The New York Jets rebounded from a crushing Week 1 loss, using 374 passing yards from Ryan Fitzpatrick and three Matt Forte rushing touchdowns to cruise past the now 0-2 Buffalo Bills during Thursday night’s Week 2 showdown.
Here are five takeaways from New York’s 37-31 win over Buffalo:
1. Rex Ryan on the hot seat
The seat is really heating up for Bills head coach Rex Ryan, whose defense gave up 37 points on seven scoring drives and almost 500 yards of total offense. Fitzpatrick averaged 11 yards per attempt and took only one sack. Forte produced over 100 total yards and found the end zone three times. Only a few questionable play calls in the red zone kept the Jets from scoring 40 or more points.
Ryan’s calling card is defense, and his pride and joy got absolutely abused at home on Thursday night. The Jets looked like they were playing Madden on rookie mode at times, completing deep throw after deep throw against little resistance. Ryan’s hot seat probably won’t cool down anytime soon; the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots are up next on the Bills schedule.
2. Jets offense takes flight
Thursday night provided a glimpse at how deep and productive the Jets offense can be in 2016. Fitzpatrick was sublime, producing first downs or touchdowns on 18 of his 24 completions and connecting on eight passes over 20 yards. Forte carried 30 times for 100 yards, while Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker and Quincy Enunwa combined for 18 catches, 319 yards and one touchdown.
The Jets ran 71 plays, converted 8-of-13 third downs and held the football for almost 40 of the 60 minutes. New York had 11 possessions; seven of the offensive drives made it to the red zone. Settling for three field goals under 40 yards and having a fumble returned for a touchdown represented the only blemishes on a near perfect night for the Jets offense.
3. Big plays nearly doom New York
The score finished 37-31, but this game could have easily been a blowout if not for a trio of big plays from Buffalo. Tyrod Taylor hit touchdowns of 84 and 71 yards—with both coming on third down—and Bills cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman scooped up a fumble and scored from 36 yards out early in the second half.
Despite being dominated for most of the contest, Buffalo actually held leads of 7-3 and 24-20. The game had a “here we go again” feeling for the Jets, especially after the defensive touchdown gave the Bills—who had won five straight in the rivalry—a lead in the third quarter. Credit Todd Bowles’ squad for weathering the storm and finishing the game on the road.
4. Big name cornerbacks struggle
The Week 1 struggles for Darrelle Revis leaked into Thursday night, when Taylor picked on the Jets cornerback for an 84-yard touchdown to speedster Marquise Goodwin in the first quarter. The All-Pro eventually settled into the game, but his two counterparts from Buffalo did not.
Fitzpatrick had no fear of Bills cornerback duo Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby. According to Pro Football Focus, Gilmore and Darby allowed 13 completions, 226 passing yards and one touchdown, with a number of the deep completions coming with one of the two in coverage. The numbers would have been worse had Marshall not dropped a deep ball against Darby in the second half. Buffalo’s lack of pressure on Fitzpatrick—especially in the second half—put a ton of extra pressure on Gilmore and Darby to hold up in man-to-man coverage. Neither was able to contain New York’s passing onslaught.
5. Fitzpatrick exorcises his Buffalo demons
Last January, the Jets’ playoff hopes went up in flames in Buffalo. Fitzpatrick was the gasoline on the fire, tossing interceptions on each of New York’s final three possessions to close out a five-point, season-ending loss to the Bills. The performance could have haunted Thursday night’s hugely important rematch, but Fitzpatrick turned the tables on Ryan and Bills.
He was as deadly throwing the football down the field as he’s ever been, with at least one completion over 20 yards setting up all seven of New York’s scoring drives. According to ESPN Stats and Information, Fitzpatrick connected on 10 passes traveling over 15 yards in the air—giving him the third most by a quarterback in a single game over the last 10 years. The blitz-happy Bills sacked him just once and failed to find an interception. The Jets had to have a win, and Fitzpatrick delivered. Big time.
