2015 Season: Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets Throwback

The Buffalo Bills and New York Jets first met in Week 10 last season, where the two battled a hard-fought game that ended with a Bills’ 22-17 victory.

In his first season as the Bills’ head coach, as well as his first season after being fired by the Jets, Rex Ryan was looking to get a little revenge on his former team. He took advantage of his first game back in MetLife Stadium as the Bills defeated the Jets 22-17 in a game that almost went the other way.

Scoring

The New York Jets started the scoring off with a 29-yard field goal by Randy Bullock with roughly 4 minutes left in the first quarter. It would remain quiet until 6 minutes remained in the first half, which is when the Bills completely took this game over.

It seemed that the Bills just needed to put some points on the board before they really started to click, offensively and defensively. After a 47-yard field goal by Dan Carpenter to tie the game up at 3 points-a-piece, the Jets would have a hard time answering. In fact, just nine seconds after that play, the Bills would force a fumble that got returned by Duke Williams 19 yards for a touchdown. The Bills were now up 9-3, having missed the extra point. The Bills would end the first half scoring 12 unanswered points and with a fairly comfortable 12-3 lead after Carpenter converted a 41-yard field goal with just 3 seconds remaining.

The second half would begin much the same as the first half ended, with the Bills finding some room for comfort. They continued their unanswered run a little under 4 minutes into the second half, when Karlos Williams received a 26-yard touchdown pass from Tyrod Taylor. It was the Bills’ first — and only — offensive touchdown on the day. That touchdown would be followed by another field goal by Carpenter, this time a 29-yarder. The Bills’ would cap their dominant run at 22 unanswered points and with a 22-3 lead with 8 minutes left in the third quarter.

That last field goal would mark the final points scored by the Bills, with the final 20 minutes of play being spent allowing the Jets to make a little comeback. With 4:40 left in the third quarter, Ryan Fitzpatrick would finally connect with Brandon Marshall for a 14-yard touchdown. The score would sit at 22-10 as the two teams prepared for the final quarter.

The final quarter was rather quite, much like the first quarter was, which is ironic that they were the only two quarters that the Bills didn’t score in.

Down by 12, the Jets knew they would need to score a touchdown to get themselves back in this game. That touchdown would come with a little over 7 minutes remaining in the game. It was another touchdown pass for Ryan Fitzpatrick, marking his second of the second half. It was a 31-yard shot to Eric Decker, making the score much more livable for the Jets at 22-17. Knowing they were only two field goals away — or one touchdown — from allowing a comeback, it was time for the Bills to play some key defense late in the game.

All in all, Eric Decker’s touchdown would be the last scoring we saw in this game. The Bills brought enough at the end to hold off the Jets’ quiet comeback. The game ended 22-17 in the Bills’ favor, bringing their record to 5-4 and riding a two-game winning streak into Week 11. The Jets’ record fell to 5-4 with the loss.

Key Statistics

Buffalo

Tyrod Taylor (BUF) – 17/27, 158 yards, 1 TD, 12 Rushing Yards

LeSean McCoy (BUF) – 19 carries, 5 receptions, 159 total yards

Karlos Williams (BUF) – 7 carries, 1 reception, 50 total yards, 1 TD

Interceptions: Corey Graham (1), Bacarri Rambo (1)

Sacks: Marcell Dareus (1)

New York

Ryan Fitzpatrick (NYJ) – 15/34, 193 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 3 rushes, 30 yards rushing

Chris Ivory (NYJ) – 18 carries, 99 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 36 receiving yards

Eric Decker (NYJ) – 6 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD

Brandon Marshall (NYJ) – 3 receptions, 23 yards, 1 TD

Sacks: Muhammad Wilkerson (2), Demario Davis (1), Sheldon Richardson (0.5) and David Harris (0.5)

Now, let’s take a look at the Bills’ second meeting with the Jets’ last season.

Next: 2015 Week 17 vs. New York Jets