A lot of the focus will be on the likes of quarterback Josh Allen, wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie and even safety Micah Hyde following Week 16.
Their efforts helped the Buffalo Bills defeat the New England Patriots, 33-21. All three stood out on the stat sheet.
But we’re here to highlight someone who isn’t in the box score at all: Buffalo punter Matt Haack.
In the win, Haack wasn’t asked to do much. He held the ball for kicker Tyler Bass and that’s it.
His main duties as a punter were not called upon by the Bills (9-6).
That’s the stat.
For the first time in the career of New England head coach Bill Belichick, his team did not force an opponent to punt one time.
Belichick has coached in 474 total career games including the postseason.
In all of those, his team has forced at least one punt. But not the Patriots (9-6) this Sunday, and for the first time ever for Belichick.
The Bills had eight total series on offense and scored on six of them. The only time Buffalo did not score was on a turnover on downs in the second quarter and when they ran out the clock before halftime.
Also helping the Bills pull off this feat was an aggressive game plan. Buffalo converted 3-of-4 fourth down attempts. Going 6-for-12 on third down helps, too.