The New England Patriots are not typically associated with big plays. Their style is typically mind-numbingly methodic. But that might be coming to an end if the young explosive offense of the Patriots continues putting together games like this.
On Sunday afternoon the Pats travelled to the first-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a heavyweightbout. After an opening drive touchdown from the Buccaneers and two straight punts from the Patriots, it looked as though the young roster of New England might be outclassed by the perennial playoff players of Tampa Bay.
But that all changed when second-year quarterback Drake Maye hooked up with rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams for a 72-yard touchdown as the first-quarter clock hit zero.
This catch was the longest play of the season for the 8-2 Patriots and also dwarfed William’s career yardage total, which sat at 20 before Week 10.
The big plays didn’t stop there. Rookie TreVeyon Henderson got in on the action not once, but twice. First it was a record-setting 55-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that extended the Patriots’ lead. Then it was a 69-yard game-sealing TD scamper inside of the two-minute warning that effectively ended the winning effort.
The two big plays from the 2025 second and third-round selections were the first of their kind for the Patriots in quite some time.
“This is the first game that the Patriots recorded a passing TD and a rushing TD of 50-plus yards since … 1997/Week 4 against the Bears,” wrote insider Mike Reiss in an X post. “In that game, Drew Bledsoe connected with Troy Brown on a 52-yard passing TD and Curtis Martin had a 70-yard rushing TD.”
TreVeyon Henderson’s Long-Awaited Breakout Game
The rookie running back was already in the record books prior to his 69-yard game winner. Altogether, Sunday marked the first time Patriots fans saw the player they got to know during a very impressive preseason.
His run of 55 yards in the third quarter was twice as long as his previous longest run, a 27-yard scamper a few weeks prior at home against the Cleveland Browns.
Had he not broken off the long touchdown inside of the two-minute warning, his 13 carries for 79 yards would have already been a season high.
In the last three weeks, fans have seen Henderson take on a much bigger workload. In Week 7, Henderson logged just two carries against the Tennessee Titans. In the weeks since, he has logged 38 carries for 277 yards.
In addition to breaking 100 yards for the first time in his NFL career, the second-round pick also recorded his first multi-touchdown game.
A breakout effort indeed.
Has Kyle Williams Arrived?
Fans have seen three catches from third-round selection Kyle Williams. One went for 12 yards in Week 1, eight yards in Week 3, and now 72 yards in Week 10.
The good news is all week the coaching staff spoke of an effort to get the rookie more involved.
The bad news is that all the talk manifested itself into one reception.
With Kayshon Boutte sidelined, Williams once again saw an uptick in usage. He was on the field for 56% of all offensive snaps.
However, despite the game-changing touchdown grab, fans shouldn’t spin the wheels too much on the rookie.
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