The same Buffalo Bills who scored 33 points during their recent four-game slide nearly eclipsed that total during the first half of Sunday’s 41-10 win over the New York Jets.
I guess all it took to resuscitate Buffalo’s moribund offense, which entering Week 10 was on pace to shatter several franchise records for offensive ineptitude, was a new quarterback (Matt Barkley), a new play-making wide receiver (Robert Foster), a new left guard (Wyatt Teller), and a new jack-of-all-trades rusher/receiver/return man (Isaiah McKenzie).
In the latest edition of Billieve: a Buffalo Bills Fan Podcast, host John Boccacino and co-host Anthony Marino dive into Buffalo’s (3-7) surprising and thorough demolition of the Jets (3-7) at MetLife Stadium.
From the opening drive, this looked like a totally different Bills offense. Give credit to offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who opened up the playbook from the start for Barkley, who was with the team for less than two weeks before becoming the fourth quarterback to start a game for the Bills.
Barkley, whose last start came in the 2016 regular-season finale with the Chicago Bears, was on-point with his throws, completing 15 of 25 passes for 232 yards with two touchdowns and, more importantly, zero interceptions.
For a team that entered Week 10 with its quarterbacks throwing as many pick-sixes (three) as passing touchdowns, Barkley’s presence was invaluable. On the opening play of the game, Barkley heaved a 47-yard pass to Foster, a sign of things to come against the lackluster Jets.
LeSean McCoy, who had rushed for a grand total of 24 yards on 24 carries over the last three games, needed only one carry to surpass that total vs. the Jets. McCoy took the ensuing hand-off and showed he still has life left in those legs, pulling off a top-level cut in the hole before scampering 28 yards down the right sideline for a 7-0 lead.
Buffalo’s second drive appeared to stall until Daboll turned to his bag of tricks, having Logan Thomas toss a 15-yard strike to Foster on a fake punt to convert a big fourth down that eventually led to a second touchdown and a 14-0 Bills lead.
The offense enjoyed a field day against the grounded Jets, and everyone got in on the act, even Dion Dawkins, who caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from Barkley halfway through the second quarter for a 24-0 lead.
McCoy scored his first two touchdowns of 2018 and rushed for 113 yards on 26 carries as the Bills rushed for a season-best 212 yards. Foster finished with three catches for 105 yards, becoming the first Bill to eclipse 100 receiving yards since Deonte Thompson on Oct. 22, 2017 vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fellow wide receiver Zay Jones set career-highs in catches (eight) and yards (93), continuing his development as a solid No. 2 wide receiver.
Teller, who was inactive for Buffalo’s first eight games, was impressive in his first career start, producing several highlight pancake blocks that drew the attention of CBS’ broadcasting crew.
In general, while the Bills still have a “chance” at making the playoffs, both Boccacino and Marino were impressed with how much Sean McDermott was willing to take repetitions away from under-performing veterans like Kelvin Benjamin, Andre Holmes, Terrelle Pryor, Vladimir Ducasse on offense, and see what the team has in its rookies and second-year players.
The defense matched the offense in dominating the Jets, holding Josh McCown to one yard in the first quarter. The Jets didn’t get their first first down until halfway through the second quarter. The pass rush, led by Shaq Lawson, Jerry Hughes, and Jordan Poyer, had sacks, while Matt Milano and Micah Hyde came down with interceptions.
It was a whupping in every sense of the word. Check out our latest Billieve: a Buffalo Bills Fan Podcast to hear our podcasters thoughts on these topics and more from the Week 10 win!
SoundCloud | iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | TuneIn | Podbay | Podfanatic
Subscribe, rate, and review our Buffalo Rumblings podcast now and leave your comments below. You can also download an MP3 version of the podcast by signing up for a free account at SoundCloud. We’re looking for feedback and want to hear from you!