In a complete reversal from Week 1, the New York Jets dominated the line of scrimmage in defeating the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.
- New York Jets 34 (4-5)
- Buffalo Bills 21 (5-3)
- NFL, Week 9, Final, Box Score
- MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Simply amazing. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, welcome to the National Football League — the place in which the unexpected happens and stretches to the extreme.
Remember Week 1? You remember. It was the week that saw the Buffalo Bills completely dominate the hapless New York Jets up in Orchard Park. LeSean McCoy and company ran all over Todd Bowles‘s befuddled front-seven only reaffirming the idea that these Jets were something especially awful to keep an eye on.
Well, eight weeks later the exact opposite went down right before your very eyes.
In Week 9 on Thursday Night Football for all the world to see, the Jets completely dominated the trenches and defeated the Bills by the final of 34-7 at MetLife Stadium. They now sit with a record or 4-5.
Back on Sept. 10, it was Buffalo that rushed for 190 yards on 42 carries while only surrendering 38 yards on the ground.
On Nov. 2, it was New York that rushed 197 yards on 38 carries while limiting the Bills to just 54 yards on the ground. Incredibly, New York averaged just 60 yards on the ground the previous three weeks.
The Jets opened the scoring on their second possession of the game when Josh McCown scooted one in himself:
Wheels. #BUFvsNYJ pic.twitter.com/c92VlY2lNg
— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 3, 2017
The Bills responded early in the second with Zay Jones‘s first NFL touchdown:
Welcome to the endzone, Zay Jones.#BUFvsNYJ #GoBills pic.twitter.com/YBcyYfz5tg
— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) November 3, 2017
From that point on, it was all Jets.
McCown once again did his thing with Robby Anderson with another nine-route. Facing a loaded box, the Temple product burnt his next cornerback victim for six:
This to Robby Anderson is literally THERE 80 percent of the time. D's DISRESPECT #Jets with 8 in the box too often.pic.twitter.com/bZcHDGhTKA
— Elite Sports NY (@EliteSportsNY) November 3, 2017
Coming out of the tunnel up 17-7, the Jets lead ballooned to 34-7 with a dominant rushing attack and a defensive front that was simply relentless.
Matt Forte led the way with 77 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. Bilal Powell chipped in with 74 yards on just nine carries. A long of 51 in the third quarter turned out to be one of the highlight moments of the game for the Jets O-line.
Can't.
Stop.@bilalpowell29.#BUFvsNYJ pic.twitter.com/1ZRDi0m91D— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 3, 2017
TD No. 2 for @MattForte22!
31-7 lead. #BUFvsNYJ pic.twitter.com/0OcbAweoIS
— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 3, 2017
Elijah McGuire added 30 on 13 attempts.
McCown’s night was relatively comfortable. His final stat-line of 140 yards and a score on 14-of-20 passing won’t wow anybody, but it turned out to perfectly complement the dominance of his O-line.
Defensively, the stoutness up front was evident. The Bills are a team who lives and dies with rushing the ball and defending the run. They could do neither and Muhammad Wilkerson, Leonard Williams, Darron Lee and Demario Davis made sure the former wasn’t accomplished. David led the way with eight tackles.
The Jets also compiled seven sacks in total and put together a standard four-man rush that hasn’t been seen all season long. Jordan Jenkins led the way with two sacks.
Have a day, @jordanOLB! #BUFvsNYJ pic.twitter.com/NMDfcCZMZG
— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 3, 2017
On the back end, Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye and the rest of the secondary was phenomenal even without top corner Morris Claiborne. It’s absolutely clear that when they receive at least an average pass rush, they rank among the best defensive back groups in the league. Adams came away with a fumble recovery for the second straight week.
.@alldayMAYE with the strip.@TheAdams_era with the recovery.
These two ? pic.twitter.com/3464TcfJWT
— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 3, 2017
Although contained for most of the game (aside from a few garbage time moments), Tyrod Taylor‘s final stat-line of 285 yards, two touchdowns through the air and one on the ground did fantasy owners well. A late onside kick recovery helped pad those stats.
With a surprising (to most) record of 4-5, the Jets will now enjoy a little time off before prepping for a road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Deonte Thompson finds the endzone for the first time as a Bill.#BUFvsNYJ #GoBills pic.twitter.com/vV04wLnqSM
— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) November 3, 2017
