Buffalo Bills - 38, New England Patriots - 9
Q. I asked Stefon where he feels the connection between the two of you is because each week it appears from the outside that it's just growing and growing and growing. Where is it at this point as we reach the tail end of your first regular season together?
JA: Yeah, I think the results kind of speak for themselves. The way that we were able to kind of ad lib some plays and trust him to go get open and him to trust in me of getting the ball there.
Now obviously there's things that we can fix and get better on and there's a few plays that we missed today that I wish I had back. So we'll get in the film room and we'll watch it and fix it.
Q. Micah Hyde called him a bad man, Stefon Diggs. As his quarterback, are there moments or how often are there moments where you see that he's just at a different level than other guys?
JA: Well, that last touchdown catch from the back end of the end zone, not many guys can make that, the way that you have to torque your body and how low you have to get and the trust level to get back and for me to put that in the spot where I feel like he can get it. Still, like, it was amazing to watch. Once it left my hand just the way that he was able to go get that ball it's special.
Q. Stef took us into some of the conversations you guys have out there sometimes and how you'll just sometimes turn to him and say, Go catch the ball. How much has that, just the in-game communication, evolved and improved, like, with each game over the course of the season?
JA: Well, I think some guys in the league at quarterback kind of demand their receivers or expect their receivers to be at a certain depth in any given route. It needs to be at that depth. I'm a big believer in just I don't care how you get separation, get separation, whether you want to stop at six yards or nine yards or whatever the case may be, get open, catch the ball, I'll adjust and if I need to throw the ball a little harder I'll throw the ball a little harder.
But again, it's just that communication that we have and it's really with all the receivers. It's not to the T. It's, as receivers, it's giving you leeway to go get open. Sometimes it can hurt you, but understanding that our guys can see things that not many people can. You got the Stef and Cole Beasley who just see things so well, and then John, he sees things so well.
Guys that can just kind of ad lib, like I said, and find spots and find windows and it's just my job to get it to them.
Q. It seemed like everything you were doing tonight was working. Was that the best you ever saw the field and attacked windows against this defense that you obviously have so much respect for?
JA: Yeah, it's an extremely well-coached team. And I know this game. It, if they didn't want to admit it, it meant a lot to both sides and there's a lot of pride on the line. For us we're trying to get a 2 seed and we put ourself in a position where we can go get that in week 17 and we know that we got a hungry Miami team coming to us and they're playing to get into the playoffs and we got to be ready for everything that they can throw at us.
Q. On the individual accomplishments and the team accomplishments after tonight, you've only been here for three years. I've been here for 20 and I've never covered a team that's swept the New England Patriots. Can you take yourself out of the bigger picture and just in the moment of what this team has accomplished as a group in breaking a whole bunch of streaks and slumps and what have you and then going into Foxboro and beating a team that has won so many Super Bowls and whatever, what this moment must feel like or what, where this puts this team right now at this one snapshot of a moment?
JA: I mean, not to sound cliché and like a broken record, but it's No. 12. We got one game left and all that is cool, the records, this and that, but playing to get to 13-3 and give ourselves a chance in the playoffs. It doesn't mean much if we can't get it done and we got our mind set on bigger things and first things first is week 17 against the Dolphins in Buffalo.
Q. Just with respect to the consistency you guys had tonight in finishing drives with points, I mean, not counting the one play kneel down at the end of the first half, six of your first seven drives, points on the board. What got the momentum rolling so good so early and then what kept it going, because it looked like you guys just put your foot on the gas and then it just rolled from there. You guys looked like a boulder going down hill.
JA: Yeah, I mean, Dade's called a great game. Our guys executed and got open, caught the ball, blocked up front. Our front five did a great job.
There's still things that we need to fix and, sustaining in the run game and getting that going, but I think our guys ran hard tonight. Again, it's just guys making plays, so that's really what it comes down to.
Guys were receptive and open to all the checks that were at the line of scrimmage and doing the right things and just a good team.
Q. On the touchdown to Diggs where he made the sliding catch before you rolled out to your left there, are you just extending that play to try to make something happen there, because that's kind of off script, right?
JA: Maybe. I don't know. Can't give away all our secrets.
Q. Stefon said that you guys, that he feels like this offense is still scratching the surface. I guess that may sound crazy to some of us. Where can this offense go if this is just scratching the surface?
JA: I mean, I don't like to get into all that. I just think that we got a really good squad. We've got talented players that work extremely hard and do the right thing. When it comes down to nut-cutting time during the games, we just got guys that consistently get open, make plays, block well, run the ball hard. We did a good job of protecting the ball tonight. And still, on myself, I got a couple, a little loose on a couple of the plays, so I got to clean some of that stuff up.
But as far as third downs, we could have been better today and I think we cleaned that up with the fourth down efficiency that we had. But kind of skipping some of those and giving ourselves some better opportunities there.
But yeah, I mean, there's still things that we can grow on and work on and that's the fun part about it, that we played some good football tonight but nowhere near perfect and nowhere near where we want to be.
Q. It seems like this year every cutaway of you is you're smiling, whether you're on the field, whether it's a first down run or a third down completion. Is this the most fun you've ever had playing football in your life?
JA: I mean it's always fun for me. Through the good times, the bad times, I just picture myself as a little kid playing this game and it's something that I've always loved to do and I get to do it for a living and play for the greatest organization in football.
We got things going the right direction right now and we got to find ways to keep working on it and find ways to keep winning football games.
Q. How important was it for you to come to Foxboro and dictate the terms?
JA: Well, it was important because we know what's at stake. We want to get a 2 seed and give ourselves an opportunity to have a couple home games at least in the playoffs. But again it starts with final season, our final week 17 game against the Dolphins and going from there taking it one game at a time. And this was No. 12 for us and that was our goal before the game and when we won last week that was our goal right after the game, like our goal's going to be to get to 13 when we wake up tomorrow. So we got to find a way to put our best foot forward and get a good game plan. We're a day late on them and we got to find a way to go out there and win.
Q. What did you say to Stef Diggs after that 50-yard score and care to talk about Dawson Knox's performance today?
JA: Yeah, just super pumped. That's not typically a play that gets extended that long. It was kind that have first window that was kind of closed up and I was looking at Gabe deep and he trusted me and just kept running his route and I was able to put it on him and he did the rest of the work. So again, that's, in my opinion, the best receiver in the game and just the way that he attacks each and every day and the juice that he has and how he gets on everybody in such a positive way, it's awesome.
Dawson, just consistently making plays. On that fourth down getting hit a little early and still coming down with it, he's a guy that's extremely athletic, down the seam he's a big body that can take some hits. And he's getting better and when he puts it all together it's going to be scary, because he's one of those guys that just, he's a matchup nightmare.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports