Eric Decker led the Jets and all receivers with six receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown.
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None of the Jets’ key receivers are burners, but they’re all very big – and very good. NY led 20-10 at the half.
Fitzpatrick helped the Jets hang 493 yards and 37 points on Ryan’s defense Thursday, after the Jets gained just 300 and 318 against the Bills past year, while scoring 17 points in both games. The Bills got the ball back with 10 seconds left but could not do anything. Fitzpatrick was especially terrible against Ryan and the Bills in 2015, going 0-2 with a 43.7 completion percentage and four TDs compared to five picks. Really they looked nothing like the group that played in Baltimore last week.
That said, through just one week of the season, the answer has become clear to me.
Watkins didn’t play in the Bills last two offensive series, but the head coach said that he didn’t know why.
“I mean, we thought we could cover them”, Ryan told reporters after the game. Especially in this league because there’s a lot of great teams and a lot of people are going to play us hard each week. “You look for a difference in the game and that was the difference in the game”.
Strength of Rex Ryan’s defense lets him down as Buffalo Bills crumble.
After generating only 160 yards in the opener, the Bills’ offense bounced back to rack up 393 yards.
The Jets scored on each of their first four possessions to build a 20-7 lead.
The Bills responded by scoring on three straight possessions spanning halftime to go up 24-20.
Buffalo’s Preston Brown forced a fumble which was scooped up by Nickell Robey-Coleman near the Jets’ 30-yard line and took it all the way for a touchdown.
Last week the Bengals picked on former All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis as A.J. Green racked up a massive game. His ability to catch contested passes anywhere on the field and also block on running plays somewhat makes up for the Jets’ glaring weakness at tight end. Nick Folk’s third field goal of the game, from 36 yards out, made it 30-24 with 10:40 remaining.
Bills QB Tyrod Taylor had three TD passes as part of his 297 yards.
Forte’s final touchdown came after the Jets defense stopped the Bills twice for no gain at midfield, including run up the middle by LeSean McCoy on fourth-and-1.
Deep in the Bills territory, Fitzpatrick surpassed the 300-yard passing plateau on the night on back-to-back passes. Buffalo tried an onside kick but the Jets recovered. “I thought I was going to be fishing in my backyard in Florida”, said Marshall, whose left knee twisted awkwardly beneath him when cornerback Stephon Gilmore pulled him down by his facemask. Marshall immediately grabbed his knee and lay on the field for a few minutes before getting up on his own and slowly making his way to the sideline.
Amazingly however, Marshall would return on the ensuing drive and finish with nine catches for 101 yards on the evening.
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“The doctors didn’t say anything to me”, Marshall said, regarding the injury which coach Todd Bowles referred to as a sprain. The Jets’ receivers had a field day against the Bills’ accommodating defense, with Enunwa’s rapid development being in my view the most encouraging sign of the season.
