There was plenty for Bills fans to celebrate during the final regular season at Highmark Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Buffalo scored touchdowns on five of their eight possessions and their defense didn’t give up much of anything to the Jets during a 35-8 win. The victory makes the Bills the sixth seed in the AFC playoffs and they are set to be in Jacksonville for a wild card game next weekend.
The Bills rested most of their starters and quarterback Josh Allen played just one snap to keep his consecutive starts streak alive before giving way to Mitchell Trubisky. Trubisky would go 22-of-29 for 259 yards and four touchdowns over the rest of the afternoon. The Bills also got 151 yards on 21 carries from Ray Davis and the Jets defense will need some major renovations before the team returns to the field next season.
Sunday’s game was their 17th straight without an interception, which makes them the first team in league history to go without an interception for an entire season. The issues go far beyond that and they’ll also need a better answer at quarterback because they got very little from Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor and Brady Cook this season.
The Jets had a -134 point differential over their final five games of the season, which has led some to wonder if they may also be in the market for a better answer at head coach. Indications are that Aaron Glenn will be back, but there’s been little tangible reason to buy into his repeated message that there’s a plan for success in place with the franchise.
Their plan to address any of those needs will be helped by the No. 2 overall draft pick. Sunday’s loss along with the Giants’ win over the Raiders means that the Jets will be the second team on the clock in April. They’ll also have the Colts’ first-round pick and they’ll need all the talent they can find.
Buffalo’s plans won’t include any rebuilding. Their focus will be on trying to finally break through in the AFC and make it to the Super Bowl for the first time in more than 30 years. That will likely call for them to win three road games in a row, so they’ll have to hope that this week’s rest did everyone’s bodies some good.
The Bills are cruising to their 12th win of the season against the Jets on Sunday afternoon, but they may have to find someone else to do their kicking in their playoff opener next week.
Matt Prater has been ruled out with a right quad injury in the second half in Buffalo. Prater missed a couple of games with the injury before returning to action on Sunday.
With Prater out, the Bills went for two after a Gabe Davis touchdown catch in the third quarter. They were successful and now lead the Jets 29-0.
Michael Badgley replaced Prater during his previous absence. He was released earlier this week and has not signed with another club.
The Bills are on their way to sending Highmark Stadium out on a winning note.
Mitchell Trubisky threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half against a Jets team that looks as lost as it would against the Buffalo starters. The result is a 21-0 Bills lead after 30 minutes of play.
Trubisky did not start the game, but replaced Josh Allen after one snap. The Bills quarterback has now started 140 consecutive regular season and playoff games for the Bills.
Trubisky is 15-of-19 for 169 yards and the Bills have also picked up 81 rushing yards through two quarters. The Jets offense has managed 63 yards as they limp their way toward a fifth straight loss.
Josh Allen started Sunday’s game against the Jets, but that’s all he did.
Allen took the first offensive snap of the game and handed the ball off to running back James Cook. Cook picked up 10 yards on the play and Allen headed to the sideline.
Mitchell Trubisky took over the offense and capped the opening drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dawson Knox. Trubisky was 3-of-3 for 28 yards on the way to the 7-0 lead.
Cook also gave way to Ray Davis and Ty Johnson over the course of the drive, so Allen may not be the only key offensive player moving to an observer role for the rest of the afternoon.
The Bills haven’t announced their full plans when it comes to playing starters against the Jets on Sunday, but they revealed a few hints with their inactive list.
Left tackle Dion Dawkins is a healthy scratch for the game. With Dawkins out, it would seem likely that any appearance by quarterback Josh Allen will be a brief one.
Defensive end Greg Rousseau and wide receiver Brandin Cooks are also out. Neither of them were on the injury report for Sunday. Linebacker Terrel Bernard, defensive end Joey Bosa, safety Jordan Poyer, and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones are dealing with injuries as the Bills look ahead to the postseason.
The Jets scratched running back Breece Hall, quarterback Tyrod Taylor, cornerback Brandon Stephens, wide receiver Tyler Johnson, cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers, tight end Jelani Woods, and defensive end Micheal Clemons.
