Week 4 Recap: New York Jets vs Buffalo Bills

Final Score: Jets 38 - Bills 14

By the numbers:

Passing
Sanchez : 14/24 - 161 yds - 2 TD - 106.4 Passer Rating

Rushing
NYJ : L. Tomlinson - 19 car 133 yds 7.0 ypc 2 TD
          S. Greene - 22 car 117 yds 5.3 ypc

Receiving
NYJ : B. Edwards - 4 rec 86 yds 1TD
          D. Keller - 4 rec 28 yds 2 TD
          J. Cotchery - 3 rec 26 yds

Efficiency
1st Downs - NYJ - 25 - BUF - 12
3rd Down Efficiency - NYJ - 7-15 - BUF - 0-10

Turnovers
NYJ - 0
BUF - 2

Penalties
NYJ - 4-30
BUF - 3-32

The post game reaction for this one can be summed up in four words.....TRAP GAME MY ASS!!!!

I knew the Bills were bad but I had no idea that they were this bad. After escaping in Miami, the Jets needed to establish themselves as the better team and prove to themselves that they can play a complete game in all 3 phases.

The tone of the game was set right at the 1st series. The Jets drove down the field with purpose and a commitment to the running game. Need proof? The drive took 9 plays, they passed twice. The run game was dominant and it got them a quick lead.

7 - 0 Jets.

After the TD the special teams pulled a fast one on the Bills. Nick Folk kicked the ball off very high and short. So short that one of the "up men" was forced to catch the kick. DE Chris Ellis got under the ball and muffed it. He never had control of the ball and it was recovered by MLB Lance Laury. The Jets got the ball at the Bills 41 yard line. You couldn't have gotten off to a better start. The offense took the ball and was poised to score another TD but the drive stalled at the 12 so they sent Folk out to kick a 30 yard FG.

Of course....what happens? Wide Left.....No Good!!!

The ghost of Dallas Cowboys Nick Folk returned for this kick. What should have been a chip shot was yanked so far left that it had no chance of being good. I know we have seen kickers struggle early on this year with FG's but THIS IS THE NFL! You are paid to kick the ball between the uprights and a 30 yard FG is just 11 yards deeper than an extra point. Save the excuses and MAKE THE DAMN KICK!

That miss seemed to give the Bills some life because the Jets couldn't get anything going on offense the rest of the quarter. The good news was that the defense was doing their part by keeping the Bills off the field.

Here's a breakdown the the Bills 1st quarter drive stats after the Folk missed FG.

3 plays for 5 yards - Punt
4 plays for 20 yards - Punt
3 plays for 0 yards - Punt

Pretty pathetic if you ask me.

The problem is that the Jets couldn't take advantage of the defense's stout play. That is until their 1st possession of the 2nd quarter. The "O" engineered an 18 play drive that took 9:21. Unfortunately they couldn't punch the ball into the end zone. They had to settle for a 19 yard FG that Folk did make this time.

 10 - 0 Jets.

At this point I was happy that they were ahead but mindful of the opportunities the Jets missed that could have put the Bills away before halftime. All of that changed with just 1 possession. The defense once again forced a 3 and out and the offense rewarded the effort with a score. After 2 runs by Shonn Greene, Sanchez tossed a 41 yard TD pass to Braylon Edwards down the right sideline. This play was executed masterfully by Sanchez and Edwards. It was a 5 step drop, Sanchez pump faked towards Edwards who ran an out and up route. Bills CB Leodis McKelvin bit on the out move and Edwards flew past him. Once Sanchez saw the separation, he fired the ball right into Braylon's chest and presto you got your TD.

17 - 0 Jets.

This looked like a runaway until the Bills showed some fight right before the half ended. With 2:32 left, Buffalo was able to get a score. They ran their 2 minute drill pretty well taking advantage of the middle of the field while picking up the Jets blitzes. The big play of the drive was a 37 yard pass that got the ball to the Jets 15 yard line. 2 plays later the Bills scored ending the half and giving Buffalo some much needed momentum going into the locker room.

17 - 7 Jets.

Overall the 1st half was acceptable but I didn't like the points left on the board by the Jets and I really didn't like the TD last in the 2nd quarter. The Jets were leaking everywhere on that drive. Lack of communication, missed assignments and zero pressure on Fitzpatrick led to the score. A dominant defense is supposed to get tougher in situations like this. That didn't happen here. Thankfully it would be the only shining moment the Bills had to enjoy because the 3rd quarter is where the ASS KICKING commenced.

Once again the Jets went to the ground and just gashed the Bills new 3-4 defense. After all the handoffs, Schottenheimer decided to go with some razzle dazzle to end the drive. He went with WR Brad Smith under center in the wildcat. He takes the snap and fakes a hand off, rolls to his right looking like he's going to run when all of a sudden he stops, drops back and looks for a receiver in the end zone. After holding the ball for a while he throws a pass toward the back of the end zone and finds a leaping Dustin Keller who skies up and snags the ball out of the air.

24 - 7 Jets.

After the score, you know the Bills defense was praying for a nice long drive to give them a rest after being on the field for a 10 play 68 yard drive.

They got to rest for 1 play thanks to Marshawn Lynch.

Bryan Thomas came from behind and stripped the ball away from Lynch running off left guard. The ball was recovered by Jason Taylor at the Bills 23 yard line. Now the Bills "D" has to go back on the field and try to stop the Jets. We all know that didn't happen. The Jets move the ball to the 2 yard line and on 1st and goal, Sanchez runs a play action roll out and finds Keller all alone for his 2nd TD catch of the game. I was surprised that this play worked because Keller was defended pretty well at the beginning of the play. He was being covered by Dan Mulligan like white on rice. Who is Dan Mulligan you ask? He's the Jets 3rd string TE. The Bills were so faked out by the play action that when Mulligan and Keller were running their crossing routes in the back of the end zone, they ran into each other. That still didn't slow down the play or wake up the Bills defense because Sanchez still found Keller tying his shoelaces while waiting for the ball to come to him.

31 - 7 Jets.

OK so the rout is on. Time to call off the dogs and rest the starters. Let the Bills run some clock and call it a day. Just 1 problem. The Bills go 3 and out again. The Jets get the ball at the Buffalo 35 yard line and finish the game off with a sweet 26 yard TD run by LT. The play started out simple enough. Just a plain hand off run up the middle until Tomlinson does what he does best. He cuts back and finds a small seam between Mangold and Slauson and runs up field. Bills SS Donte Whitner has a chance to make an open field tackle until OOPS! LT drops an ankle breaking cut that drops Whitner to the turf and sends Tomlinson to pay dirt.

38 - 7 Jets.

I won't bother with any 4th quarter analysis because the game was over way before that. The Bills added a garbage TD late in the quarter to make the score a little less lopsided but it didn't change the fact that the Jets went into Ralph Wilson Stadium, walked right up to each Bills player, punched them dead in the face and saw the Bills react like bitches and run away.

That's a wrap on the recap. Now it's time for some Quick Hits.

1) Ground and Pound....That's an understatement. The Jets ran the ball 49 times for 273 yards, keeping the ball for 40:29. Shonn Greene had more rushing yards by himself (117 yards) than the entire Bills team. Buffalo ran for 114 yards and 74 of those yards came from Ryan Fitzpatrick their QB. OUCH!

2) The "D" continues to pitch shutouts....The Jets defense despite their injuries, issues with communication and poor 3rd down efficiency have not allowed any points in the 1st quarter.

3) 10 years is a long time....The last time the Jets were 3-0 in the division was 2000. Let's just hope that history doesn't repeat itself. The Jets went 9-7 in 2000 losing their last 4 games and missed the playoffs.

4) If Keller keeps this up he'll be Hawaii bound....With his 2nd straight 2 TD game, Keller has 5 TD catches. He's tied his TD total in his 1st 2 years combined. I said that only good things will come from Sanchez feeding Keller the ball. It will open the field for the rest of the receiver's, especially when Holes comes back.

5) Welcome back J - Co. We missed you....With all the action in the passing game going Keller and Edwards way, it was nice to see Jerrico Cotchery get involved. It's important to not forget his value to the passing game. Cotchery is an underrated receiver that runs crisp, precise routes and has great hands. He only had 3 catches but it's a start.

6) This Jet needs to stop his fly by's....Kyle Wilson is showing small signs of improvements but his blitzing technique still needs to get under control. In the 2nd quarter, Rex sent him on a corner overload blitz. He got through and had a clear path to the QB and just like he did against Brady in Week 2 he ran right by Fitzpatrick missing the sack. That's called a fly by. He's taking a poor route and angle toward the QB and to make matters worse he takes himself out of the play completely when he shoots past him. He's got to get that fixed otherwise the blitzes Rex runs with him will be useless.

7) LT's back....This game was Tomlinson's breakout game as a Jet which then led to the media's declaration that LaDanian has returned to the NFL. I just have 1 question....Where did he go? When the Jets signed him, fans and the press acted as if the world was going to end. Why would they sign a 31 year old running back coming off his worst season statistically. Valid points to consider but you're not talking about any run of the mill back. You are talking about a hall of famer who has done nothing but score TD's for a team that thought pass 1st and run 2nd. Also keep in mind that LT has been banged up over the last 2 seasons. He's healthy, hungry and most of all pissed that most "experts" have written him off. Nothing is more motivating to a football player than someone who's never picked up a football in his life telling him that he can't play anymore.

Normally it would be time for King Rex's quote of the game but with LT still in mind, I decided to include 2 quotes on his game and his value to the team.

The 1st one is from Bart Scott. He was being asked a question when out of nowhere he grabs the mic from the interviewer, looks at the camera and says....

"They said you were done LT. Got plenty of juice boss. San Diego go "bleep" yourself.

Gotta love Bart.

The next one is from LT himself.

"I know what age I am but that doesn't mean I can't play. I think sometimes you (the media) categorize most players with all players meaning all players don't slow down when they get 30 or 31. Some players just defy the odds and I'd like to say that I'm that type of player."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Now it's time for King Rex's quote of the game.

This one is a daily double. After he answers a reporter's question, he just stops and fires this out there.

"By the way we get a couple of good football players coming back next week as well. Santonio Holmes, Revis might be back and Pace might be back. Three good football players we'll add to this group and we'll see what happens."

This lead to a follow up question.

Question:

"When you say you have Revis, Santonio and Calvin we'll see what happens. Considering how well you're playing without them, what do you think will happen?"

King Rex's Response:

"I know what's going to happen but we get to find out. It's going to be great. Do I expect them to be 100% ready for Minnesota? Probably not but by the time we get going as the season gets going we're gonna be at full strength and we'll see."

For some reason, King Rex was feisty during his press conference. He looked annoyed for some reason. I have no concrete reason why he was this way. I think it's because despite beating New England and Miami that the Jets would look past the Bills in anticipation of the Monday night game against the Vikings. Thus making this game a trap game. In addition to the fact that the Jets are 3-1 after losing their 1st game losing Jenkins Week 1, losing Revis Week 2, the Sanchez drama, the reporter incident and the Braylon arrest. Nobody believed that the Jets would be able to manage through the tough 1st quarter of the season drama. Not only did they manage, they DOMINATED! So maybe he was a little annoyed that no one believed him when he said that the team was going to be OK after all the bullshit.

Say what you want about Rex Ryan. Big Mouth....Trash Talker....Braggart....Annoying. Yeah he's all those things but he's also a damn good football coach that gets the most out of his players. Most importantly he's a BELIEVER!!!! He believes in his team and what he teaches them. He believes that his players are the best in the world and that attitude has rubbed off on the roster and they all have bought in. Is it important to know your X's and O's as a head coach? DUH! But there's something to be said about a coach that is loved and respected so much by his players that they will take a bullet for him.

That's something that money can't buy.

So to sum up. After the 1st 4 games of the season. The Jets are 3-1. They're getting healthier and reinforced on offense with the return of Santonio Holmes to the fold. With the way the "O" is clicking now, the addition of one of the games better down field threats is just another toy for Sanchez to play with. As long as he keeps up his stellar play this team should be a scoring machine. The return of Pace and eventual return of Revis will finally get the "D" to 100% as well. I would expect the defense to return to their #1 ranked form that they exhibited last season. Only time will tell. The Jets have a tough couple of games coming up.

10/11 vs Minnesota
10/17 at Denver
Bye Week
10/31 vs Green Bay

This stretch will separate the Jets from pretenders to contenders. I say BRING IT ON!!!!!!

That's all I got....Now Let's Go Eat A God Damn Snack!