The Buffalo Bills looked terrible in their first defeat at home today. Not only did they get grounded and pounded once again by Shonn Green and co., but Mark Sanchez played well delivering strikes to 6 different receivers all over the field. It appears that for today Buffalo reverted back to its 2010 ways allowing the Jets to move the ball at will and dominate the time of possession.
The Jets appeared physically dominant today, as the blitz oriented defense kept Ryan Fitzpatrick flustered most of the afternoon. Fitz finished the day completing just under 50 percent of his passes while submitting 2 interceptions to the Jets Defense. Donald Jones was extremely quiet in his return, adding only 1 reception for a dismal 6 yards. The Bills offense was out of sync all day long, as the green jerseys seemed to be too much to handle for a sputtering Buffalo team.
Fred Jackson led the Buffalo attack, adding 120 all purpose yards. He did however, cough up a costly fumble that led to a turnover and ultimately, a Jets scoring opportunity. Brad Smith was a no show today and disappointed many Bills fans who hoped that he might play a heroic role in his first game against his former squad. To this point the Smith signing has not paid dividends. Stevie Johnson led the Bills in receiving yards with 84 on 3 receptions, despite Revis draped over him all afternoon. One of those receptions went for 52 yards, as Fitz hooked up with Stevie following a nifty move on Revis down the sideline.
In a game with few positive notes to pull, Alex Carrington made a couple plays and seemed to find his way to the ball. This is encouraging, as he looks to get better every time he steps foot on the field, and certainly looks like a pro. Marcell Dareus played relatively well across from Nick Mangold, registering 4 solo tackles on the day. Dareus is as bright a star in the making as there is in the league, and his future looks extremely promising. I’m sure glad he wears blue and Red on Sundays.
The Bills need to learn from this defeat and take their lumps in stride. The road is no place for the disheartened, and the Bills have a three game road stretch ahead of them that begins in Dallas on Sunday and ends in New Jersey at the end of the month. Hopefully the Bills can rebound quickly because Thanksgiving leftovers always taste better with a side of redemption.