Team Grades: Rex Ryan's Bills Serve Todd Bowles' Jets Humble Pie
By Abraham Gutierrez
Rex Ryan made a triumphant return to East Rutherford, New Jersey, as his Buffalo Bills improved to 5-4 on the year by serving Todd Bowles and the New York Jets a warm piece of humble pie on their way to a 22-17 victory. And while Ryan's sidelines antics were anything but modest, the fact that the Bills rallied and played for him as a team simply cannot be overlooked.
The win places the Bills alone in second place in the AFC East, as Ryan and company are now 3-1 against intradivisional foes in 2015, while the New York Jets dropped to 1-2 on the year in that category. When it was all said and done, turnovers were the deciding factors in what appeared to be a defensive struggle from the start.
In this ultra-important category, the home team failed miserably, losing the turnovers battle 0-4. Some of the blame could be placed on the offense, and some on special teams, as the Jets fumbled it twice and Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a pair of unfortunate interceptions.
Offense: C-
Offensively, the Jets collected 15 first downs, 318 yards of total offense and held on to the ball for 26 minutes and 41 seconds. However, that only translated to 17 points on the board – three coming in the first half, and only a pair of touchdowns during what most people would consider garbage time, as they trailed 22-3 by the time they found the end zone for the first time.
Despite injuries to the running back corps, the Jets running game wasn't their undoing, as New York rushed for 128 yards on 24 carries. Aside from his lone fumble, first-string running back Chris Ivory did his part despite nursing a lingering hamstring, tallying 99 yards on 18 rushes, including a long of 21 yards.
Despite playing with torn ligaments in his thumb, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had no problem putting his body on the line, as he was the Jets second-leading rusher with 30 yards on three carries. Through the air, however, the Harvard product left a lot to be desired, completing 15-of-34 passes for 193 yards, two touchdowns and two picks for a forgettable quarterback rating of 57.6.
The Jets receivers were completely neutralized by the Bills' pass defense, as Eric Decker led the way with six catches for 85 yards and a score, while running back Chris Ivory was second in receptions with two grabs for 36 yards on the night.
Defense: C+
The Jets defense did a great job out of the gate and in the final stanza, pitching a shutout in the first and fourth quarters. However, its special teams unit put them behind the proverbial 8-ball in the early going, and again after the break . After fumbling the ball deep in their own territory in the first half, the Jets defense surrendered 12 points in the second quarter, and 10 more in the third.
In the end, they allowed 13 first downs, 280 yards of offense, 3 minutes and 19 seconds of time of possession, 148 rushing yards and only 132 yards passing. First-string running back, LeSean McCoy was a thorn on New York's back, rushing for 112 yards on 19 carries, but was kept out of the end zone.
Special Teams: D
Even though everyone in the special teams unit played a rather clean game, whenever a fumble deep inside a team's territory occurs is never a positive thing, especially when it results in a touchdown going the other way. That is exactly what took place when Devin Smith brought the ball out of the end zone, coughed it up, and the Bills waltz into the end zone.
Coaching: C
It would be silly to pin this loss on the Jets' coaching staff. Truth is that, he Bills wanted it more, went into MetLife Stadium set on pulling off the upset and delivered beautifully. Sure, special teams coordinator Bobby April should take some of the blame, but at the end of the day, the Jets were simply outplayed by a more determined Bills team.
Abe Gutierrez's (Twitter: @GutierrezAbe) passion led him to ditch law school journey in order to launch his own publishing company. His expertise make him a valued addition to Examiner.com, AXS.com and the CBS-Sports family. Some of his work can be found on CBS-Miami (Dolphins), CBS-LosAngeles (Chargers), CBS-BayArea (Raiders), CBS-NewYork (NY Jets), CBS-TampaBay (Buccaneers), AXS.com, Examiner.com and other online publications.
