The Buffalo Bills suffered their first loss of the season in Week 4 against the New England Patriots, and it came in the final minutes after a crazy touchdown catch by Efton Chism III. Before then, the Bills were definitely making a few mistakes, and they came from the defense. One player who was put in the spotlight was Max Hairston, who was seen not giving much effort on a play late in the fourth that led the Patriots to get a first down.
MAYE TO HENRY FOR A HUGE FIRST DOWN@NEvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/ZVxpgHytFm— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026
After the game, it seemed as if reporters wanted to talk to Hairston about his performance, but he didn't want to talk.
“Max Hairston just stormed out of the locker room and declined an interview postgame,” Matt Parrino of syracuse.com wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Head coach Joe Brady spoke about Hairston and why he had the second-year player out on the field during a crucial part of the game. From his response, it looks like he still has belief in the defensive back.
Article Continues Below“There’s a reason that Maxwell Hairston is out there. We’re young on defense. We need to be able to work through some things. I trust our defensive coaches. I don’t want to be a micromanager and say ‘Hey, take him out.’ I’ve got all the confidence in Maxwell,” Brady said via Ajay Cybulski of Buff Trench Talk.
It wasn't the best day for the Bills' secondary, and CJ Gardner-Johnson finished it off with his own thoughts about Chism's game-winning touchdown.
“An elevated guy made a helluva catch. Probably won't hear from [Efton Chism III] again… respectfully. A practice squad player made a helluva play,” Gardner-Johnson said.
The Bills' next game will be against the Los Angeles Rams, and their secondary will have another tough task ahead of them.