Image courtesy of AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

FOXBOROUGH – So, we all saw that coming, right?

New England led Buffalo by 12 with 7:28 to go on Sunday, gave up 13 points to fall into a three-point hole, then got a game-winning, eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive from Mac Jones that ended with a one-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki in the final 12 seconds for a stunning 29-25 win.

The Patriots (2-5, 2-1) still have quite a steep hill to climb to get back to being a serious threat in the NFL, but for at least one day, the team showed what it’s capable of and more importantly, Jones has his signature win. Bill Belichick also won his 300th game in the NFL, making him now just one of three coaches to achieve the feat along with Don Shula and George Halas.

“Good win for us today,” said Bill Belichick, who, according to Ian Rapoport earlier in the day, signed a multi-year contract this past offseason. “Good team victory. We got a lot of contributions from all three units, offense, defense and special teams…obviously, Buffalo’s a very good team, quality team, very explosive, so it came down to the last handful of plays and fortunately, plays we were able to make.”

“I think just keep fighting. It’s just a a crumb, right? That’s what I always say. You’ve got to build off that and attack every day the same,” said Jones, who finished 25-30 for 272 yards and two touchdowns. “It’s all about playing for each other, playing for the guy next to you and understanding why. We did that today and we need to continue to do that every day in practice.”

To fully understand the roller coaster of emotions Pats fans went through on Sunday, we’ll start from the very beginning.

Buffalo won the toss and deferred, giving New England a chance to grab a rare early lead. The Pats methodically moved downfield in nine plays, but stalled at the Bills’ 12 and settled for a 30-yard Chad Ryland field goal. The offense quickly got excellent field position again at the Buffalo 45 when Josh Allen threw an interception to a waiting Jabrill Peppers on the Bills’ first offensive snap.

“He’s a bit of a psycho” David Andrews said lovingly postgame of Peppers.

“I just try to be as crazy and energetic as I can,” Peppers said. “Not that I’m a psychopath, I’m just more willing to run into another grown man at full speed than a lot of other guys are.”

Seven plays later – including a fantastic diving catch by Demario Douglas (4/54) for 16 yards on 3rd-&-1 – the Pats scored their first touchdown since Pharaoh Brown’s catch and run in the second quarter of the Jets game when Ezekiel Elliott plunged in from two-yards out, making it 10-0. The TD was also Zeke’s 70th all time, putting him 34th all time.

Buffalo’s second possession lasted 7:09 and lasted 13 plays, spanning 57 yards. Dawson Knox appeared to catch a short TD on the last play of the first quarter, but it was negated by an OPI call. New England’s D held strong for a 3rd-&-17 stop from the 18 and Tyler Bass booted a 36-yard field goal to make it 10-3. The Pats’ defensive line got consistent pressure throughout the day, narrowly missing a several sacks, but Allen continued to be his elusive self.

Both teams traded three-and-outs with Bryce Baringer pinning Buffalo at its own 13 and Douglas soon after setting up the Pats at the Bills’ 46 with an impressive return. Bourne had a 33-yard catch and run down to the Bills’ 13 immediately after the return, but some odd play calling had the Pats’ settling for a 24-yard Ryland field goal to make it 13-3 with 7:36 left in the second.

The Bills answered with an 11-play drive deep into Pats’ territory, but a huge combined sack on third down from Barmore and Deatrich Wise pushed the Bills back and forced 3rd-&-16. After failing to convert, Bass missed a 42-yard field goal. New England had a golden opportunity to add to its lead before the break, but the drive stalled just over midfield and a frustrated Jones threw an ugly incompletion as the ball slipped out of his hands on third down. He was demonstrative coming off the field, but the Patriots still carried a rare 13-3 lead into halftime.

Buffalo opened the second half with an impressive 10-play, 81-yard drive that lasted 5:07 and ended with an eight-yard TD catch for James Cook, cutting it to 13-10. The big play on the drive was actually a roughing the passer call on the returning Jack Jones after a late hit on Allen.

New England responded with a nine-play drive that included a little bit of jet sweep action for Douglas to move the Pats’ into Bills territory, but a third down sack halted things once again. Ryland booted a 49-yard field goal with 4:30 left in the quarter to push the lead to 16-10.

Buffalo went on another long drive that lasted the remainder of the third quarter and into the fourth. On third down near the Pats’ 40, Jack Jones came up with a big tackle on Stefon Diggs to force the Bills into a 4th-&-2 scenario at the New England 33. Knox appeared to have a catch for the conversion, but Ja’Whaun Bentley had a huge hit to dislodge the ball and force a turnover on downs with 13:43 remaining.

Brown had a 26-yard catch on the first play of the ensuing possession, moving the Pats down to the Bills’ 40. Three snaps later, what would have been a killer sack was negated by an illegal contact call, giving the Pats’ a first down at the Buffalo 28. A Douglas 19-yard catch moments later on a bullet over the middle from Mac set up 1st-&-goal at the four and Bourne grabbed an easy TD two snaps later. A two-point attempt failed, but the Pats still led 22-10 with 7:36 to go.

Game over, right? Of course not. Not with this team.

Buffalo responded immediately, going 75-yards in just 2:02 on five plays – including a roughing the passer call on Deatrich Wise. Diggs hauled in a 24-yard touchdown after JC Jackson failed to tackle him, making it 22-17. Three plays into the next Pats’ drive, Bourne made a catch over the middle and was stripped with the Bills recovering at the Pats’ 29.

Facing 3rd-&-goal at the Pats’ one just after the two-minute warning, a keeper from Allen stunningly put the Bills up 25-22 with 1:58 left, setting up Mac’s game-winning drive. That drive included a 3rd-&-8 conversion to Hunter Henry, a 10-yard completion to Rhamondre Stevenson down to the Bills’ seven-yard line and a DPI call that set up the game-winning, 3rd-&-goal touchdown at the one. Fittingly, it also came on National Tight Ends Day.

“We were in two-minute the whole way down and I was just kind of on the sideline watching everybody make plays and it was awesome to watch our offense do that,” said Gesicki. “Once the ball was on the one-yard line and Coach O’Brien called that specific personnel to get me on the field, I kind of had a feeling he was putting me out there for a reason and I was going to have a chance to make a play to win the game.

“So, when I was standing on the sideline, I was just telling myself ‘stay ready, stay ready, stay ready,’ and then ultimately, that was the play call and had a chance to go up and make a play to put us ahead…it was a lot of fun.”

While New England is still a 2-5 team with a severe uphill climb to have any sniff at the postseason, Sunday’s win proved that the team hasn’t quit on the coaching staff or each other, which none of us really knew before Sunday. It also showed what Mac Jones can be when everything falls into place.

The question now is, was this a one-time thing? Or, is this the game that springboards Jones and the offense moving forward?

We’ll find out when the Pats head to Miami for another huge showdown next Sunday.