Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets: 5 Players to Watch
By Paul Taylor
5) Tyrod Taylor
No matter how you break it down, seven points on offense is bad, and that’s squarely on the quarterback. The Week 1 version of Taylor was not the one Bills fans were used to seeing last season.
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The 27-year old’s 111 passing yards were his second-fewest in a Buffalo uniform, just ahead of the 109 he threw for last season against the Tennessee Titans. (Ironically, the defense also conceded just 13 points in that game, but they won 14-13.)
In theory, competing just over 68 percent of your passes and throwing no picks sounds good. However, when you’re averaging just 5.05 yards per attempt, this speaks volumes about how cautious Taylor was against the Ravens.
Admittedly, the 2011 sixth rounder’s former team deserves some credit. They obviously know him better than most after he spent four years in Baltimore, which probably also explains why the usually mobile quarterback only had 11 yards on five carries.
Taking everything into account, you would expect a better showing from Taylor against a Jets team who he beat twice during the 2015 campaign. More to the point, he has to perform better, otherwise critics will start to question if last season’s success was a one-off.
Next: Bills Week 2 injury update
What’s your prediction for the outcome on Thursday night? Is there anyone else you consider key to who wins this AFC East battle? Let us know in the comments section below.