Buffalo Bills: Rapid Reactions from 37-31 Loss to New York Jets

Despite completing a pair of big plays, the Buffalo Bills’ defence could not stop the New York Jets’ offence on Thursday night. Here’s a collection of thoughts, observations, and reactions from the Bills 37-31 loss.

The Buffalo Bills’ defence allowed the New York Jets’ offence to compile almost 500 total yards — 493 to be exact — on Thursday night. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 370 yards and a touchdown, while running back Matt Forte rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns.

Bottom line, the Jets regularly had their way with the Bills’ defence on Thursday night. On the flip side, the Bills’ offence struggled to find a rhythm; quarterback Tyrod Taylor was sloppy, wide receiver Sammy Watkins spent a good chunk of his night on the sidelines in pain, and the play calling was questionable at best.

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Considering the plethora of issues the Bills are facing, this year is beginning to feel like a “lost season”. You hate to say that, but with the Arizona Cardinals on deck in Week 3, and the New England Patriots on the horizon in Week 4, the Bills could quite possibly be staring an 0-4 start in the face.

Thoughts and Observations:

• Ryan Fitzpatrick absolutely shredded the Bills on Thursday night. The “Amish Rifle” finished the game going 24-for-34 with 374 yards and one touchdown. Scary thought, but if the Jets were able to haul in a few of the drops they had, Fitzpatrick’s stat line could have been even better.
• The Bills cornerbacks struggled mightily agaisnt the Jets. Ronald Darby had his moments, but for the most part, both him and Stephon Gilmore were abused on the boundary. To put it in perspective, the Jets almost had three 100-yard receivers, as Eric Decker finished the night with six catches for 126 yards and a touchdown, Brandon Marshall hauled in six catches for 108 yards, and Quincy Enunwa had six catches for 92 yards.
• Different week, same issues. Penalties and poor clock management once again reared their ugly head on Thursday night. At one point during the second quarter, the Bills were in a third-and-30 situation thanks to penalties, and remember that timeout they burned with EJ Manuel on fourth-and-short? I bet the Bills wanted that one back when they were down by six with around 50 seconds to go. I hate to sound pessimistic, but it’s hard not to when you continuously see mistakes like these being made.
• The Bills at least took more shots down the field on Thursday night, completing a pair of long touchdown passes for 71-yards and 84-yards.
• Offensive coordinator Greg Roman had another interesting night with the play calling. Sammy Watkins might not be 100 percent healthy, but why Roman did not want to attack cornerback Marcus Williams every time he was covering Watkins is beyond me.
• Speaking of Watkins, he finished the night with five targets and two catches for 20 yards. Health issues aside, will we ever see Watkins regularly involved in this offence? Also, has anybody seen Robert Woods? Although Greg Salas did step up, Woods, who is considered to be the Bills No. 2 receiver, has been a ghost through two weeks of the season.
• On a positive note, running back LeSean McCoy was much better in blitz pickup against the jets, and linebacker Preston Brown continued to make plays all over the field.
• The Bills were only able to register one sack and two quarterback hits against the Jets. New York’s offensive line played very well, but it’s clear Ryan will have to go back to the drawing board when it comes to blitz packages.
• The Bills overcame a 13-point deficit early in the second half, but the Jets would go onto score 17 straight points.

Injury Notes:

While Watkins did play on Thursday, he was not on the field for the Bills final drive of the night. Despite Watkins saying he feels good, questions about his ailing foot will persist.

Taylor endured an injury scare on Thursday when the officials removed him from the game for looking “woozy”. He was examined for a concussion, but would eventually return after missing two plays of action.

The only injury to report, so far, is wide receiver Marquise Goodwin. The speedy receiver injured himself on the final play of the game and is being evaluated for a concussion.

What’s Next:

The Bills (0-2) will have 10 days to rest before they welcome the Arizona Cardinals to New Era Field for Week 3, which will be another tough test.

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We saw the Jets regularly challenge the Bills’ secondary on Thursday night, and considering the way the Cardinals’ high octane offence likes to vertically challenge defences, the Bills have their work cut out for them in Week 3.