Julian Edelman appeared to be injured after making contact with Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer in Saturday’s 24-17 win over Buffalo. Little did we know, he was faking.
GET DEALS ON SUPER BOWL TICKETS HERE!
With 11 minutes to go in the third quarter of Sunday’s game, the Patriots had the ball at Buffalo’s 33-yard line on 2nd and 8. Tom Brady appeared to throw a touchdown pass to tight end Benjamin Watson, but an offensive pass interference call was made on Edelman taking the points off the board.
Edelman was trying to do a pick play when he plowed into Poyer, which sent both players to the ground. The three-time Super Bowl champion laid still, making it look like the hit had knocked him out cold. After the flag was thrown it bounced and made contact with the wide out. Very comically, he popped up on his feet and headed towards the sideline.
“I was trying to sell it,” Edelman told the media regarding the supposed ‘injury.’ “Hopefully, they didn’t see it.” It didn’t help the Patriots at all. He had to sit out a quarter to be tested for a concussion due to the NFL’s protocol. The Patriots’ drive ended with a 51-yard field goal from Nick Folk, which gave New England a 13-10 lead.
Returning with 9:01 left in the fourth quarter, Edelman was able to make up for his blunder with a big 30-yard reception getting his team to Buffalo’s 29 on what turned out to be the Patriots’ game winning drive.
When asked about his teammate, special teams player Matthew Slater joked, “Oh, you mean Lazarus? He was kind of funny the way he laid out there. But Edelman came back from the dead.”
Teams are made aware of Official Playing Rules that state, “The Competition Committee deprecates feigning injuries, with subsequent withdrawal, to obtain a timeout without penalty. Coaches are urged to cooperate in discouraging this practice.”
The Patriots weren’t punished during the game, but we shouldn’t be surprised if New England hears from the league’s office on this one. Since 2010 Edelman has had four recorded concussions, so it’s not surprising that the officials didn’t investigate the matter during the game.
With the victory, New England clinched its 11th straight AFC East title.
