Bills Vs. Jets Game Breakdown

That's all she wrote, folks. The Buffalo Bills 2015 season came to a conclusion on Sunday as they took down the New York Jets by a score of 22-17, eliminating the Jets from playoff contention. It was a meaningless game for Buffalo, but they looked fired up to take down their division rival, who had everything on the line. The Bills finished the season with a typical record of 8-8, average as usual. The Jets finished 10-6, falling just short of the playoffs. Let's break down the game.

It was a defensive battle for most of the early going, but eventually Buffalo broke through and put up a 13-0 lead. The Jets retaliated with a TD of their own, but went into halftime trailing 16-7. The Jets attempted a comeback in the 4th quarter, but Fitzpatrick showed who we really was, and destroyed the Jets chances with 3 late picks.

The offense had a quiet day, putting up only 295 yards of offense, but they scored 22 points. Both QB's had a weak day, each of them putting up below 200 yards. The rushing game for Buffalo wasn't too friendly either. The rushing game put up just 113 yards. Perhaps the most impressive stat for Buffalo was that they dominated the time of possession, maintaining possession of the ball for 39 minutes of the game. It was an overall ugly day, but there were some key contributors for Buffalo's O.

One of these key performers was QB Tyrod Taylor. In his last game of his 1st starting season, he put on quite a show on the ground. He rushed 10 times for 51 yards and a great touchdown run back in the 1st quarter. His passing game wasn't spectacular as he went 18/28, 182 yards, with 0 TD's or INTs. As usual though, he had a big impact on this game, and it'll be very exciting to see what he does going forward.

Sammy Watkins went crazy on Sunday, and he even made a purchase of property on Revis island. He torched the pro bowl CB for 11 receptions and 136 yards. Watkins, when healthy and when getting steady targets, is an absolute monster. The chemistry between him and Tyrod has only grown stronger since Sammy has been healthy, and that chemistry will carry over to next season.

The defense came through when they needed to, holding the Jets to just 300 yards. They got to Fitzpatrick, sacking him twice as well. Fitzpatrick also met the Bills secondary, as he tossed up 3 late picks, sealing the game for the playoff hopeful Jets. The Bills defense came into this game banged up, missing key stars such as Stephon Gilmore and Nigel Bradham. Seeing them play like they did despite all the injuries may show that the team is finally gelling into Rex's scheme. This defense disappointed nearly all year, but may show signs of improvement going forward, especially with the last few outings they've had.

The season finished up 8-8, and it was a disappointing year plagued by penalties and injuries. They seemed to have taken a step back from last year's 9-7 team, but the offense has gotten better, as they excelled in the rushing game, placing 1st in the NFL as a rushing unit. Tyrod played a huge part in getting them 1st in rushing, and although he's made a lot of plays, he still needs work as a passer. Buffalo has made some improvements, but Whaley and company have a lot of work cut out for them. Thanks for reading. I apologize for my absence as of late, and as always, Let's go Buffalo!

Sources:
Stats: http://espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=400791603
Image #1: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Image #2: T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Bills Vs. Cowboys Game Breakdown

The Bills playoff hopes are dead, but they still have games to play. They finished up their 2nd last game of the 2015 campaign by taking out the beaten up, 4-11 Cowboys. The game was quiet from both sides, as both teams failed to move the ball effectively throughout the game, for the most part. Both teams came into Sunday extremely banged up, and both teams left a little more banged up. Buffalo was without several key starters, including Shady McCoy, Charles Clay, Ronald Darby, Kyle Williams, Aaron Williams, Stephon Gilmore, and Nigel Bradham. Meanwhile, the Cowboys miserable season carried on without Dez Bryant or Tony Romo. The Bills took this quiet showdown by a score of 16-6 and set themselves up with a chance to finish with another .500 season at 8-8. They're going to finish 3rd in the AFC East. Let's break down the game.

Offense:
Buffalo was only able to put up 408 yards of total offense today, but they absolutely tore it up on the ground. They gashed the Dallas defense for 236 yards. Buffalo had 3 rushers with 50+ yards on the day. The offense started off slow though, putting up only 9 points through the first 3 and a half quarters. The largest play of the day came from a huge 50 yard rush from a breakout game by the Bills' recent acquisition, Mike Gillislee. Other key rushers were QB Tyrod Taylor and RB Karlos Williams.

Tyrod Taylor was nearly invisible in the passing game on Sunday, as he finished his day with a stat line of 13/18, 172 yds, 0 TD's and 1 INT. He didn't have to show up though through the air, as his ground support was excellent, in addition to his own plays he made with his legs. Tyrod scampered for 67 yards on 14 attempts. He did what he had to do on Sunday, and it paid off.

Karlos Williams and Mike Gillislee tore it up on the ground, as they combined for 169 yards on the ground. Gillislee lead the way though, as he had a breakout performance, putting up 93 yards on just 9 carries, and a TD on a 50 yard run late in the 4th to seal the game for Buffalo. Karlos added his 76 yards on 17 carries and he opened the scoring for Buffalo with his TD in the 1st quarter.

The receivers were overall quiet for Buffalo, but Sammy came through with a couple big plays, grabbing 5 balls for 84 yards. As usual, he did make his presence known.

Defense:
The defense was extremely banged up, and it showed as they gave up some big plays throughout the game. Overall though, they gave up just 6 points and only 307 yards of total offense. They had an easier day than was expected all year though, as top offensive threats Tony Romo and Dez Bryant did not suit up. The defense needs more depth and needs to adapt to this new scheme still, all of which will be addressed in the offseason.

Overall, this game wasn't the prettiest game to watch. Both teams were playing for nothing, and both teams had many key starters out. Still though, it's a win for Buffalo. The Bills go into next Sunday's game against the New York Jets, hoping to spoil the Jets, Ryan Fitzpatrick's and Chan Gailey's playoff hopes. It will be big game for Buffalo, as big as a meaningless game with no playoff implications for them can be. They will hope to play spoiler. Injuries have riddled this Bills team all season, and Lesean McCoy, along with Charles Clay will be missing against the Jets. It will be an interesting game anyway. Thanks for reading, and as always, let's go Buffalo!

Sources:
Stats: http://espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=400791535
Image #1: http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/16/files/2015/12/karlos-williams-nfl-miami-dolphins-buffalo-bills-850x560.jpg
Image #2: http://a4.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2016%2F1227%2Fr39372_1296x729_16-9.jpg