The Buffalo Bills quickly ended any signs of life for a New York Jets victory on Sunday at MetLife Stadium when they flatlined the Jets 30-10 in a game that was dominated by the Bills from start to finish. After signs of life for the Jets’ season were percolating after an inspiring 34-32 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, gangrene set in when Buffalo inflicted a big dose of reality for fans of the home team on a beautiful day in New Jersey.
After a heart stopping 41-40 victory in Orchard Park last week over the Baltimore Ravens, the Bills gave their fans a reprieve by dominating this game from start to finish. Buffalo came out fast and furious salting the game away with a 20-3 lead at halftime. New York was never a threat from the start of the game after the Jets repeatedly self destructed.
The Bills didn’t even need Josh Allen to don his Superman cape in this game. However, Superman did end up with a bloody and possibly broken nose out of the deal. As is typical of Josh, he shrugged it off and played with cotton plugs in his nose. Allen finished with a pedestrian 14/25 for 148 yard performance… with 0 TDs and 0 INTs. He was sacked once.
James Cook was the hero of the day and showed why Buffalo elected to extend their slippery running back before the regular season started. He carried the ball 21 times for 132 yards with a 6.3 yard average, two touchdowns and one gorgeous 44 yard sprint after busting through the offensive line and shedding a would-be tackler. Cook’s escapability has continued to improve over the years. He did have one fumble that was fortunately not turned over to the opposition.
Buffalo’s ability to force turnovers and yet protect the ball has been a mainstay of the Sean McDermott era. But make no mistake… this defense has entered the Bobby Babich era, with a strong dose of Ryan Nielsen along the defensive line.
One of the most notable changes in this game were the defensive line groupings in light of Ed Oliver’s absence. At times DaQuan Jones was playing 3T next to Deone Walker. Zion Logue who was called up from the practice squad saw his share of reps with TJ Sanders. It was mix and match and it seemed to work all afternoon for the Bills along the defensive line.
Joey Bosa had himself a game… again. He finished the game with one sack, one tackle for a loss and two QB hits. If he stays healthy, Buffalo will be very glad they brought the former LA Charger to town.
And what would you know, after Matt Milano, Terrel Bernard and Taylor Rapp were thoroughly excoriated after their tepid performance against Baltimore, they turned up as top tacklers versus the Gang Green. Milano had five tackles and Bernard and Rapp had four each.
Will wonders ever cease.
By the first part of the fourth quarter the Bills were rolling in replacements for their starters. It was a perfunctory performance overall as Buffalo took care of business and are now 2-0 atop the AFC East. They have a quick turnaround when they face the Dolphins on Thursday night.
Editor’s babble: After nearly suffering cardiac arrest after the Ravens game, a nice steady dominating performance by the Bills was just what the doctor ordered. You can find me basking in the glory of victory on Xwitter @RobynMundyWYO.
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