Our top 3 takeaways from the Buffalo Bills' wipeout of the New York Jets
What we learned, what's trending now and what happens next after the Buffalo Bills' 30-10 blowout win over the New York Jets on Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J.
1 What did we learn?
James Cook still has it. The Bills’ running back logged 132 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. He did all that even though his day was done with 8:23 left in the fourth quarter. His 44-yard touchdown run was electric: He all but disappeared into a group of bodies before reappearing and scampering downfield. His other touchdown, a 1-yard run on the Bills’ opening drive, got the rout going. Throughout the day, Cook was dependable, minus one fumble that right tackle Spencer Brown recovered. It was the eighth time Cook ran for 100 or more yards in a regular-season game.
2 What’s trending now?
The Bills defense is trending up. At the end of the game, a number of backups took the field, as starters like linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard and cornerbacks Christian Benford and Tre’Davious White all got a deserved rest. The Bills defense held the Jets to just 154 total yards, about half of which was in garbage time. The Jets were a dismal 0-for-11 on third down. After tons of (deserved) questions about their run defense following that Week 1 game against the Ravens, the Bills clamped down. The Jets didn’t move the ball until the game was out of reach.
3 What happens next?
The Bills have a short week to get ready to host the 0-2 Miami Dolphins. The Bills will wait to see if they can get back nickel cornerback Taron Johnson (quadriceps) or defensive tackle Ed Oliver (ankle), who had to sit out Sunday. But the defense proved it can win big without those two starters. Defensive end Joey Bosa stepped up big with two forced fumbles. The Bills have won the turnover margin in back-to-back weeks, and they will look to continue that streak against the hapless Dolphins, who started with an embarrassing defeat to the Colts and played better against New England on Sunday but still lost 33-27.