If you ask C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the better team lost during Sunday’s New England Patriots game against the Buffalo Bills. It was one of several dubious claims the Bills safety made in the postgame locker room following his team’s 29-26 defeat.
Gardner-Johnson complained about the Patriots’ apparent lack of confidence, about their offensive output, and about the game-winning touchdown being scored by an apparent practice squad player who won’t be able to repeat that feat any time soon. For New England
head coach Mike Vrabel, that final part was particularly interesting.
“For a guy who’s been on eight teams in four years, I guess he knows the drill,” Vrabel said about the Bills defender during an appearance on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show on Monday.
As with the totality of Gardner-Johnson’s statements — the Patriots outperformed Buffalo by multiple statistical metrics — there also was no truth to the practice squad player claim. The pass catcher in question, after all, was second-year wide receiver Efton Chism, who has been on New England’s active since joining the organization as an undrafted free agent in 2025.
While Chism only saw extended playing time after fellow wideout Mack Hollins exited with a calf injury, he made the most of his opportunity. The sophomore caught two passes for 42 yards on the Patriots’ game-winning drive, including the 23-yard touchdown on third down to cap it off.
For Vrabel, that was more noteworthy than any trash talk coming out of Buffalo.
“Nobody works harder,” he said about Chism. “You love to see players take advantage of opportunities and help the team win. He is very well-respected. He practices — on show team, he takes a million reps. Nobody runs more miles or yards or whatever we track than Chiz.”
With Hollins’ injury status unclear as of right now, and with A.J. Brown ineligible to return from injured reserve until next week, Chism might find himself playing more snaps on offense this week against the Las Vegas Raiders. If so, there is a chance he will put more big plays on tape for Gardner-Johnson and the Bills defense to study ahead of the rematch in early December.
