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
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