The New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills played on Sunday, Oct. 4. The matchup continued with a war of words into the next day.
First, Bills cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson – a lightning rod no matter which jersey he wears – chalked up his team's 29-26 loss to the Patriots on Sunday, Oct. 4 to a "practice squad player" making "a hell of a play," as Efton Chism III caught the game-winning touchdown from Drake Maye with 1:50 on the clock.
"We're not going to get into any bulletin board material," Gardner-Johnson said – before doing exactly that. "An elevated guy made a hell of a catch – probably won't hear from him again.
"A practice squad player made a hell of a play. That's all I'm going to tell you. You do it again, and he probably won't make
it again."
TOUCHDOWN PATRIOTS.
— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026
What a catch by Efton Chism III to take the lead!@NEvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/DtIZoenYNL
Gardner-Johnson, who won Super Bowl 59 as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, also claimed that the Patriots didn't "do (expletive) better than us."
During his normal Monday appearance on Boston local radio station WEEI, Patriots head coach Vrabel fired back.
"For a guy that's been on eight teams in four years? I mean, I guess he knows the drill," the 2025 Coach of the Year said.
#Patriots HC Mike Vrabel responds to #Bills DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson calling WR Efton Chism a practice-squad player:
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 5, 2026
“For a guy that’s been on 8 teams in four years? I mean, I guess he knows the drill.” 💀
(🎥 @TheGregHillShow) pic.twitter.com/XYAGzBx2Xr
CJ Gardner-Johnson on why #Bills lost:
— Thad Brown (@thadbrown7) October 4, 2026
"Practice squad player made a helluva play... They didn't do %$&# better than us. We gotta play better." pic.twitter.com/NJmINX4Djl
Vrabel went on to praise Chism's work ethic during practice and claimed that, according to the tracking data from practice, nobody runs more throughout the week.
Injuries to A.J. Brown, who has been out since Week 1, and Mack Hollins, injured during the Bills game, created the opportunity for Chism – who made the most of it. The second-year player from Eastern Washington has seven career catches, two of them going for touchdowns.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Vrabel replies to Bills player who dismissed Patriots WR's incredible catch
