Where has this New England Patriots team been all year? As a big underdog, New England surprised the NFL with an early lead of 14 points. That’s the obvious note of Sunday’s game.

But don’t let that distract you from the fact that offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt is finally endorsing the kind of play for Drake Maye that fans (and media) have been clamoring for all year.

Here are some observations and tidbits (aka NickNacks) that came to mind while watching the first half of Sunday’s game between the Buffalo Bills and the Buffalo Bills.

– The most intriguing play call of the first half didn’t even make it into the penalty area. That would be a planned quarterback run in the redzone, with Maye faking a handoff and running. It’s exactly the kind of game fans and media have been asking for. It’s the kind of game that Jerod Mayo needed to talk about a bit last week.

– It didn’t work. Maye didn’t gain any mileage. Additionally, Austin Hooper was called to hold. Still, it was pretty remarkable that the Patriots decided to call Maye’s number on the run. They’ve obviously tried to avoid this all year.

– Wow, that’s a brave decision. The Patriots called a fake punt on their own 23-yard line – and got it! That’s the kind of aggression you need if you really want to take on a heavily favored rival.

– At kickoff in Buffalo, temperatures were around 14 degrees – and the wind chill dropped to single digits. This is December football!

– According to broadcaster Ian Eagle, Maye “took a page from Josh Allen’s playbook.” The rookie threw a pass that initially looked ill-advised. But it drew a pass interference flag from a Bills defender who was out of position. It looked like a really smart play from Maye.

– On the same drive, Maye threw a great pass to Kayshon Boutte on the sideline for a 28-yard touchdown. We’ve seen some really nice deep balls this year from Maye to Boutte.

– Maye repeatedly bailed out the Patriots when they were behind the posts on third-and-3. In this case he was nothing short of brilliant.

– The Patriots were 0-6 in Arizona last week. They were tied 4-4 on third downs in the first quarter in Buffalo. What a difference a week makes.

– The offensive line did just enough to stay in control. There were plays where a man gets set on fire or a penalty is awarded (I’m looking at you, Demontrey Jacobs). But they held together just enough to get started early.

– Rhamondre Stevenson reminded us why he is one of the best players on the roster. He was absolutely unstoppable on his 14-yard touchdown run.

– Maye was ejected by the referees on 1st-and-goal. I threw the ball out weakly during a scramble. He failed to return to the offensive line. It would have been generous to describe Hunter Henry as “in the area.” Probably should have called intentional grounding

– It feels like the Patriots give up a big running game at least once a week. This time it was a 46-yard touchdown run by James Cook. Marte Mapu got completely lost in traffic. They really missed Jabrill Peppers in this piece.

— Yes, Marte Mapu! No, Marte Mapu! The second-year defender had a great game intercepting a pass from Josh Allen in the end zone. He made a tough decision by trying to reciprocate instead of kneeling down. It seemed like even he knew he messed up. The safety threw the ball out of frustration after the play.

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