On the way to the Patriots (12-3) clinching their 11th consecutive AFC East Championship Saturday, wide receiver Julian Edelman improvised an injury in trying to avoid a touchdown-negating penalty.
“I was trying to sell it. Hopefully, they didn’t see it,” Edelman said after the game, according to Boston.com.
With the game tied 10-10 in the third quarter, the 33-year-old slammed into Bills (10-5) safety Jordan Poyer on a pick play.
On the same snap, tight end Ben Watson took the ball into the endzone. The 33-yard play was called back because of Edelman’s offensive pass interference and the wide receiver then was tested under concussion protocol … Edelman ended up missing about a quarter of the game for the flop.
The Pats ended the drive with a field goal and once Edelman was back in action, he caught a 30-yard pass on the go-ahead, game-winning drive.
So, as is the standard for the Patriots regardless of the rules … All’s well that ends well for New England.
