He dashed from his safety spot toward the backfield, just like his Buffalo Bills are surging into the postseason.

On Monday Night Football in Foxborough, Mass., ex-James Madison standout Dean Marlowe notched a second-quarter sack of New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton. Marlowe was sent on a blitz from Newton’s blindside and the signal-caller never saw the former member of the Dukes, who laid a jarring hit for the tackle, as part of Buffalo’s 38-9 road win at Gillette Stadium.

Marlowe was used on defense and on special teams throughout the contest. For the year, he has 16 tackles, 1.5 sacks, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery. He initially joined Buffalo in 2017 as a member of the practice squad before eventually working his way into a regular-contributing role last year.

It was the Bills’ fifth straight victory as they improved to 12-3 with one week left to play. Having already clinched the AFC East, Buffalo and Marlowe are in line for the AFC’s No. 2-seed and can claim it with a win this Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.

Also, onto the playoffs are former JMU offensive linemen Aaron Stinnie and Josh Wells, who are with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa Bay secured its spot in the NFC bracket with a 47-7 thumping of the Detroit Lions this past Saturday. Stinnie and Wells played 25 snaps apiece off the bench for the 10-5 Bucs. The franchise will make its first appearance in the playoffs since 2007.

Two more past JMU stars are on teams still alive in the underwhelming, yet competitive NFC East. A club with a losing record will win the division.

On Sunday at FedEx Field, cornerback Jimmy Moreland tallied three tackles and forced a fumble, but the Washington Football Team fell to the Carolina Panthers, 20-13. And on the same day in Dallas, the Cowboys knocked off the Philadelphia Eagles, 37-17. Cowboys’ defensive lineman Ron’Dell Carter was active for the second time this season and was used on 13 snaps. His teammate, quarterback Ben DiNucci, was inactive.

Washington takes the NFC East with a win Sunday night against Philadelphia, but a WFT loss opens the door for either Dallas or the New York Giants to earn the division crown. Dallas and New York play Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

This past Sunday in the same venue, New York Jets tight end Daniel Brown made his first catch of the season for 13 yards in the Jets’ 23-16 upset triumph over the Cleveland Browns. Brown plays mostly on special teams, but has lined up on offense more frequently in recent weeks.