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How About Some Football, Eh? (Sorry): Jets And Bills Face Off In Toronto
(Sports Network) - Fans in Toronto may not get to see two eventual playoff teams square off when the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets take the field at the Rogers Center on Thursday night, but they should come prepared to see the type of competitive, three-hour slugfest that has become the norm for the AFC East rivals.
The Bills, in the second year of a five-season agreement to play a series of eight games in Canada, proved in last week's 31-14 upset of the Miami Dolphins that they haven't thrown in the towel on 2009.
In their second contest under interim head coach Perry Fewell - appointed as such when the team fired Dick Jauron after Week 10 - the Bills exploded for 24 fourth-quarter points despite fielding an offensive lineup comprised largely of backups.
Fewell's decision to go with Ryan Fitzpatrick over opening-day starter Trent Edwards at quarterback paid off, as Fitzpatrick completed 17-of-26 passes for 246 yards, one touchdown, and one interception despite working behind a young, makeshift offensive line that surrendered six sacks.
Terrell Owens had his second straight big game with Fewell as his boss, catching five passes for 96 yards including a game-sealing 51-yard touchdown pass from Fitzpatrick in the fourth quarter.
Despite the state of the line, starting running back Fred Jackson was also effective, carrying 15 times for 73 yards and two touchdowns while also logging five catches for 43 yards in the passing game. Fewell had opted to start Jackson over Marshawn Lynch, who carried just three times for six yards to continue an awful year for the former first-round pick.
And the defense - still coordinated by Fewell - logged four interceptions in the win, never giving up a run longer than 13 yards or pass longer than 20.
The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for Buffalo, and also ranked as the team’s first home win since Sept. 20.
The Jets also had a happy Week 12 result, with their 17-6 victory over the Carolina Panthers keeping the team's somewhat dim playoff hopes on the burner.
The playmaking defense that the team had seemed to misplace since its 3-0 start was located again, as cornerback Darrelle Revis and recently-demoted safety Kerry Rhodes posted two picks each in the triumph, with Revis' first going the other way for a 67-yard touchdown that had Gang Green off and running.
The Panthers managed just 176 total yards and 11 first-downs all day.
On the other side of the ball, mistake-prone rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez did throw one pick, but was otherwise an efficient 13-of-17 for 154 yards, also rushing for 27 yards on a day in which he was not beset by the turnovers that had plagued him over the previous six weeks. Sanchez did suffer a knee injury in the contest that forced him to leave briefly, but he finished the game and is not expected to miss any additional time.
The Jets will look to Sanchez for a continued steadying hand in the latest installment of a series that has seen six head-to-head matchups settled by five points or less since 2004, including Buffalo’s 16-13 overtime win at the Meadowlands on Oct. 18th.
The Bills were 16-3 losers to the Dolphins in Toronto in Week 14 of last season, the first meaningful game of the team’s Canadian series.
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