Buffalo Bills dominate New York Jets in unexpected offensive explosion

The Buffalo Bills demolished the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon by the final score of 41-10 behind an outstanding performance from …. Matt Barkley?

In an unexpected turn of events, the Buffalo Bills actually have an offense. The Bills took it to the Jets in the Meadowlands for four quarters behind the offensive juggernaut known as Matt Barkley.

The game began with a massive deep ball from Matt Barkley to Robert Foster to drive the Bills down the field. On the very next play, LeSean McCoy regained form with a 28-yard touchdown run to quickly put the Bills up.

With the quarter nearing a close, Barkley completed a pass to Zay Jones in which Jones dove for the goal line and fumbled right to Jason Croom in the end zone for a 14-0 lead after one.

Buffalo added a field goal to begin the second and then Barkley threw his first TD of the day to you guessed it, Dion Dawkins. McCoy added another TD before halftime as the team went up 31-0 with the Jets adding a field goal as time expired to trail 31-3 at the half.

Isaiah Crowell scored a rushing TD only to be answered by a Jones TD reception in the third, and then Stephen Hauschka added a field goal in the fourth to bring the game to its final score of 41-10.

The Bills were exceptional on offense throughout the game. Matt Barkley went 15/25 for 232 yards and a pair of touchdowns as he resembled what competent quarterback play looks like.

His play was totally unexpected as many Bills fans rolled their eyes when he was announced as the fourth starting quarterback for the woeful Bills offense this season. He showed poise, accuracy, command and promise in his first start with the team.

On the ground, McCoy finally got going and was able to rush for 113 yards on 26 carries and reached the end zone twice. Marcus Murphy did well as a complement to Shady with 69 yards on 14 carries.

In the air, Robert Foster and Zay Jones showed that the Bills may not exactly have as little talent at the position as we thought. Foster had two huge plays through the air and the catch from Logan Thomas on the fake punt.

As for Jones, what a breakout game for a player that has been the team’s best receiver throughout the season. Zay recorded a career high in catches (8) and yards (93) to go with his touchdown in the third quarter. He was consistently open and one wonders what his numbers may look like if he had this type of quarterback play all season long.

Perhaps the biggest underlying storyline in the game was how well Buffalo’s offensive line played. Barkley was only sacked once but other than that he was spotless all day. The line did a fantastic job of keeping pressure off of Barkley, but he did a great job of getting the ball out when given the time.

Rookie left guard Wyatt Teller appeared to have a great day because you didn’t hear his name often unless it was praise. There is hope for the young guard and how he can be a player on this offense for some time.

The special teams stepped up as well and newly acquired Isaiah McKenzie was electric. Not only did he have three rushes for 32 yards, but he was on the verge of breaking several punts for big plays. His addition to the team adds another wrinkle on offense and special teams that may allow the team to take another step forward.

Defensively, the team played well once again. Matt Milano was everywhere, including an interception before he was taken off the field and put in concussion protocol. He has had an extremely impressive year. Micah Hyde added a pick of his own while Shaq Lawson, Jerry Hughes and Jordan Poyer all recorded a sack. The Jets had no answers all day.

All-in-all, the Bills had a picture perfect day. Matt Barkley showed what this team could do with a competent quarterback who makes accurate throws on time. In my opinion, he should be the long-term backup QB for Josh Allen as he just put up the best performance by a Bills QB this season. Derek Anderson should be inactive every game and serve as a mentor when healthy and Nathan Peterman should be released.

Moving forward, we will see what this does for the offense. It appears as if Josh Allen will be ready to go after the bye week to take on the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars. Perhaps the time away from the field has allowed Allen to learn and take a big step forward in his development. If not, Barkley for MVP/Hall of Fame/Wall of Fame/President.