Archives for November 2015

'It all made for a Christmas-like feel in November.'

'It remains to be seen if the Jets will regret firing Ryan. However, Thursday's result doubly enhanced the Bills' hopes of ending an NFL-long 15-year playoff drought while laying a twin blow to the postseason aspirations of the Jets, who lost for the third time in four games.'

'The Bills don't know how to finish yet. Buffalo had the Jets buried, up 22-3 midway through the third, before allowing New York — which had five first downs in its first seven possessions, including four first downs on a drive that ended with a field goal — to storm back into the game. If the Jets could have executed inside the 10-yard-line in the final five minutes — they had a second-and-2 from the 5-yard-line but lost a yard apiece on the next two plays before quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw incomplete on fourth down — then the Bills might have absorbed a come-from-ahead loss as agonizing as the 34-31 defeat they took against the Jacksonville Jaguars three weeks ago. The Bills will need to figure out how to put teams away in order to reach the playoffs for the first time this century.'

'The NFL never should have allowed this to happen. Roger Goodell should have forced Ryan to stand down on this or face a heavy fine and/or suspension. For all of its problems with off-field violence, most of it perpetrated against women, the league should be embarrassed for allowing Ryan to use a national TV game, or any game, to reward a player who assaulted and injured a teammate who ended up in surgery and out of a first-string job.'

'Duke Williams and Rambo teamed up to give Buffalo the lead on the ensuing kickoff. Rambo rocked Jets returner Devin Smith, jarring the ball loose and Williams returned the fumble 16 yards to the end zone. Carpenter's extra point attempt sailed wide left, making the score 9-3. The Bills' kicker redeemed himself just before the end of the first half, nailing a 41-yard field goal to put Buffalo up by nine points at the half.'

'This isn’t a misprint. “Penalties” aren’t listed under "Arrow Down." They were a positive in this one, with only 5 flags for 44 yards on the Bills, both less than half their normal totals which lead the league per game. They didn’t give New York the extra opportunities they’d been giving their opponents too many times all season.'

'The win is the biggest of the Bills season so far, as they pull even with the Jets in the playoff race. The victory puts Buffalo in the 5th playoff spot in the AFC, which is the first wild card.'

'Resting on their laurels very nearly cost the game.'

'Manuel effectively has fallen behind Josh Johnson on the team's depth chart for the time being. Johnson will serve as the immediate backup to Tyrod Taylor, after just signing with the Bills on October 13 when Taylor was originally injured.'

'The Bills struggled in the air against a stout Jets defense as Sammy Watkins and Darrelle Revis dueled. Revis found answers for Watkins’ speed, but not always his hands. The Bills, led by the still recovering Tyrod Taylor, looked to other receivers to help make up for strong coverage on Watkins. Robert Woods, Charles Clay and an unlikely Karlos Williams pitched in to help Buffalo reach just over 130 passing yards.'

'“We knew that coming into this game. We knew that coming into this stretch for two games over five days. Definitely a big win for us, and moving forward, each game is going to get even bigger.” Taylor continues.'

'This game meant the world to Rex Ryan and the much maligned defense knew that and stepped up when the offense faltered in the second half. The bottom line is, it was a huge win and the Bills are very much back in the playoff hunt with a mini bye week ahead of them. They can enjoy this one more than Sunday's win. Last year the Bills playoff hopes imploded in a five day span. This year those hopes have risen up with back to back division wins in five days. It's time to relax and enjoy for Bills fans before they worry about what is ahead.'

'Tyrod Taylor struggled against a fierce Jets pass rush and got his first win when he didn't play that well. He had pedestrian numbers completing 17 of his 27 passes for just 158 yards. He did throw a touchdown pass and didn't turn the ball over giving him a solid 91.3 yard QB rating. He struggling running the ball gaining just 12 yards on six carries.'

'Now that their playmaking trio is healthy and contributing big plays each game, the Bills are assuming pole position in the AFC Wild Card race.'

'Egregious uniform violations aside, this game was still quite ugly. Thursday nighters are never truly beautiful, but in a rain-soaked matchup between Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tyrod Taylor, we were treated to a contest marred with drops and fumbles and generally bad offensive playcalling. This goes without really digging into the fact that the game hinged on a perfect snap that flew through the hands of Bills punter Colton Schmidt deep in his own territory. These are the types of games that Rex Ryan's teams are built to win, though.'