Archives for September 16, 2016

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'On Thursday night, their defense, which had held up well last Sunday, fell off a cliff. Ryan Fitzpatrick, the former Bills quarterback whose three interceptions killed the Jets' playoff chances in last year's season-finale in Orchard Park, was made to look like Tom Brady.'

'The Jets also amassed 28 first downs, making them the fourth opponent to score so much, gain so many and move the chains so often when the Bills were at home. The three previous times, Tom Brady was the quarterback.'

'So at the risk of depressing Bills fans even further, roll this around in your head: Over the span of five days, the Bills quite possibly had their most humiliating offensive and defensive performances in a decade.'

'“They beat us in pretty much all categories,” corner Nickell Robey-Coleman said. “We just had a bad day.”'

'Taylor finished the game 18 of 30 for 297 yards, three touchdowns and one interception Thursday, but did not complete a pass for a 25-minute stretch in the second half.'

'Still, playing on Thursday after a bad loss could be a good thing for the Bills. Sometimes, a quick turnaround is a welcome antidote. "It'll be great to get that bad taste out of our mouths," said Jerry Hughes, who had two sacks against the Ravens in the opener. But it's hardly the best thing for star wideout Sammy Watkins, whose surgically repaired left foot has been a persistent source of mystery in recent days.'

'Just ahead of the Bills on the list is the Detroit Lions, who have a valuation of $1.65 billion, according to Forbes. The Lions’ operating income of $65 million is more than double that of the Bills.'

'After he crossed the goal line, Goodwin celebrated with a long jump – fitting for the former Olympian. "It was just something that happened," he said. "Natural."'

'“I don’t know if I’m … worthy or … lucky enough to deserve all this,” Smith said between sniffles while struggling to collect his emotions. “I’m going to try to enjoy it. My family is here. I had some folks put their heart and soul into making this go without any blemishes. I’m so grateful. I’m grateful.”'

'The Bills lost a major chunk of belief from a fan base that was expecting much better for the home-opener. The crowd seemed as stunned as the Bills to be in a 0-2 hole.'

'Score one for the former Bills head coach. He showed his scheming brilliance in orchestrating a 493-yard explosion against the Bills’ defense. Wow. The game really was not as close as the score indicated.'

'The Bills took a 24-20 third quarter lead, but New York answered with an 84-yard scoring drive to take the lead back for good. The key play was a third-and-8 pass to Eric Decker for 17 yards to the Bills’ 29. The scheme of Jets coordinator Chan Gailey gets quick separation for the Jets’ quality receiving corps.'

'The inability to gain a first down on two plays in the fourth quarter inside New York territory with just a yard to go was an epic failure.'

'And so you got to give them credit because they certainly did a great job and we couldn’t do anything to disrupt them rhythm wise. I was afraid to pressure because we weren’t holding up in man-coverage, which we played the whole game in. We tried to stuff No. 15 (Brandon Marshall), we tried quarters, we tried deuce; we did everything. But you know what? To their credit, it never mattered what we played because they were the better team today.'