Patriots' studs & duds from Sunday's upset victory over the Buffalo Bills

Some how, some way, the New England Patriots managed to do the unthinkable by knocking off the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.

Not only did the Patriots upset the odds, they delivered a crucial blow to a division rival that has dominated them for the last two seasons. The win on Sunday put an end to the Patriots’ four-game losing streak to the Bills, while also breathing new life into their season overall.

It was a complete team effort, with the defense creating opportunities, the offense putting points on the board and special teams consistently making big plays to put the Patriots in position to pull off the upset.

You won’t find many duds on this list, despite it being far from a perfect game for the Patriots. The defense had some tackling issues, and Kendrick Bourne coughed up the ball for a fumble. But the team was still able to come away with a big win in the end.

Let’s take a look at the studs and duds of the game:

STUD: WR Demario Douglas

There was a lot of buzz surrounding this Patriots rookie receiver in training camp, and he ended up having his coming-out party on Sunday against the Bills.

He showed off his ability to make plays with the ball in his hands in the short passing game, while also contributing big yards on special teams. For all of the misses head coach Bill Belichick has had at the receiver position, he seemingly hit the jackpot with “Pop” Douglas in the sixth round.

The Patriots need to continue amping up his offensive volume. He finished this game with four catches for 54 yards.

STUD: LB Anfernee Jennings

Jennings quietly put together a strong performance in Sunday’s game.

For a guy playing on an expiring contract, he has really stepped up and given the Patriots a reason to consider him as a potential replacement for Josh Uche, if the team ends up swinging a trade before the deadline.

Jennings helped provide pressure up front and chased down run plays behind the line of scrimmage.

The Patriots' defense showed up to play in this game, and Jennings’ ability to generate plays with Uche inactive was a big reason for it.

STUD: S Jabrill Peppers

This wasn’t a perfect game for the Patriots safety, who missed a key tackle on James Cook that led to the Bills’ first touchdown in the game. But he still did enough to keep himself on the stud list.

For a second straight week, Peppers created a turnover. The only difference this time is that he actually registered a turnover on the stat sheet for himself.

Last week, the veteran defensive back delivered a vicious hit on Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams, which created a pop-up interception for linebacker Jahlani Tavai. On Sunday, however, he was able to undercut a pass from Bills quarterback Josh Allen and snag it for a leaping takeaway.

One way to help out a bad offense is to create turnovers and give them a shorter field to work with. Peppers did that for the Patriots against one of the league’s most explosive teams.

STUD: P Bryce Baringer

The Patriots punter, a sixth-round draft pick, has lived up to his billing. He continued to do so on Sunday by helping the Patriots win the battle of field position with some impressive punts.

One in particular pinned the Bills on their own 2-yard line late in the second quarter, denying Allen and the Bills' offense an opportunity to put together a late drive before halftime.

Those are the sorts of plays the Patriots need to stay in games against the league’s elite.

STUD: QB Mac Jones

This is the version of Jones that the Patriots need.

They need a quarterback who doesn’t force plays and takes what the defense gives him. Jones showed a willingness to give up on plays that weren’t there against the Bills.

If there had been a more consistent version of that player, there never would have been talk of a replacement. Not only did Jones play smarter with the football but he also stepped up and led the team on a game-winning drive against a likely playoff contender.

It was a huge performance from the third-year quarterback, who somehow managed to outplay Allen in this game.

STUD: K Chad Ryland

The Patriots rookie kicker was a perfect 3-for-3 in field goals in this game.

Things have been up and down for the fourth-round draft pick, but he showed consistency and poise for a Patriots team that needed every kick to pull out the victory.

Between Baringer’s punts and Ryland’s kicks in this game, it’s safe to say the arrow is trending upward for the Patriots’ special-teamers.

DUD: Defensive tackling

We won’t single any one particular player out because it was pretty bad all around when it came to missed tackles on Sunday. There were multiple plays during which a defensive player missed on initial contact and bailed the Bills out on drives that should have ended much earlier.

Myles Bryant, Kyle Dugger and Peppers particularly struggled with misses on initial contact.

The Patriots can celebrate this victory, but they also need to clean up some fundamentals ahead of next week’s game against a Miami Dolphins team that has multiple players who are dangerous in open space.

STUD: Offensive line

The offensive line showed some fight against the Bills.

This was a game in which the unit was obviously tired of being the butt of jokes for the team. Granted, the Bills were down some players on defense, including defensive lineman Ed Oliver, but the Patriots have been ravaged by injuries as well.

Players have been in and out of the lineup. But the offensive line had a strong all-around performance on Sunday, which was the catalyst for the overall success of the offense. It’s pretty interesting that the unit magically improved on the same day Patriots Hall of Famer Dante Scarnecchia was in the building.

The former legendary offensive line coach should attend Patriots games more often.

STUD: Patriots secondary

One of the biggest concerns heading into this game was the defensive backfield for the Patriots falling victim to the slew of offensive weapons Allen has at his disposal.

Historically, wide receiver Stefon Diggs has owned the Patriots, but he was held to six catches for only 58 yards and one touchdown. Most important, the secondary held up strong against the Bills’ other receiving options, such as Gabe Davis, who was held to only one catch for 6 yards.

J.C. Jackson, Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones and Myles Bryant have given new life to the injury-riddled unit.

STUD: OC Bill O'Brien

This was a game in which the offensive coordinator's creativity as a play-caller worked wonders against a Bills team that looked confused.

There was a lot of motion before the snap, and O’Brien did a much better job of mixing up the play-calling than he did during last week’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Pats leaned on their running game and did a better job of putting the ball in the hands of the few legitimate offensive playmakers that they have on the roster.

The ability to be creative and get the ball out quickly needs to be the strategy moving forward for the Patriots if they are to have any hope of winning more games down the line.