The Skinny:
When push came to shove the old Ryan Fitzpatrick returned to Ralph Wilson Stadium. Fitz threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter to allow the Bills to shatter the Jets postseason dreams with a 22-17 victory to close out the season 8-8. The Bills struck early with Tyrod Taylor running 18 yards for the first score followed by a Karlos Williams two yard plunge to give the Bills an early 13-0 lead. Dan Carpenter missed the extra point but he did hit three field goals from 20, 37, and 42 yards out to give the Bills the points they needed for the win. Fitzpatrick did throw two touchdown passes hitting Brandon Marshall for a 17 yard score and Eric Decker for a 21 yard score before he got charitable against his former team.
The Turning Point:
The McKelvin Interception. The first pick in the fourth quarter by Fitz was from Leodis McKelvin who said earlier in the week Fitz will make a mistake. McKelvin picked his mistake off in the end zone ending a promising drive that could have given the Jets their elusive first lead of the game.
The Big Drive:
Three Field Goal Drives: We will deviate from our usual big drive section. The team had three field goal drives of 15, 14, and 13 plays for a total of 192 yards. They took 24:29 off the clock which helped them to an almost two to one edge on time of possession.
Stat I Did Like:
Third Down Conversions: The Bills were 45% converting third downs and allowed the Jets just three third down conversions in 11 tries. None in the first half.
Stat I Didn't Like:
Rushing Average: The league's top ranked running team averaged just a 2.6 yard average on 43 rushes.
Scene Setters: - The snow and the wind didn't keep the fans away but a lot of them were Jets fans who made the trip from downstate. - Once again Jim Kelly showed why he is the greatest fan of the Hall of Famers. He was on the sideline during the game in the elements.
Key Matchup Results:
The winners of the battles highlighted in our preview article: RT Jordan Mills vs. DE Muhammad Wilkerson: Winner: Mills. Wilkerson had only five tackles and was disruptive only a time or two before getting hurt. WR Sammy Watkins vs. DB Darelle Revis: Winner: Watkins. He owned Revis Island. I never saw Revis dominated this bad. DE Jerry Hughes vs. LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson: Winner: Hughes. Had a big pass breakup and a pressure. CB Leodis McKelvin vs. WR Brandon Marshall: Winner: McKelvin. It wasn't against Marshall but his interception in the end zone was huge.
Keys To The Game Results:
How the keys highlighted in our preview article turned out: 1. Establish The Run: Failure! Especially when Karlos Williams left with a knee injury they had nothing going on the ground against the top ranked run defense. 2. Contributions From Backups: Failure! It was mostly the mainstream guys who made plays but Greg Salas made a play or two. 3. Pressure Fitz: Failure! They did pressure him a lot with blitzes but he was able to beat it many times, including both touchdown passes came on a blitz. Of course it was the hit by Dareus that caused his second interception in the fourth quarter.
My Take:
It's always nice when you can win a finale and keep a division rival from making the playoffs in the process. It was a bit hollow however as a beloved Buffalo figure in Fitzpatrick was the goat and it kept him from making the playoffs. He has the second most starts in the NFL since the merger to not make the playoffs in it's a shame for a guy who is so Buffalo. The Bills finished 8-8 making it the first time in the playoff drought that they finished .500 or better in back to back seasons. Is it something to build on? I don't know but tweaks need to be made to finally end this unbelievably long drought.
What's Ahead:
Another long offseason after another disappointing season ends without a playoff spot. Bills players get to watch other players in the playoffs for a 16th straight year. The longest drought in the main four professional sports in the United States. We will still be here to keep track of all the offseason news.
Gameballs
Sammy Watkins - Had 136 of the 182 passing yards on 11 receptions as he was the most dominant player in the game today.
Manny Lawson - He was very active and had an interception.
Leodis McKelvin - Was solid in coverage in a banged up secondary and had the big first pick in the end zone.
Goats
Mike Gillislee - So much for their 10 yard per carry rushing average. He gained just 28 yards on 24 carries and had a big fumble that allowed the Jets to get three free points.
Player Of The Week
Sammy Watkins - He proved that he is the unquestioned star of this team heading into the 2016 season.
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Positional Breakdown and Grades
