Watch: Jalen Reagor returns the kickoff against the Bills 98 yards for a touchdown

Patriots

The Patriots took a 7-0 lead over the Bills just 12 seconds into the game.

Jalen Reagor eludes Tyler Bass on the opening play of the game. Adrián Kraus/AP Photo

Often, when kickoffs are returned for touchdowns, players devise an elaborate scheme and weave across the field before breaking free.

In the case of Jalen Reagor, the route was much simpler and more direct. The Patriots speedster simply caught the ball at the 2-yard line, found a gap, benefited from excellent blocking, ran in a straight line and passed Bills kicker Tyler Bass before taking off.

Bass showed surprising speed to almost keep pace, but couldn’t catch up to Reagor, who sped into the end zone to put the Patriots up, 7-0, 12 seconds into Sunday’s game in Buffalo.

Reagor, a former Eagles first-round pick who is in his first year with the Patriots, returned a punt for a touchdown in his rookie season in Philadelphia. This was his first kick return for a score, although he had a 40-yard return earlier this season and averaged 21.5 yards per attempt.

It was just him fourth kickoff return for a touchdown in the NFL this season, and New England’s first since Cordarrelle Patterson in 2018.

According to NextGenStats, Reagor reached a top speed of 20.62 miles per hour, the fastest speed by a Patriots ball carrier this season. He was 0.04 mph faster than Bass, who posted the fastest speed for a kicker since at least 2016.