New York Jets Eliminated From Playoffs By Rex Ryan, Bills

The New York Jets had their playoff hopes dashed by Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills Sunday afternoon.

The New York Jets came into Sunday afternoon’s game with a clear goal. Win and you are in. The Jets just had to defeat their AFC East rival Buffalo Bills and they would qualify for the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2010. The Rex Ryan led Bills had other ideas though, as they were able to knock off the Jets 22-17 and help eliminate them from the 2015 postseason. It became official when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cleveland Browns 28-12 minutes after the Jets were defeated.

It was a rough afternoon for the Jets, who couldn’t get out of their own way for most of the game. They committed boneheaded penalties and the offense that was clicking the last five weeks was virtually nonexistent. They played as big a part in the Bills 9+ minute drive in the second quarter as their penalties and poor play allowed the Bills to go on a very long drive and drain the clock.

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The Bills had four drives during the game that were 13 or more plays, as they dominated time of possession 39:13 to 20:47. Those four drives alone lasted 30:50, which was still 10 minutes and three seconds longer than the Jets held onto the ball afternoon.

A big reason for the time of possession difference was the inability of the Jets offense to sustain drives. The running game was not relied upon much, as they ran the ball only 17 times for 122 yards. The totals look good, but they were buoyed mostly by a 58 yard rush from Chris Ivory. Outside of that, the Jets managed only 64 yards on 16 carries, for a less impressive 4.0 yards per carry.

The Jets offense really missed Bilal Powell today, as he was providing a spark in both the passing and rushing games the past couple of weeks. Ryan Fitzpatrick struggled mightily without his safety valve, as the outstanding play we saw the last five weeks was nowhere to be found today.

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Fitzpatrick struggled right from the start, as his throws were inaccurate and his receivers weren’t helping with untimely drops. Brandon Marshall had a bad drop early in the game, as Quincy Enuwa and Kenbrell Thompkins did as well. Thompkins had the toughest afternoon, as he dropped a deep pass a little behind him and then had a ball jarred loose that probably would have won the game for the Jets on the final drive.

For the game, Fitzpatrick completed only 16-of-37 attempts as the wind in Buffalo seemed to really impact him. He threw for 181 yards and two touchdowns but had three back breaking interceptions. The killer interceptions Fitzpatrick had been known for in his career, but avoided the last five games, reared their ugly head today. He made a poor decision with the Jets poised to take the lead late in the fourth quarter in field goal range, as the last three Jets’ possessions of the afternoon ended in Fitzpatrick interceptions.

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It was a difficult afternoon for the Jets, as the playoffs were within their grasp and they were unable to hold onto it. They will now begin their offseason earlier than they would have liked as Rex Ryan and the Bills swept the season series and he stuck it to his old team one more time.

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New York Jets Eliminated From Postseason By Rex Ryan, Buffalo Bills

By Kenneth Teape | Jan 3, 2016

The New York Jets had their playoff hopes dashed by Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills Sunday afternoon.

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