New England put up 24 points in the first half of Week 15. Buffalo’s offense didn’t spark until the second half, only scoring one touchdown in the first two quarters. The Bills’ defense flipped that script out of halftime, holding the Patriots to seven points while the offense put four touchdowns on the board.
Before Week 12, Thompson also made himself available for any role on defense. Against Atlanta in Week 7, he jumped in as middle linebacker, strongside linebacker and nickelback.
His ability to step up wasn’t instantaneous, though, upon his arrival in June. Thompson still had to learn a difficult Buffalo defense when he joined the team and the ins and outs of a new playbook coming from the Panthers.
“It’s a very hard defense to learn … really all the linebackers, there’s a lot that goes on your shoulder and plate that you have to communicate, have to know and understand,” linebacker Baylon Spector said. “Helping him categorize things into boxes where he can take that and try to put things together, so he’s not overwhelmed with 100 different things.”
Spector was just one of the many players Thompson shouted out. The linebacker room, including Matt Milano, Joe Andreessen and Dorian Williams, and Epenesa all helped him transition and make Buffalo feel like home away from home.
“Especially being away from my wife and kids for the first time, those guys really made it home,” Thompson said. “I got a lot of respect for them, and I know they have a lot of respect for me.”