The Buffalo Bills 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins provided a much needed boost for fans as the Bills head into Thursday night's game against the New York Jets.
Beyond the Playbook football analyst Matt Sabuda told us Friday that he expected a statement game from the Bills Sunday and notes the team delivered. Sabuda says the offense was "downright dazzling" at times.
"Tyrod Taylor threw for only 181 yards, but he also only attempted just 12 passes in which he completed 11," says Sabuda. "He rushed for another 44 yards on 10 attempts. He looked great."
"This may have been one of the best dual threat games for Bills running backs in recent history. The Bills had two running backs gain over 100 yards. LeSean McCoy looked like every bit the superstar we were expecting at the beginning of the season. He had 16 carries for 112 yards. And his understudy, rookie standout Karlos Williams, came back from missing two games to injury to have just 9 carries for an eye popping 110 yards and two touchdowns. If he can stay healthy, he looks like the real deal."
Sabuda adds that Sammy Watkins had the best game of his career as a Bill with 8 catches for 168 yards and one touchdown. But he says the Bills defense remains perplexing, giving up long drives.
Turning to Thursday night's game against the New York Jets, Sabuda says those games are always a challenge for the teams involved because if the short turnaround.
"What fans don't see is how the team's scheduled weekdays are thrown off and shuffled because they're shorted three days of preparation, which is a lot for NFL preparation," says Sabuda. "Normally, the work week starts with film review tomorrow and Tuesday off. Players then work through game specific practices from Wednesday to Friday with a full travel day on Saturday. Forget all of that this week as the Bills have to cram everything into the next three days prior to game day. This is why we often see plenty of unusual and not exactly the most marquee performances on Thursday night games. Football just doesn't lend itself to this sort of short turnaround."
Sabuda notes the Bills should not underestimate Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, noting his familiarity with the Bills defense. Sabuda adds this will be Rex Ryan's first trip back to New York as an opposing coach after having spent five years behind the Jets bench.
