“Don’t worry, your time is gonna come… We’ll come back to you.”
That is what Bills running back Matt Breida, told Isaiah McKenzie back on Thanksgiving when the wide receiver was benched.
Fast forward to Week 16, with the division on the line, and boy did the Bills ever.
With both Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis unavailable for the AFC East showdown on Sunday, the Bills (9-6) turned to the guy affectionately known as, ‘Lil’ Dirty’.
McKenzie finished with 11 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown in route to the Bills 33-21 victory over the Patriots.
“Ya man, I was telling Isaiah all game, man, he’s elite,” Bills defensive tackle Harrison Phillips said following the game with a big smile. “He was playing elite. What an amazing game for him. I’m very happy for that guy. Any time the ball touched his hands, he was making plays in very critical moments for us and so he really stepped up for us today and that’s the Isaiah McKenzie we all know and love.”
Phillips’ sentiments were echoed by left tackle Dion Dawkins, who was activated from the COVID list on Saturday. Dawkins did not start vs. the Pats but was forced into action due to an injury to Bills offensive lineman Ike Boettger.
“He’s just like a little missile, man,” Dawkins said during his postgame press conference. “Like watching him run around and catch the ball then watch him bounce up off the ground… that’s probably the funniest part, but you know… he’s a storm trooper, man. He shows his personality on and off the field and I am extremely thankful to have a guy like that as a teammate, as the whole locker room is. He just brings positivity and juice all of the time. You know, he puts his money where his funny trash talk is and it just shows in day in and day out of why he’s here and why his piece is crucial to just that next guy’s piece.”
McKenzie was asked how he was able to come into a game of this magnitude and perform at the level which he did.
“I just come into this game, Bease and Gabe out, can’t wait to get them next week, but with them being out I just had to step up,” McKenzie said. “All my coaches believed in me, Josh believed in me, threw me the ball and I made plays and that’s all I wanted to do to help the team win.”
While McKenzie handled his benching as well as one could hope at the time, great players seem to find a way to take things away from dark moments. Something McKenize said he tried to do.
“Learning experience. That was my first time sitting down in a while and I just had to take it even and think to myself, ‘what can I do better?,” McKenzie continued. “I just show up to practice every day and get my teammates better and do whatever I gotta do to make myself better and my teammates. So those two weeks I was inactive, I just thought about things and just reevaluated myself and then this opportunity came around with me coming in… and I felt I just had to step up for my team.”
What exactly did McKenzie learn these last few weeks? To be smarter with the football, which appears to be the intended message with his benching all along.
“[I learned to] never mess up again,” McKenzie joked. “Do my part, know what I’m saying? Try not to put the team in bad situations. Whether that’s giving up the ball, penalties, or what not. And just do my job the best way I can, like I know I can… I learned from it, I don’t wanna go back to it and I’m just gonna keep on rolling.”
While it’s one thing for a player to trust and believe in himself, it’s another for the quarterback to feel comfortable getting the ball to a guy that hasn’t played much of late. McKenzie said it was all business today between him and quarterback, Josh Allen.
“He said nothing to me during the game, at all,” McKenzie laughed. “He just threw me the ball. He just told me good job, but after the game he said a lot to me, but in those moments he believed in me. He threw me the ball and I made the plays when I could and I thanked him for that. I thanked the coaches for calling those plays and giving me the opportunity.”
While that opportunity coming along might not be one fans thought McKenzie would get, like Breida told him weeks ago, through a long season, those moments have a way of finding guys. McKenzie stayed ready and it paid off.
“Nothing was said,” McKenzie added on his benching. “Everyone just told me to keep my head up. Stay confident and when you get your opportunity, take advantage of it. And I understood what I did, the Colts game and things like that, so I understood… I blamed it on myself. So whatever I could do to get back on the field, that’s what I did… I just kept my head up, stayed confident and knew the coaches believed in me and one day I was going to get my opportunity.”
Perhaps the guy that was happiest for McKenize was his quarterback.
“Again, guys stepping up. I’m so happy for him,” Allen told the media after the game. “I’ve got all the faith in the world in him. And for him to come out and play this way, the day after Christmas, means, means a lot to him, but I think it means a lot to everybody on this team. Just seeing a guy like that who has his ups and downs throughout the year, loses the returning position, is sat for a couple games and comes out and… he was unbelievable today.”
“You know, I think he had 11+ catches, 100+ yards, the touchdown on the opening drive,” Allen continued. “Just an absolute phenomenal, phenomenal day for him and I’m so happy for him. I can’t express that enough.”
Bills head coach Sean McDermott, was asked if he expected a performance like this from the wide receiver.
“I did to be honest with you,” McDermott said. “I know he was excited for the opportunity and he gives us great energy. I could just tell during the week that he was focused and ready to go.”
When asked what it says about a guy to come out and play like this, in this moment, after the last few weeks, McDermott did his best to contextualize it.
“You know, I mean it’s important to him and that’s good to know,” McDermott added. “It’s important to him, he’s passionate about his… about what he does and how he does things. And it’s a testament to him about how he’s worked to get himself back, to get in this position to have this opportunity and then when given the opportunity he stepped up. I think that’s a lesson for our entire team.”
It can’t be overstated how important todays win vs. New England was. A loss would have ended the Bills chances at winning the division, whereas the win, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index, now gives them an 88% chance at the AFC East crown.
Wins vs. the Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets over the final two weeks, can seal the deal and if the time comes… the team should make sure to give an extra thank you to No. 19.