The Buffalo Bills might have made it more interesting than they had to, but in the end, got the final result they were looking for with tonight’s 22-17 victory over the New York Jets in head coach Rex Ryan’s homecoming to Metlife Stadium.
LeSean McCoy went for over 100 yards rushing against the No. 1 ranked rush defense, while Karlos Williams hauled in a 26-yard touchdown reception to become the second player in NFL history to score in his first six career games.
Combined, the two backs helped the Bills rush for 148 yards; the most the Jets have given up this season, which was just enough offense for Buffalo to get the victory.
Safety Bacarri Rambo forced two fumbles (one picked up by Duke Williams and returned for a touchdown in the second quarter) and sealed the game with a late interception in a strong defensive effort.
Buffalo raced out to a 22-3 lead halfway through the third quarter, but did everything in their power to keep the Jets in it late.
A stagnant Bills’ offense, along with touchdowns from Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker made it a one score game late in the fourth.
The biggest break for New York came with a little more than five minutes left in the game.
After a three-and-out, the Bills send Colton Schmidt and the punting unit out, which quickly turned into a disaster.
Schmidt fumbled the snap, and was tackled immediately by New York, who would take over late at the 13-yard line with a chance to take the lead.
Buffalo’s defense stood strong all four downs, their second red zone stop late in the game, as Ryan Fitzpatrick’s last shot in the end zone fell incomplete.
McCoy chipped in 31 of his 112 yards on the final drive, effectively getting the Jets to use their timeouts and run the game out for the Bills.
With the win, Buffalo improve to 5-4 and currently sits in 5th place in the crowded AFC playoff picture heading into the weekend.
It was Buffalo’s first road prime-time win in 14 years, snapping a streak that went back to 2001.
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