faith in him, and I'm so happy he's shining.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports