Bills 35, Patriots 31
SM: Not a lot of people in attendance. Glory to God and this microphone here, okay? Glory to God. Great win. Appreciate all the Buffalo fans who were here to support us today. Resilient, tough football team. When you're down like we were at halftime, thought the staff did a great job making adjustments. Players executed. Point out a couple guys here just to celebrate.
Ray Davis, big time, couple big-time kickoff returns that helped set up field position for us and scoring opportunities. Milano with two sacks. Tre White had an interception, big time play. James Cook, over 100 yards. Credit the O-line and everybody involved in the offensive running game.
Dawson Knox, what a week. Holy smokes, having a new baby, he and his wife. Congratulations to them. And then two touchdowns today and setting the record for Buffalo Bills all-time leading touchdown receptions as a tight end. So great award, great honor, and a great leader as well of our football team.
Q. You said that coaches did a good job of putting some adjustments together. I know you like to be as even-keeled as you possibly can no matter the circumstance. How did you deliver your messaging at halftime? Because those guys looked like they got shot out of a cannon in the second half.
SM: Our guys, they understand. They have a good feel for when they are and when they're not playing the way we need to play. And I saw Josh as I was kind of bringing everybody up, and he looked at me. I just knew he was seeing it like I was. The entire team was on the same vibe.
So those guys went out there, again, started with our kickoff return, with Ray and the group. And credit Coach Tabor and Coach West there as well. We got into a good rhythm.
Q. You've kind of done it time and again second half of games this season. Obviously, it's a sign of remarkable resilience. Is it problematic in a sense too, some of the slow starts?
SM: Always a but, Jay. Always a but. How about an and? That's something we have to work on. Something we have to, you know, get into a rhythm sooner. But there's also an ability to adjust during a game. Anybody can come up with a game plan, but it's also what happens when they take certain things away. Are you able to pivot and adjust? I think that's the sign of a great staff.
Q. Defensively in the first half, what was the problem? What did you think was holding you guys back?
SM: We were giving up some runs. Because of that, they were a two-dimensional offense, keeping us off balance a little there. Run defense starts with gap integrity. We'll look at it and address it. We've got to be better, that's for sure.
Q. After the long touchdown run, after you've taken the lead, they get the one-play touchdown. That took some stones to bounce back the way you did. You did it pretty quickly. Can you address that point of the game and how proud you might be and how they responded to that?
SM: It was huge, first of all, for the offense to go and counter. When they score, we need to counter regardless of who it is. And then the defense, when they went back out there, they knew. It was one play. They had been playing really tough football in the second half. Credit Bobby and the defensive staff and the players for that. Good adjustments again.
They were playing really well. They made a play. The player's a special player. He's got speed for sure. We need to take better angles than we did on the back side of it. That's where it bounced back on the cut-back.
Q. The passing game has diversified itself by tapping into the tight ends and the running backs. I mean, today, 13 receptions, three touchdowns for your running backs and tight ends in the passing game. How do you feel that has kind of morphed your passing game here down the stretch?
SM: It's important that you don't just target one position group, one player. Josh did a great job. I thought Joe called a great game, particularly in the second half. Josh was taking what the defense was giving him. That's a sign of an offense that's unselfish, that's disciplined and is in a rhythm.
Q. Apologize if you addressed this, but the decision not to challenge on their long completion on the first possession. What went into that?
SM: I didn't have any. We didn't have anything. We didn't have a replay quick enough for us to do it. What I saw on the video board, it was close. You never know. So we just didn't have any replay, and they got up to the ball fast. So at the end of the day, you know, it worked out.
Q. Are you given any descriptions when you play a system coming in, why it happens or why it doesn't? A lot of fans were confused. A couple times it felt like there was a replay system, and then some there wasn't.
SM: Your question is a little bit cloudy, but the short answer is sometimes we know, sometimes we don't. And the referees do a really good job of communicating, especially since the onset of the replay assists. It's loud in the stadium, in their defense. But sometimes they chime in, sometimes they don't. Sometimes you think they will and they don't.
It's all part of the game. The game ebbs and flows. Whether it's a challenge in the first half, if I had a better -- we didn't have any view in the booth upstairs so it was a hard deal.
Q. Sean, some players said they did hear the Patriots chirping, particularly Diggs and Hollins to your guys were very demonstrative. They said they took it to heart. Did you notice any of that?
SM: No, I didn't. This game isn't about any one player or two players in this case. Those guys are great players. Really, it's about a team game. That's what it's about. Our team finished the game today the way we needed to finish and got a win. So we move on.
Q. You talk about feeling players quite often. Did you feel Matt Milano today?
SM: Oh, yeah. Yeah, he was vibing out there. He probably felt him up in the box. Two sacks. Bobby made those two calls and Matt cashed in. It was good to see. He's been working his tail off to get himself back to where he was today so I credit him and all the training staff and everything.
Q. Does it feel good not letting them celebrate today?
SM: It feels good to win. It does. We came in here to play a football game. We're not really into their goals. We're into our own journey. We have a lot of respect for them. Their coaches do a great job. We came, wanted to play as good as we could and get a win, and we did.
Q. What went into the decision (no audio)?
SM: Just trying to put guys based on the game plan week to week in there that we feel like is the right approach. We'll go back and reevaluate after this week as well offensively, defensively, and special teams. We have a lot of confidence in Gabe.
Q. You were asked this already. Any update on (no audio)?
SM: No, I don't have anything for you.
Q. That was a scary situation for you. What was the 24 hours like leading up to this game like for you and the team?
SM: I should have started this press conference off by extending our prayers, thoughts, sympathies. I mean, just a very unfortunate situation and a shame. It really is. And I pray for them. We prayed for them as a team last night, for everyone involved. Brown University.
So there's things in life that are bigger than football, and I thought it was important that we did that when we came together as a team last night. Just a shame. Just unfortunate and a shame that that goes on in our world.
Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports