Joe Milton shines in NFL debut, leading Patriots to costly Week 18 win over Bills
FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots needed to lose their Week 18 tilt against the Buffalo Bills in order to claim the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. But quarterback Joe Milton didn't get that memo.
Starting quarterback Drake Maye got just one series for New England before making way to fellow rookie Milton. The sixth-round pick finished the game 22-of-29 for 241 yards and a touchdown, to go with 16 yards and a touchdown off 16 carries/scrambles.
He played mostly against Buffalo backups, but showed a lot of poise and put up a strong case to be the team's backup in 2025.
"I'm going to be honest with you all, still to this moment right now, none of this feels real," Milton said after New England's 23-16 win. "Just because I did scout team the whole year. I didn't know when my moment was going to come. Everybody around the building just kept saying the same thing, just be ready for your moment, and I didn't know it was going to come today. Like I said all week, if the opportunity presents itself, then I'll be ready. None of this today still feels real, and even right now it still doesn't.
"I'm just trying to enjoy it as much as I can, but at the same time just be cheerful with my brothers and cherish the moments that I have right now before it's all over," he added.
Joe Milton shines for Patriots in NFL debut
Milton didn't know he was going to get the second series until after the game kicked off. But on his first-ever NFL drive, he helped the Patriots march 55 yards down the field for a touchdown.
The QB connected on all six of his passing attempts for 51 yards, and capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run after faking a second-and-goal handoff to Gibson. More impressive than his touchdown run was Milton's celebratory backflip.
"Nobody really expects me to do it, so when I do it, I feel like it's going to blow up on media. So when I got there in the end zone, I was like, man, nobody is beside me, I think this is my moment," he said of that flip. "So I just trust it. I did back flips in my past before, especially in fall camp, so I was like, man, it's time. It's the perfect time for it."
Milton said that he always sticks his backflips, outside of one time as a young boy.
"I always stick my backflips. The only time I have not stuck one was when I was six and I fell on my head at home," he recalled.
That touchdown gave the Patriots an early 7-0 lead, though the fans in attendance didn't seem too enthused about that go-ahead score. The Bills tied the game at 7-7 early in the second quarter, before Milton put New England back on top with a 48-yard touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte.
Milton completed his first 11 passes before throwing his first incompletion. He was 12-of-13 for 139 yards in the first half, and had the Patriots on top, 14-10, at the break.
The Patriots didn't find the end zone again, and a Milton fumble early in the second half set up a go-ahead touchdown by the Bills. But after Buffalo took a 16-14 lead in the third, Milton helped lead the team to three field goals -- good enough to earn a 23-16 win.
Drake Maye played one series for Patriots in Week 18
The Patriots got the ball first after the Bills won the toss and deferred to the second half. Maye led the offense onto the field at a pretty empty Gillette Stadium.
He was on the field for a handoff, a penalty, an incomplete on a short pass to tight end Austin Hooper, and was sacked by veteran Von Miller his final snap of the game. It was the 34th time that Maye was sacked during his rookie season.
It's unclear why the Patriots played Maye at all, though Mayo said the team was determined to win the game. He was a bit combative when asked if playing Milton goes against that mindset.
"We need to see what we actually have. It was good to have Joe out there," he said. "We won the game and Joe was our quarterback."
Maye finished his rookie season with 2,276 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, along with 421 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. Since he started on Sunday, Maye was credited for the win.
