FOXBORO – The New England Patriots had to forfeit their game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 18 in order to secure the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. But quarterback Joe Milton didn’t get that memo.

Starting quarterback Drake Maye scored just one series for New England before giving way to fellow rookie Milton, who made a strong case to join the team in 2025.

Joe Milton shines in his NFL debut for the Patriots

Milton — whom the Patriots drafted in the sixth round in 2024 — replaced Maye and helped the Patriots march 55 yards down the field for a touchdown. The QB was successful on all six of his pass attempts for 51 yards and capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run after faking a second-and-goal handoff to Gibson.

More impressive than his touchdown run was Milton’s celebratory backflip.

That touchdown gave the Patriots an early 7-0 lead, although the fans in attendance didn’t seem particularly thrilled with that go-ahead score. The Bills tied the game at 7-7 early in the second quarter before Milton put New England back on top with a 48-yard touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte.

Milton completed his first 11 passes before throwing his first incompletion. He was 12 of 13 for 139 yards in the first half and had the Patriots ahead 14-10 at halftime.

The Patriots could no longer find the end zone and a fumble by Milton at the start of the second half set up the Bills’ go-ahead touchdown. But after Buffalo took a 16-14 lead in the third, Milton helped lead the team to three field goals, good enough for a 23-16 victory.

Milton finished the game 22 of 29 for 241 yards and a touchdown, plus 16 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries/scrambles. He played primarily against Buffalo substitutes, but showed a lot of composure and evasiveness.

Drake Maye played one series for the Patriots in Week 18

After the Bills won the toss, the Patriots got the ball first and started the second half. Maye led the offense onto the field in fairly empty Gillette Stadium.

He was on the field for a handoff, a penalty and an incomplete short pass to tight end Austin Hooper and was sacked by veteran Von Miller in his final moment of the game. It was the 34th time Maye was sacked during his rookie season.

It’s unclear why the Patriots even played Maye, although Mayo said the team was determined to win the game. He was a bit combative when asked if playing Milton went against that ethos.

“We have to see what we actually have. It was good to have Joe out there,” he said. “We won the game and Joe was our quarterback.”

Maye finished his rookie season with 2,276 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, as well as 421 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground.