The Buffalo Bills blew out the New York Jets on Sunday. It’s another classic example of getting caught on the ice and not being able to catch your footing, something the Bills know all too well. This time, it was the Jets that had no answers.
Here are our five takeaways:
Hello Matt Barkley, bye Nathan Peterman
What a great game from Matt Barkley, chucking it all over the field early and often. He went 15-of-25 for 232 yards and two touchdown passes. It’s the best performance by a Bills QB all year. When Buffalo announced Barkley would start over Peterman, you knew the second-year guy was on his way out. This slams the door.
Zay Jones is coming into his own
Jones had a great game, setting career highs. Eight catches for 93 yards and a score were all bests for Jones in the NFL. He also had a goal-line fumble that may have kept a second TD off the board. (Jason Croom fell on it for a Bills score.) The emergence of Jones this season has been a welcome sight for Bills fans who thought he was a bust as a rookie.
Finally, Shady on track
Finally. LeSean McCoy has 26 carries for 113 yards and two touchdowns in his best performance in almost a year. The offensive line opened holes and McCoy showed he hadn’t lost a step, even dropping a sick spin move on the Jets. Marcus Murphy added 62 yards on 13 carries. Maybe Wyatt Teller helped a lot!
Isaiah McKenzie turns heads
The Bills tried to sign McKenzie from the Denver Broncos practice squad earlier in the year, but the release of Chad Kelly meant they had a spot on the active roster. When McKenzie was released a couple weeks later, Buffalo hopped on the waiver wire. He had three rushes for 32 yards, 1 catch for 14 yards, a kickoff return of 33 yards, and four punt returns for 42 yards. He was electric with the ball in his hands.
Another great defensive effort
The Bills defense showed up again on Sunday. Matt Milano and Micah Hyde had interceptions. Jordan Poyer, Jerry Hughes, and Shaq Lawson had sacks. The Jets had one yard of offense in the first quarter and were demoralized early on. The Bills were hitting hard and not letting anyone on the Jets settle into a groove. It was a complete team effort.