Well that was, finally, a fun game to watch.
After weeks of having to do Stock Up and Stock Down as if I were Jerry Sullivan, it is a nice change to do this after-action report with rose-colored glasses on. There were familiar standouts and new faces, but overall, the Bills put in their best team performance of the season.
Stock up: Shady McCoy
LeSean McCoy isn’t done yet. The veteran back, who has had a disappointing season to say the least, showed on the second play of the game it would be his day. Shady opened the scoring with a 28-yard TD scamper and had a vintage run later in the game, when he spun out of trouble in the backfield for a big gain. In all, McCoy ran for a season-high 113 yards and two scores.
Stock up: Wyatt Teller
Bills fans favorite whipping boy Vlad Ducasse was benched following a month of putrid play, opening the door for Teller. The Virginia Tech product didn’t disappoint in his first career start. While difficult to judge OL play with one viewing on a broadcast angle, CBS’ James Lofton did a good job highlighting the play of the rookie guard. Teller was a big reason why the Bills produces a season high 212 yards on the ground
Stock up: Isaiah McKenzie
For most fans, the Bills acquisition of McKenzie via waivers this week was barely a blip on the radar. He was an unknown commodity who presumably would just play on special teams. He did that and more against the Jets. McKenzie provided a much-needed spark in the return game, nearly busting a couple of them for scores. His impact extended to the offense as well where he had 46 total yards (32 rushing, 14 passing).
Stock up: Robert Foster
Robert Foster has had a tumultuous season through the start of the Jets game, but on the first play from scrimmage, he started to show what makes him a tantalizing talent. Foster got behind the Jets defense for a 47-yard catch to start the game and later made a great adjustment on an under-thrown deep pass, giving the Bills the ball deep in Jets territory. The rookie wideout finished with a career-high 105 yards on 3 catches.
Stock up: Matt Barkley
So that’s what competent quarterback play looks like. From the outset, Barkley looked like he had nothing to lose and his performance may have gained him a lot. Barkley, who hadn’t started a game since the finale of 2016, threw for 232 yards and two scores. More importantly, Barkley’s ability, and willingness, to push the ball down the field forced the Jets to respect the pass. That respect helped the run game eclipse the 200-yard mark. With the performance, Barkley made his case to stay on the team the rest of the year, and possibly as the main backup heading into the 2019 season.