When Colton Schmidt dropped the ball on 4th and ten, most Buffalo Bills fans threw up their arms and said “what else could happen?”. What the Bills punter did next could have turned the entire game.
Bills punter turns botched punt into 20 yd gain pic.twitter.com/OXxXkH4raV
— The Cauldron (ICYMI) (@CauldronICYMI) October 30, 2016
Schmidt picked up the ball and sprinted 16 yards for a first down. Later in the drive, the Bills would find the end zone on fourth down as Tyrod Taylor sprinted in for the score.
Here is Tom Brady’s reaction to Schmidt’s run.
Brady's reaction to the Bills punter running for a first down was similar to my reaction when I heard Alex Smith was coming back in. pic.twitter.com/z6JA0Am9fU
— Ryan Wooden (@Ryan_Wooden) October 30, 2016
Buffalo is now down 31-17 with the Patriots running as much clock as possible. Tom Brady has four touchdown passes and the Patriots settled for a field goal only because the first half ended.
Even if the Bills don’t come back and win this game, the play will enter the canon of plays by Bills punters that made us happy. The fact that it was so unexpected just makes it that much better.