Bills Vs. Jets Game Breakdown

Three weeks ago, Bills fans felt as if their team's season was over. A devastating loss to the Jaguars in London seemed to have put the season on ice, even though there were still 9 games left in the season. Now, this Buffalo team has won 2 games in 4 days, and with a 5-4 record, are sitting in the 6th playoff seed, just behind the 6-4 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bills pulled out the red "Color Rush" jerseys and overcame a talented Jets team on Thursday night by a score of 22-17 to move to 2nd in the AFC East. Let's break down the game.

The game was not pretty...in fact, it was ugly. Rex did what Rex wanted against his former team as it was a defensive battle for most of the game, especially in the early going. The first 4 possessions of the game resulted in punts before New York finally put up a field goal. From then until the 4th quarter, it was all Bills. They put up 22 unanswered points as the defense and special teams smothered their former quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick and his Jets. The offense put up some numbers but it was the defense that lead the way.

The offense wasn't terrible, as they put up 280 yards of offense. Although the offense sputtered and stalled late, they put 17 points up throughout the first 3 quarters of the game. It was truly the defense that came up huge. The offense came through when it was required, though.
Tyrod Taylor was under duress nearly all game, as he was sacked 4 times. His day was good enough to the lead the offense as he went 17/27 for 158 yards, a touchdown and 0 interceptions. Tyrod's ball protection is one of his greatest assets, as he has not thrown an interception since week 4 against the Giants. He's turning into a quarterback Buffalo can rely on to get the job done, as long as he's not forced to throw 40+ times a game.
The Bill's leading receiver was Charles Clay as he hauled in 5 passes for 52 yards. Karlos Williams also added his catch for 26 yards and a touchdown, which he now has 7 TD's in 6 games. He is only the 2nd rookie RB in NFL history to score a touchdown in his 1st 6 NFL games. The passing game was certainly not prolific, and Sammy Watkins was not visited very often by Tyrod on his trip to Revis Island. Sammy caught a key pass on 3rd down in the 4th quarter, in which he absolutely lost Revis, to put Buffalo in the position to kill the rest of the clock out.
Lesean McCoy is also looking back to his old self as he took the rock 19 times for 112 yards. He's been shifty and quick and can cut on a dime for the first time all season in the past couple of games since the bye. That's how he was advertised when the trade was made back in March. Karlos Williams also added 24 yards on 7 carries.


The defense had an excellent day, holding Ryan Fitzpatrick and company to only 318 yards of total offense. The special teams also came through, putting up a key touchdown to spark the Bills on a kick return fumble. The Bills caused 4 turnovers, 3 of which were set up by standout player Bacarri Rambo. In the last 4 meetings, the Bills have committed 0 turnovers vs. the Jets, while the Jets have committed 15. This defense has the Jet's number for sure. The Buffalo defense dominated the Jets, and that's why Buffalo's been taking down the Jets in their last 4 match ups.

Buffalo has won 2 huge games in a row, and have another one coming up vs. the undefeated Patriots on next week's Monday Night Football. The Bills have looked like a much better team with all their weapons healthy, and with the recent losses of Patriots WR Julian Edelman and shifty RB Dion Lewis, the Patriots have to replace 2 key pieces. Buffalo's expectations aren't too high in a game in which the Patriots are favored by 7.5 points. This game will be extremely difficult as well considering it's not only on prime time, but it's also on the road. Buffalo will have their hands full, but anything's possible if they can limit big plays, get to Brady, and stop Gronkowski. Thanks for reading, and as always, Let's go Buffalo!

Sources:
Image #1: (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
Image #2: (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
Stats: ESPN.GO.COM