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Bills Hold On For 22-17 Win Over The Jets
Huge primetime division win leaves Rex Ryan giddy.
by Steve Saslow
The Skinny:
Bacarri Rambo was involved in three of the Bills four takeaways that led them to a huge 22-17 primetime road division win against the Jets at the Meadowlands on Thursday night. Corey Graham picked off a pass to setup the first of three Dan Carpenter field goals that tied the game at 3 in the 2nd quarter. On the ensuing kickoff Rambo forced a fumble that Duke Williams picked up and ran it into the end zone for a touchdown. Carpenter missed the extra point but the Bills had a lead they wouldn't relinquish but it wasn't easy. Carpenter followed his 47 yard kick with a 41 yarder just before halftime to give the Bills a 12-3 lead at the half. The Bills took the opening kickoff in the 2nd half and drove down for a score when Tyrod Taylor hit Karlos Williams with a 26 yard touchdown pass. Williams is now the 2nd player in NFL history with a touchdown in each of his first six games. Rambo then recovered a fumble on the Jets next offensive play and setup a 29 yard field goal by Carpenter that could have been more if Taylor didn't take a needless sack. The Bills led 22-3 and then went into a shell and held on for dear life thanks to a couple of fourth down stops by the defense that helped them overcome four straight three and outs on offense. The Jets had an 80 yard drive in 8 plays to make it 22-10. Ronald Darby then stopped Brandon Marshall on a wide receiver screen on 4th down. The Jets didn't give up and Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Eric Decker with a 31 yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to make it a one score game. Colton Schmidt then misplayed a snap on a punt to set the Jets up but the Bills forced a fourth down incompletion in the end zone and then ran out most of the rest of the clock.
The Turning Point:
2nd 4th Down Stop: This easily could have been the fumbled punt snap by Schmidt but the defense came up big after that. They gave up an 8 yard run but got a stop for a one yard loss. A pass to Decker went for a one yard loss and then on 4th and 4 Fitzpatrick totally overthrew his receiver in the end zone.
The Big Drive:
The Final Offensive Drive: They didn't score but after so many three and outs it was nice to see the Bills get a couple of first downs and finally run the clock down to almost nothing and get the win. It was a 35 yard drive in 8 plays that took the clock from 2:58 to :35 left and made the Jets use all three timeouts. LeSean McCoy had six carries for 31 yards including a 16 yard run on the drive,
Stat I Did Like:
Turnover Ratio: They forced four turnovers and didn't turnover the ball at all that is the reason they won.
Stat I Didn't Like:
Net Yards Passing: They only threw for 132 yards.
Scene Setters:
- As the first game in the NFL's Color Rush promotion the Bills wore total red uniforms while the Jets wore total kelly green uniforms making it look like Christmas came early in New Jersey.
- IK Enemkpali was joined by Chris Hogan who is a New Jersey native and fellow former Jet Matthew Mulligan as captains for this game.
- Rex Ryan has 11 assistants on staff that were with him in New York. The Jets have former Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and former head coach Chan Gailey running the offense.
- EJ Manuel was a surprise inactive so Josh Johnson served as the backup quarterback for this game. Rex Ryan said it ws because Johnson has more familiarity with the Jets and knew the gameplan. He said Manuel remains the backup.
- Rex Ryan did not come out of the locker room for pregame warmups. He ran onto the field to a chorus of boos about 15 minutes before kickoff.
Key Matchup Results:
The winners of the battles highlighted in our preview article:
WR Sammy Watkins vs. CB Darrelle Revis: Winner: Revis. Watkins got open a lot and mis-timed a jump on a deep pass. He did catch a huge third down pass while running out the clock on the final drive but finished with just three catches for 14 yards.
RBs LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams vs. LBs David Harris and Demario Davis: Winner: McCoy and Williams. Especially McCoy who had his second straight 100 yard game.
DB Stephon Gilmore vs. WR Brandon Marshall: Winner: Gilmore. The secondary played an outstanding game as Marshall had just three catches for 23 yards.
HC Rex Ryan and LB IK Enemkpali vs. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and OC Chan Gailey: Winner: Ryan and Enemkpali. The Bills won the game.
Keys To The Game Results:
How the keys highlighted in our preview article turned out:
1. Keep Emotions In Check: Success! They were pumped up but played in themselves and got the win. There were no personal fouls and they were only called for five penalties for 44 yards.
2. Commit To The Run: Success! They stayed with it and had success down the stretch finishing with 148 total yards on the ground.
3. Get Takeways: Success! How about four of them? That was the difference in the game.
My Take:
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.
What's Ahead:
The Bills will play back to back primetime games for the first time since 1993 when they head to New England to take on the big, bad undefeated Patriots.
Gameballs
Bacarri Rambo - Was involved in four turnovers and is the single biggest reason they won.
LeSean McCoy - He had 159 of the team's 280 total yards on offense. He ran for 112 yards on just 19 carries and added 47 yards on five catches.
Dan Carpenter - He was three for three on field goals with a missed extra point as his only blemish.
Goats
Colton Schmidt - His fumbled snap could have cost them the game.
Player Of The Week
Bacarri Rambo - He was difference maker in this game.
 Positional Breakdown and Grades
NFL.com Gamebook
Jets Game Preview
Gameday Homepage
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