Dumb Luck. Bills Gift Wrap Jets a Victory

JETS 31

BILLS 27

Don't get too excited Jet fans; your team is plain vanilla lucky to be 9-5 today. The Jets were well on their way to losing their third straight game, as well as all but flushing their playoff hopes down the toilet, when Bills coach Dick Jouran decided to make one of the dumbest play calls one can make, and J.P. Losman made one of the dumbest plays a quarterback can make. With the game all but wrapped, the Bills faced a second and five at their own 27 yard line with 2:06 to go. All Buffalo had to do was run the ball for a first down, let the clock run to 2:00 and the victory would have been theirs. Instead, Jouran decided to put in a pass play. Losman, in typical Losman fashion, botched the play when he was sacked by Jets saftey Abram Elam, causing Losman to fumble the football. Shaun Ellis picked up the loose ball and stumbled into the end zone for the game winning touchdown.

It was one of the most improbable plays in NFL history; right up there with David Tyree's helment catch in the Super Bowl and Tom Brady's phantom tuck rule performance in 2001 against the Raiders. The Jets had no business winning this football game. In fact, they didn't deserve to win.

Nevertheless, the Bills were the ones who shot themselves in the foot. Other than the fumble, Rossco Parrish returned a punt for a touchdown early in the third quarter, but it was called back becasue of holding penalty against Buffalo. Overall, Buffalo committed four penalties for 33 yards, all of which were drive killing penalties.

The Jets had no answer for Losman, who had all day to throw, and when he connected with a receiver, he managed to pick apart the worst secondary in football. Losman was 24 for 39 on the day for 148 yards with a touchdown and three picks, but two of the those interceptions came in the final 1:30 of the game.

Marshawn Lynch had a huge game for Buffalo, grinding out 127 yards on just 21 carries. Lynch had such a good afternoon, it remains a mystery why he didn't get the ball to end the game. Even Fred Jackson had a big day, running for 31 yards on seven carries, including a touchdown from 11 yards out; he carried eight Jet defenders to the end zone.

Offensively, the Jets were invisible. Brett Favre was awful, completing only 17 passes for 207 yards and two interceptions. He overthrew and underthrew his receivers all day. Still, his receivers didn't help much, not getting open and dropping balls. Thomas Jones did absoultely nothing on the ground, gaining only 78 yards on the day. The only reason the Jets were even close to putting up 31 points was Leon Washington. Washington's 47 yard touchdown before halftime to give the Jets a 21-17 lead was huge for New York.

The Jets are very fortunate to be alive for a division title tonight. This is a soft, vanilla football team that lacks an ounce of toughness. It is a reflection of their coach, who applauded the bad play after the game, and their fans, who didn't show up to support the team. More than half of Giants Stadium was filled with Buffalo Bill fans. Don't be shocked if the Jets lose their last two games in Seattle and home to Miami.