FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – The New England Patriots ended a tough season on a high.
It wasn’t enough to save his coaching job.
Joe Milton III passed for a touchdown and ran for a touchdown in his professional debut. On Sunday, the Patriots defeated the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills 23-16, putting the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft on the line. Shortly after, owner Robert Kraft fired coach Jerrod Mayo after one season.
“After the game, I informed Jerod Mayo that I would not be returning as head coach of the New England Patriots in 2025. For me personally, this was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made.” Kraft said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the team’s performance throughout the season did not improve as much as I had expected.”
The Patriots (4-13) suffered a six-game losing streak when they would have been guaranteed the No. 1 pick in the draft if they lost. Instead, they fell to fourth place behind Tennessee, Cleveland and the New York Giants.
Mayo held a postgame press conference before his dismissal was announced. He said draft position is not the locker room’s focus heading into Sunday.
“I’ve been saying the last few weeks, as a player and as a coach, that I always want to go out there and win,” Mayo said.
Milton completed 22 of 29 for 241 yards in relief of rookie Drake Maye, who appeared in only one series. Kayshon Boot had seven catches for 117 yards and one TD, and Joey Slye kicked three field goals.
New England had four healthy scratches and rested other key players, including running back Rhamondre Stephenson. Tight end Hunter Henry was inactive due to foot issues.
Mayo described the postgame locker room as “emotional” and said questions about his future would be answered in due course. He may have already known that his time was over.
“They ignored the noise and turned the page and came to work every day, and I’m so grateful for that,” Mayo said. “I told them after the first win of the season that the coaches can’t do anything without the players, and I told them that again. … I also told them that today was all about the game. I also said
Mitchell Trubisky went 15-of-21 for 101 yards for the Bills (13-4). The Bills had already clinched the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs and rested most of their starters.
Quarterback and MVP candidate Josh Allen played in just one game, replacing James Cook, extending his streak of consecutive starts to 115 games, including playoffs. Trubisky played until late in the third quarter, then was replaced by Mike White.
Cook caught his 16th TD of the season, tying O.J. Simpson’s Bills franchise record.
The Patriots extended their lead to 23-16 on Sly’s 50-yard field goal with 1:55 left in the fourth quarter. The Bills then reversed on downs when White’s pass fell incomplete.
Bills coach Sean McDermott quickly shifted his focus to next week.
“Everything is earned and nothing is given in the playoffs,” he said. “And we’re going to be playing the best teams every week, so we’ll start with week one and really take it one day at a time and then come back here and see when we play and take it one day at a time. I will work on it.”
injury
Patriots: S Marte Mapu left in the first quarter with a neck injury and was ruled out in the second half. WR Kayshon Boutte left the game in the fourth quarter with a head injury.
30-30 club
Trubisky’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Ray Davis in the first quarter marked the Bills’ 30th passing TD, making them the first team in NFL history to score 30 or more TDs through the air and on the ground in a season. It became.
A memorable debut work
Milton’s teammates have praised the rookie’s athleticism, but he hasn’t been able to showcase it since the preseason or in closed sessions as a member of the Patriots’ practice squad.
That changed on Sunday.
Milton, who started New England’s second series in place of Maye, had passes of 12 and 11 yards to bring the Patriots closer to the goal line. He then capped off a 13-play, 55-yard drive with a 1-yard run and celebrated his first NFL TD with a backflip.
He added a 48-yard TD pass to Keishon Butte in the second quarter to give New England a 14-7 lead.
bonus money
Bills veteran linebacker Von Miller took down Maye on the third play of the game, earning his sixth sack of the season and earning a $1.5 million bonus.
Bills punter Sam Martin also earned a $100,000 bonus for completing his 25th punt inside the opponent’s 20-yard line in the third quarter. Cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram stopped Martin’s 29-yard punt from rolling into the end zone and took it down at the 6.
The Bills passed on a 53-yard field goal attempt on Punt.
to the next
Bills: Host the No. 7 seed in the AFC next weekend.
Patriots: An offseason of big decisions begins with finding a coach.
