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Buffalo Shows Potency on Offense, New York Wins with Defense, Dolphins Improve
Buffalo 20, New York 28
J.P Losman’s numbers on Sunday would indicate to any Buffalo fan that the Bills won their game against the New York Jets in Buffalo; 328 pass yards including a nifty 51 yard touchdown pass to Roscoe Parrish, and a 12 yard scramble for a score. Losman’s effort went in vein, however, as the Bills went on to lose the game 28-20, despite a 150 yard performance by Willis Mcgahee and two receivers (L. Evans, R. Parrish) passing the 100 yard mark. Lesson to be learned: Stats do not tell the whole story and Buffalo’s effort on Sunday was marred by puzzling play-calling and inopportune turnovers.
With 10:30 on the clock in the first quarter and a 7-0 lead, the Bills proceeded to fake a field goal on the Jets 35 yard line. Sure, hindsight is 20/20 and it’s easy to look back in criticism, but why not just kick the field goal and go up by two scores? The probability of making the 40+ yard kick is a lot higher than making 3 yards from the field goal formation. Later in the first quarter, Losman was sacked and fumbled the ball on the Jets 19 yard line, again putting a harsh stop to a nice Buffalo drive.
It wasn’t until the 6th minute of the second quarter when Kevin Barlow crashed through the goal line for New York’s first score (Jets 7, Bills 7). After a Buffalo field goal with 6:57 left (Jets 7, Bills 10), the Jets finished an absolutely crucial drive with a touchdown with a 1 yard pass from Pennington to tight end Chris Baker with 19 seconds left to end the half (Jets 14, Bills 10).
It wasn’t until the third quarter when Losman’s fumbling issues put his team in the worst position all day. After stopping the Jets on the opening drive, Losman fumbled the ball for the second time on the Bills 33 yard line, only to be picked up and returned for a touchdown by linebacker Victor Hobson (Jets 21, Bills 10). The rest of the third quarter was marked only by a Losman interception.
Heading into the fourth, Buffalo’s Ryan Lindell notched a 20 yard field goal to make the score 21-13. This breath of life would be short lived however, on the very next drive the Jets drove 58 yards and capped things off with a 5 yard touchdown run from Cedric Houston (Jets 28, Bills 13). The highlight reel will underline the following Buffalo drive, capped with a 12 yard Losman scramble for a touchdown (Jets 28, Bills 20). In the end however, it was too late, and the Bills’ last chance ended with a lackluster incompletion on 4ourth down with 40 seconds remaining, ending with a Jets 28-20 win.
Tennessee 10, Miami 13
In the Miami 90 degree weather the Titans were determined to get their first win of the season. Meanwhile a suddenly over-rated Dolphins team hopes to get things right with newly acquired quarterback Daunte Culpepper and struggling units in the offensive line and defensive secondary.
The game started slow with both teams staying strong on defense until a Dolphins 40 yard field goal with 6 minutes remaining in the first quarter (Dolphins 3, Titans 0).
The second quarter began with the Dolphins secondary exposed as Kerry Collins connected with receiver Bo Scaife for a 27 yard score, one in which amusingly, Miami’s Zach Thomas was placed in coverage and ultimately burned by Scaife (Dolphins 3, Titans 7). The rest of the quarter was marked by a missed field goal by Miami and lackluster play on both sides of the field.
In the third quarter, the Dolphins became a little more inventive with a collage of trickery plays including a couple of successful wide receiver reverses and opportunities for Culpepper to look downfield (much to the delight of offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey critics). Their first drive in the third quarter ended with a 5 yard scramble into the end zone from Culepepper, ironically quieting those who claimed his injury last year has marked him immobile (Dolphins 10, Titans 7). In the end, both teams scored another field goal to end the game 13-10 in favor of Miami.
Upcoming: Denver at New England Recap (9/24), NFL Worthy Notes (9/25), Commentary: Culpepper and Dolphins Improve simultaneously (9/26)
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