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Bills Blowout Jets 38-3
Team wins game for battered Western New York fans.
by Steve Saslow
The Skinny:
The Bills took all the emotion of a very unusual week and took it all out on the New York Jets as the Bills won a "home" game in Detroit against the Jets 38-3. Kyle Orton completed 24 of 32 passes for 230 yards including touchdown passes to Robert Woods and Scott Chandler. Woods made four fantastic catches including a David Tyrell type catch and a great acrobatic catch for his touchdown. Boobie Dixon blocked his second punt of the season that was recovered by Manny Lawson for a touchdown. A Duke Williams interception setup a Fred Jackson touchdown run in the rout. Dixon added a 30 yard touchdown run and the defense had seven sacks including two each by Mario Williams and Jerry Hughes.
The Turning Point:
Boobie's Block: Dixon had his second block of the season as he bull rushed the punter and the ball sat on the turf in the end zone for a long while before Lawson fell on it to give the Bills a clinching score and a three touchdown lead in the third quarter.
The Big Drive:
2nd Qtr TD: The Bills went 90 yards in 13 plays to a touchdown that gave them a 14-3 lead at the half. The drive took 5:04. Woods made his Tyrell like catch on this drive as he caught three passes that converted third downs on this drive including the 27 yard acrobatic catch. Chandler finished the drive with the 19 yard touchdown catch.
Stat I Did Like:
Sacks: They got 7 sacks in this game as the defensive line dominated.
Stat I Didn't Like:
None: Beautiful blowout
Quick Slants:
- The Lions did everything they could to make it look like a Bills home game complete with painting midfield and the end zones, using the team's graphics package, and playing the shout song.
- It was general admission so when the gates opened at 5:30pm fans raced in to get good seats. If you had tickets you got preferred seating but it will still general admission in between the 30 yard lines.
- There were jerseys from many teams in the audience like the games in Toronto but there definitely were a majority of Bills fans in the stands.
- Former Bills controlling owner and Detroit residence Mary Wilson was on hand so was commissioner Roger Goodell
Key Matchup Results:
The winners of the battles highlighted in our preview article:
RB Fred Jackson vs. LB Demario Davis: Winner: Jackson. They didn't run it great but they averaged 4 yards per carry and were able to control the game throughout.
WR Sammy Watkins vs. CB Darrin Walls: Winner: Walls. Watkins didn't do much with five targets he caught just three passes for 35 yards.
DE Mario Williams vs. RT Breno Giacomini: Winner: Williams. He was dominant in this game with two more sacks.
CB Stephon Gilmore vs. WR Eric Decker: Winner: Gilmore. This was thanks to Decker dropping a bomb that would have went for a touchdown late in the first half.
Keys To The Game Results:
How the keys highlighted in our preview article turned out:
1. Focus On The Game: Success! They were focused from start to finish and never let up as they routed the Jets.
2. Win Turnover Battle: Success! They never turned the ball over and took it away once that setup a score.
3. Dig Deep Late: Success! They never let up and held on easily for the win.
My Take:
It was a very rough week in Western New York. Buffalo is known for its toughness in snow but the amount of snow was too much to handle for this grizzled bunch but the players of their football team didn't give up. They knew they were playing for a region and despite their battles with the storm, and disruption of the routine, they were ready to play and played their most focused and complete game of the season. The blowout win gave the fans something to cheer about and gives all of Western New York a much deserved smile.
What's Ahead:
The Bills will get back at Ralph Wilson Stadium for a game against the Browns on Sunday. The cleanup is going well and the game will take place as scheduled. The Browns are a surprising 7-4 and battling for a playoff spot.
Gameballs
Robert Woods - He had 9 catches for 118 yards on 11 targets and a touchdown.
Kyle Orton - Had a fantastic 115.4 QB rating as he completed 75% of his passes for 230 yards.
Manny Lawson - Recovered the block punt for a touchdown and saved a score with a tackle from behind on a long punt return .
Boobie Dixon - Blocked a punt for a score and led the way with 54 yards on 12 carries for a 4.5 yard average including a 30 yard run for a touchdown.
Mario Williams - He had two sacks and 3 QB hits.
Jerry Hughes - He also had two sacks and three QB hits to go along with five tackles.
Goats
None - Perfect team effort in a very tough week.
Player Of The Week
Robert Woods - I have never seen a game where someone had four acrobatic catches like Woods had in this game.
 Positional Breakdown and Grades
NFL.com Gamebook
Jets Game Preview
Gameday Homepage
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