Archives for September 16, 2016

'The pressure gets cranked up even more on Rex Ryan and his team, which could be staring down the barrel of 0-4 if they don’t get things straightened out soon. The Arizona Cardinals, which preseason prognosticators had headed for the Super Bowl, roll into town Sept. 25 before Buffalo visits New England.'

'Fitzpatrick completed 24 of 34 passes for 374 yards, repeatedly challenging the Buffalo secondary down the field as he and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey — his head coach here in his Buffalo days — gained a measure of redemption for last year's failure here.'

'Here was a case where the Bills needed more pocket push and quick pressure on the quarterback. Yes, they missed Marcel Dareus. And they could have used another edge rusher opposite Jerry Hughes.'

'Running EJ Manuel twice … then taking a timeout to set up a fourth-and-1 play in the fourth quarter – on which you slam LeSean McCoy into an offensive line without Cordy Glenn? Yeah, you got me. I don't know what that was.'

'It was fun to watch, but not enough to win. The defense couldn't make stops, letting the Jets convert eight of their 12 third downs.'

'Cornerback Stephon Gilmore was involved in three of the Jets' first downs on the game's first series. First, he was beaten on a 34-yard reception by Quincy Enunwa. Then, Gilmore was penalized for holding, which gave the Jets five yards and an automatic first down. Finally, he missed a chance to tackle Enunwa well before he gained 10 yards on third-and-9 from the Buffalo 36.'

'The long play reenergized the crowd after the Jets’ long opening drive chewed up more than eight minutes of clock. The Bills defense was able to get a stop in the red zone and force a field goal, which Nick Folk converted to make it 3-0.'

'On the next series, Fitzpatrick hit Quincy Enunwa for 21 and 14 yards, Marshall for 21, and then Eric Decker for 18 yards to get down to the 5-yard line. Decker beat Darby on a post for the touchdown on the next play.'

'Tyrod Taylor had to leave the game to be checked for a concussion after a big hit late in the quarter. He didn't want to leave, but the league isn't taking any chances after Cam Newton was allowed to continue after taking hits to the head last week. Taylor returned after two plays.'

'The scene was set for a statement win that got the team back on track toward the playoffs. Instead, the Bills flopped.'

'They lost their opener – to Jimmy Garoppolo. Chandler Catanzaro’s last-second field goal missed wide left, which gave New England a 23-21 win in a nationally televised game last Sunday night. The Cardinals are favored by nearly a touchdown Sunday at Tampa Bay, but if they lose that game, they’ll be reeling heading into Orchard Park.'

'It’s almost inconceivable that before 30 teams have played their Week 2 games, the Bills might already be out of the 2016 NFL playoff race. Yet that’s the reality they face thanks to a disturbing 37-31 loss Thursday night to the AFC East rival New York Jets in front of 70,256 mostly mortified fans at New Era Field.'

'It’s too early to go there, but we’ll just toss out this statistic: Since 2007, NFL teams that start the year 0-2 make the playoffs just 9 percent of the time (7 of 75). In eight seasons as a head coach, this is Rex Ryan’s first 0-2 start and its Buffalo’s first since losing its first eight games under Chan Gailey in 2010.'

'“Buffalo has such a special place in my heart,’’ said Smith during an emotional news conference before the game when he paused several times to sack the tears welling in his eyes. “So many memories. I miss the people, hell, I even miss the weather.’’'

'The Bills trailed by just a field goal when the quarter began but turned the ball over twice, once on a Taylor interception, once on downs, while the Jets scored 10 unanswered points to go up 37-24.'