Bills ground Jets

by John Tatanka

Blogger, Buffalo News

A little bit of home cooking is all the Buffalo Bills needed, apparently. After a 44-10 thrashing in Arizona last week, Coach Bob Winuvas dialed up the defense, causing 4 turnovers in a 21-0 blanking of the Jets.

The Bills' defense started out with a solid series, providing stout run defense early of Jets' running back Knile Davis and forcing a punt. Rookie quarterback Parker Austin led the Bills' offense down the field, but had to settle for a long Dan Carpenter field goal to get the scoring off at 3-0.

The first of Jets' quarterback Bryce Petty's interceptions led to another Dan Carpenter field goal and a 6-0 lead. The Bills would hold steady in that regard, as the offense began to find resistance from a stout Jets' front four.

The Jets would throw a second interception in the second quarter, but their best drive of the game led to no points, as Bryce Petty ran out of timeouts and players open late in the first half inside the 10 yard line.

"We got lucky there," Coach Winuvas said. "A touchdown there would have been a game changer."

The game changer came midway through the third quarter, when linebacker Nigel Bradham picked Petty off for the third time with nothing but green grass in front. Bradham would scamper the 37 yards for the pick 6 and a 13-0 lead.

The Jets would begin to find a bit of a run game in the second half, using some shotgun sweeps to get space as the Bills were playing back in pass coverage. The Bills' defense, however, would quickly adjust and cause havoc all day long.

The fourth Bryce Petty interception would set up the offense in good position, and they would finally cash in when LeSean McCoy would take it in from 3 yards out. A 2 point conversion later, they were up 21-0. The Jets would valiantly try to get points on the board, but to no avail, as they gave up their final possession on downs.

For the Bills, quarterback Parker Austin wasn't pretty, but he also didn't turn the ball over, going 15 of 25 for 153 yards. LeSean McCoy led all Bills' rusher with 14 carries for 43 yards and the only offensive touchdown on the day. Reciever Sammy Watkins led all Bills' pass catchers with 5 catches for 60 yards, while rookie wide receiver Cedric Patrick did well in his first start, getting 4 balls for 35 yards. Defensively, newly signed defensive back Blidi Wreh-Wilson had a tackle and an interception, while Nigel Bradham had the pick 6. Defensive linemen Kyle Williams (1 sack) and Jerry Hughes (1 sack), as well as defensive backs Ronald Darby (3 tackles, 1 interception) and Aaron Williams (2 tackles, 1 interception) had notes on the stat sheet.

For the Jets, it was a game to forget for Bryce Petty. The young signal caller out of Baylor went 12 of 24 for 119 yards and 4 interceptions. The run game was led by Knile Davis, who had 11 carries for 55 yards - most of them in the second half. Wide receiver Jeremy Kerley led the pass catchers with 4 catches for 42 yards. Defensively, safety Kenny Vaccaro led the Jets with 3 tackles and a forced fumble, while Calvin Pryor, also a safety, had 3 tackles in the losing effort.

"Our defense played well, and that is an understatement," Coach Winuvas said after the game. "Our offense has to do a better job of turning turnovers into touchdowns. We can't keep settling for field goals. We have to punch it in."

At 2-7, the Bills entertain the Seattle Seahawks (3-5) at Ralph Wilson Stadium next week, while the Jets (2-7) head to Foxboro to take on the division leading Patriots.

"We're rooting for the Jets next week," Coach Winuvas joked. "We need help to bring the Patriots back to our level."

Can the defense keep up this quality while the offense gets on track? Or will the defense and offense come back to earth next week?