RECAP: Bills ground Jets

Bills ground Jets

Air Traffic Control: You can ground the Jets. Or, well, Rex Ryan can do it for you. The Buffalo Bills defense came up HUGE in the final quarter of play, as the defense picked off Ryan Fitzpatrick three times in the fourth and eliminated the New York Jets from the playoffs with a 22-17 victory on the first Sunday of 2016.

Fitzpatrick had the type of day that Bills fans became accustomed to, as he completed only 16 of his 37 passes for 181 yards and threw two touchdowns to go along with the three interceptions. Tyrod Taylor played close to his best game, not as far as stats are concerned, but as far as clutch playmaking.

The first-year starter threw for 182 yards while completing 18 of his 28 passes and ran the ball ten times for 51 yards and a lunging touchdown that got the Bills on the board.

It was a game that felt like Buffalo was just going to waltz into the sunset and the Jets were going to walk into the playoffs. Well, the Bills showed us early that the assumption was not going to be the case as Ryan had his team so motivated, that even Mario Williams recorded a pair of tackles and an early sack.

In a day which the defense owned the Jets by holding them to just 300 yards as a team, Sammy Watkins claimed ownership to Revis Island. Darrelle Revis was torched by the second-year player for 11 catches and 136 yards. Greg Roman saved his best playcalling game for last (outside of a stupid 3rd and 2 call in the third quarter), taking what the Jets defense was giving him.

Revis gave Watkins a 10-yard cushion on almost every play and Taylor took advantage, targeting him 15 times and utilized a short slant a couple of times in which two blockers got out in front and Watkins converted first downs.

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On the offensive side, major kudos must be given to Greg Roman. The Bills only ran the ball for 113 yards, with only 58 coming from running backs, but he stuck with it. They ran the ball 43 times and converted nine of 20 third down opportunities.

Three of those conversions were at the hands of Greg Salas, former Jet, whose three catches tallied up to 41 yards.

This allowed the Bills to hold onto the ball for a monstrous 39:13. When the Jets had the ball for the remainder of the time, they were stifled. On third downs, where the Bills had success, the Jets did not as the Buffalo defense held New York to 3-for-11.

The major turning point in this game was when many Bills fans, myself included, believed that this game was going to be over. Buffalo fans kept waiting for Fitzpatrick to do what they were so used to seeing and he finally did.