Matt Forte rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns to help the New York Jets secure their first victory of the season, 37-31, over the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night at New Era Field.
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The Jets (1-1) snapped a five-game skid against Buffalo, which included a 22-17 season-ending loss in January that eliminated NY from the playoffs. Nonetheless, the win was absolutely needed, as the next four games on the Jets schedule are against Kansas City, Seattle, Pittsburgh, and Arizona, all of which playoff teams previous year. “It was a must-win”. “The Jets were a much better team than we were today … especially their offense against our defense”.
The Bills also failed to convert on 4th and 1 in the fourth quarter, turning the ball over on downs. A dismal Week 1 showing against the Baltimore Ravens (160 offensive yards, 7 points) should also be kept in mind, and that probably played a big role in Roman’s firing. Trainers tended to him and things did not look good for the 32-year-old receiver.
New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) is tackled by Buffalo Bills cornerback Ronald Darby (28) during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016, in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Jets: Coach Todd Bowles said Marshall had a slight sprain. “They made plays and we didn’t, ” sighed Gilmore.
Bowles said Friday that play was a busted coverage and wasn’t necessarily Miles’ fault.
Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was 24 of 34 for 374 yards and a touchdown while Matt Forte ran for 100 yards on 30 carries and three touchdowns.
The Bills (0-2) are suddenly reeling in Ryan’s second season as coach, and two years after he has fired by the Jets. There are a few things we learned from this matchup. “I’ll be better going forward”. Those numbers improved to 24 points and 393 yards against the Jets, but clock management was an issue down the stretch after Buffalo closed the deficit to six points.
The Jets have given up four plays of 50 or more yards, including this Marquise Goodwin TD. Ryan said he wasn’t concerned about the offense. “Always thought he’s a tremendous coach and I still believe that”, Ryan said.
On the next series, the Bills gained some yards on the ground and in the air including a 11-yard Sammy Waktins reception, his first of the game. NY did do well at containing Lesean McCoy, who only rushed for 59 yards on 15 carries and caught four balls for 31 yards. Goodwin burst past Revis up the right sideline at midfield and had two steps on him when he caught Tyrod Taylor’s pass in stride at the Jets 35 and ran it in. NY completed 8 of 13 on third down after going just 4 for 12 in Week one. Giving yourself a 13-point lead and “making the other team have to kick the extra point if they score two touchdowns” while give you a loss 94 percent of the time. Rookie wide receiver Jalin Marshall fumbled on the ensuing possession, and the ball was run back for another Buffalo touchdown, and the Bill led 24-20. The Bills cut the lead to ten with a late field goal heading into the halftime break.
By intermission, Buffalo was down 20-10 only thanks to a late Dan Carpenter 39-yard field goal as NY scored on its first four possessions.
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That leaves coach Rex Ryan having plenty of concerns he needs to address two weeks into his second season in Buffalo. That’s an outstanding game no matter how you look at it. OG James Carpenter injured a calf.
