2015 Season - Week #11

Buffalo @ New England

                                    1         2         3         4         FINAL

BUFFALO                 10       17       3         0         30

NEW ENGLAND      0         14       0        9         23

FOXBORO – Tyler Lockett and Aaron Rodgers continued their Montana-to-Rice ways to help the Buffalo Bills (5-5, 2-3 AFC East) knock of the division-leading New England Patriots (8-2, 2-2) 30-23 Sunday.

Rodgers had a monster day with 451 yards passing and three touchdown passes with Lockett accounting for 203 of those yards with his 11 catches.

“He’s (Rodgers) a great quarterback,” Lockett said. “He trusts us all to make plays and I was fortunate enough to be in a bunch of good spots today – next week it could be someone else.”

The Tom Brady-less Patriots struggled to find their footing for most of the day. Brett Hundley, making his second start in place of Brady, missed 2 quarters with a thumb injury paving the way for third stringer Dominique Davis to enter the game and make things interesting.

With an invisible ground game putting up only 25 yards on the day, due in large part to the play of the Bills intimidating front seven, New England had to rely on their inexperienced signal callers to rally the comeback attempt that fell short.

“We lost a game,” Bill Belichick said. “We get to play another one next week.”

Buffalo travels to Arrowhead Stadium next week to face the Chiefs in an effort to move to 6-5 on the season.

Dallas @ Miami

                                    1         2         3         4         FINAL

DALLAS                   0         7         3         7         17

MIAMI                      7         14       3         7         31      

MIAMI – The team with the NFL’s best record took a major hit to their confidence Sunday as the Dallas Cowboys (8-2) were dominated by the Miami Dolphins (5-5) 31-17.

Thomas Rawls continued to support his case for the NFL Rookie-of-the-Year award with 284 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in a game that was never close.

“I’m not concerned with those awards at all to tell you the truth,” Rawls said. “Todd (Gurley) can have it – I just want to make the playoffs.”

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick continued his run of limited productivity with a 7-for-8 day with 142 passing yards, a touchdown, and no turnovers.

“That’s what I need to be here for,” Fitzpatrick said. “Leading this offense so we can wear the other team down and let our defense go to work.”

The NFL’s best defense put on another hard-hitting effort, which gave the Dallas training staff all they could handle.
The Cowboys rushed for only 78 yards on the day, and Tony Romo, who started the day averaging 330 yards per game on the season, finished with only 245 yards passing.

“We didn’t have it today,” Romo said. “They are headhunters at times, and it’s unfortunate in this day and age that they can get away with some of those hits.”

Miami will bring their defense along with their top-ranked rushing offense to MetLife Stadium to take on the Jets next Sunday.

New York Jets @ Houston

                                    1         2         3         4         OT       FINAL

NEW YORK              3         10       8         14       0         35

HOUSTON                 7         7         14       7         3         38

HOUSTON – Cam Newton’s 468 passing yards and four touchdowns were no match for Brian Hoyer’s career day with 418 yards and five touchdowns while completing 91% of his passes as the Texans (7-3) downed the New York Jets (4-6) 38-35 in overtime.

Newton kept stride with the on-fire Hoyer throughout and was able to lead his team into the endzone with :10 seconds remaining to put the game into extra time. However, a costly David Johnson fumble in overtime sealed the victory for Houston as they were able to move into field goal range.

“David’s been huge for us all year,” Newton said. “Tonight he made a mistake, I’ll give you that. But he’s young and will bounce back.”

On the day the Texans kept a clean sheet in the turnover column while claiming three takeaways, including the overtime fumble recovery.

“We have got to take care of the ball,” Todd Bowles said. “I don’t care if we throw for 500 and rush for 300, it means nothing if we aren’t protecting the rock.”

A visibly dejected Johnson was consoled in the locker room by wide receiver Devante Parker, who led all Jets receivers with 154 yards on six catches.

“That’s my brother man,” Parker said. “We got his back for life.”
New York will look to re-group against division foe Miami next week.

2015 Season - Week #10

Buffalo @ New York Jets

                                    1         2         3         4         FINAL

BUFALO                    0         10       7         3         20

NEW YORK              0         3         7         10       23

NEW JERSEY – The AFC East battle for the Empire State went down to the wire as the New York Jets (4-5, 2-1 AFC East) took out the Buffalo Bills (4-5, 1-3) in MetLife Stadium Thursday night.

The Buffalo offense followed the script of most of their first half of the season games with a hot start to the game. Aaron Rodgers led the team to a 17-3 lead that could have easily been more. But missed field goals and turnovers allowed a hungry Jets team to stay in it.

“For us, it’s about being able to finish games the right way,” Rex Ryan said. “We are a good team – we just need to start grinding out the end of games.”

With their offense stymied late in the second quarter, New York coach Todd Bowles made a bold call to allow Cam Newton to take full control of the play-calling at the line of scrimmage in what is now being called the ‘J-Gun’ by some pundits. Newton, with an empty backfield and five receivers at his disposal, began to slowly dissect the Buffalo defense while effectively negating their pressure.

“I’ve been begging for this control all year,” Newton said. “We’re a patient group and then make our move when it’s open downfield.”

Newton ended the day with 378 yards through the air which included a 42-yard strike to tight end Orson Charles that put the team in position to kick the game-winning field goal after running down the clock in Buffalo territory.

Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Todd Gurley had a game to forget on the ground, picking up only 17 yards on 15 carries. The first year sensation from Georgia was visibly upset in the locker room after the game.

“I just want a chance man,” Gurley said. “I want to be able to get us going on the ground and I didn’t do it today.”

Dan Carpenter struggled again for the Bills with a pair of misses, including a crucial push with 5:10 left in the 4^th quarter that would have given his team the lead.

The Jets travel to Houston to take on the Texans next week while the Bills travel to Foxboro to take on the Patriots (8-1, 2-1).

Miami @ Philadelphia

                                    1         2         3         4         FINAL

MIAMI                      7         7         2         8         24

PHILADELPHIA    0         10       0         7         17

PHILADELPHIA – The Miami Dolphins (4-5, 2-2 AFC East) controlled the Philadelphia Eagles in all three phases of the game Sunday with an impressive 24-17 road victory.

The Miami duo of Thomas Rawls and Christine Michael piled up 232 rushing yards and an astounding 36-minute edge in time of possession for the game. Rookie fullback Roosevelt Nix scored twice and picked up two 4^th-and-one conversions for the team.

“When we grind it out and take care of the ball, we can hurt you,” Nix said. “That defense we got puts fear into people. We want to bring that same hitting power to our O (offense) too.”

While on the field, albeit for a short period of time, the Dolphin defense yielded only 177 total yards, sacked Sam Bradford three times, and picked up a safety on the day after a 62 yard punt inside the 5-yard line by rookie special-teamer-of-the-year candidate Matt Darr.

“I love putting our defense in a position to be successful,” Darr said. “I definitely see our unit (punt team) as a potential scoring weapon for that scary group of defenders we have.”
The Dolphins will look to get back to the .500 mark at home against the Dallas Cowboys.

2015 Season - Week #9

Miami @ Buffalo

                                    1         2         3         4         FINAL

MIAMI                      0         14       7         0         21

BUFFALO                 14       7         0         7         28

BUFFALO – It is not common for a team to dominate all three phases of an NFL game and find themselves eking out a 1-score win. But that is exactly the position the Buffalo Bills (4-4, 1-2 AFC East) were in as the final whistle sounded during their narrow 28-21 victory over their bitter rivals from Miami (3-5, 2-2).

After a hot start, the Aaron Rodgers led air attack looked unstoppable leading 21-0 in the second quarter.

Rodgers then threw a costly pick-six to Kyle Fuller.

On the ensuing possession, with time running down in the half, Rodgers was then strip-sacked leading to a 32-yard scoop and score by defensive end Leonard Williams.

“That really escalated quickly there before halftime,” Rodgers said. “I even tried to give them another shot earlier in the quarter (an interception in the end zone by Bobby Wagner that was returned 70-yards), but luckily our defense held them to zero points after that one.”

The giving was not over for the Bills after halftime when Tyler Lockett fumbled the ball after a vicious hit from Earl Thomas leading to Fuller’s second touchdown return on the day.

“They were the better team today overall,” Fuller said. “I do think we started to work after that rough start, but we put ourselves in a bad hole after they dominated that first quarter.”

The real story of the day was the dominating Bills defense that absolutely mauled Ryan Fitzpatrick and friends on the day. Midway through the third quarter the Dolphins had yet to crack the century mark for yards on offense.

Down seven, the Dolphins had two chances within the 3-minute mark to put points on the board. But with a 4^th-and-8 from midfield and Fitzpatrick having to sit a play out after taking a hit from Geno Atkins, backup and much-maligned quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo took the field for one snap; a telegraphed interception that all but sealed the victory for Buffalo.

Garoppolo refused to speak to reporters after the game.

For the day, Rodgers finished with 282 yards and three touchdowns in addition to the three total turnovers. Despite his own fumble, Tyler Lockett put forth another impressive performance with 141 yards receiving and a pair of touchdowns.

The Bills, now looking like legitimate playoff contenders, will head to New Jersey to face the Jets in Thursday night’s primetime matchup.

The Dolphins will limp over to the city of brotherly love to take on Chip Kelly’s Eagles.

Jacksonville @ New York Jets

                                    1         2         3         4         FINAL

JACKSONVILLE    3        3         7          0         13

NEW YORK             0         3         7          7         17

NEW YORK – The New York Jets (3-5) kept their fading playoff hopes alive before their Thursday night matchup against their division rivals from Buffalo with a 17-13 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday at MetLife Stadium. 
Cam Newton played a conservative game with only 236 yards passing and a touchdown passes. The QB threw a pair of interceptions on the day, but was able to keep his team calm throughout.
"At this point it's all about getting the win," Newton said. "I don't care if it's pretty, ugly, or sweet."
Aaron Donald continued his run of solid play dominating the line of scrimmage all day for the men from Gotham. The defensive tackle out of Pittsburgh is quickly turning into one of the most disruptive defenders in the NFL.
"We have great coaches who go out there and let us play," Donald said. "I want us to go out there every night and dominate."
At 3-5, the Jets still have hopes of a playoff berth, but those dreams can be shattered if they are unable to continue the momentum on Thursday night against the Bills (4-4).

2015 AFC MVP: Jimmy Garoppolo? (NFL.com)

Jimmy Garoppolo: Your 2015 AFC MVP?

by Scoops Caligiri -  NFL.com Staff Writer
Friday, October 30, 2015

In what has become the meme of the month of October, Jimmy Garoppolo jumped, twisted and turned his way into Internet stardom while earning himself a seat on the bench.
What happened next has been well-documented: His Dolphins coaching staff and front office went out and traded for backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick from division rival New England in what was then viewed as an overreaction to a rookie (aerial) mistake.
Now, fast forward to Thursday night and Tom Brady being carted off of the Gillette Stadium turf with a broken collarbone for what looks to be the remainder of the regular season.
Instead of the bearded one taking snaps for the Brady-less Pats, you have rookie Brett Hundley (formerly back up to the pre-leaping Garoppolo Dolphins) calling the shots. 
Would the Patriots, now 6-1, continue to be contenders with Fitzpatrick under center? Perhaps.
Are they even favorites to win the AFC East now with Hundley calling the shots? Probably not.
The Garoppolo Floppolo did nothing to help Jimmy the player eventually earn the full-time gig in Miami, but it did earn Jimmy the jumper a special footnote in the 2015 season archives.
Fans in Miami, New York and Buffalo now have a second chance to dream about the playoffs with New England now in a vulnerable position.
The Jets (2-4), Bills (3-4) and Dolphins (3-4), each with a game left against the Patriots, all have a legitimate shot at unseating the Pats if they can move past their early season woes. 
"It changes everything now," New York coach Todd Bowles said. "It all starts for us in Oakland Sunday - this division is up for grabs."
Bills coach Rex Ryan was a bit less PC in his response.
"Boo-Friggin-Hoo. It's our time now."
Only time will tell for sure, but this AFC East race just got a whole lot more interesting.
Thanks @JimmyFlips.

2015 Season - Week #8

Miami @ New England

                                    1         2         3         4         FINAL

MIAMI                      7         0         0         10       17

NEW ENGLAND     0         7         7         0         14      

FOXBORO – Five days after being stuffed on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line late against the Texans, the Miami Dolphins (3-4, 2-1 AFC East) not only saved their season with a last second win at New England (6-1, 2-1), but also changed the AFC playoff picture entirely after Tom Brady exited with a broken collarbone late in the 3rd quarter.
"You hate to win with an injury like that," Dolphins linebacker Eric Kendricks said. "I'm glad I hit him clean, but I definitely feel bad that he got hurt on the play."
The Kendricks hit on Brady that led to the injury followed an atrocious end zone interception by newly acquired quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick, who had been Brady's backup in New England until the ill-timed trade a week and a half ago, was able to redeem himself against his former club.
The veteran signal-caller hit tight end Clive Warford for 22-yards on 3rd-and-14 with under two minutes remaining before calmly finding Dion Sims for the game clinching score with 27-seconds on the clock to stun the home crowd.
"I'm only two weeks into this playbook, but I like where we're at," Fitzpatrick said. "I'm so grateful for the opportunity the Dolphins organization gave me and I don't intend on looking back."
The Miami defense stymied the Brady-led attack for most of the game before clamping down on Brett Hundley to seal the victory.
"After Sunday's loss, we wanted to get right back out and fight," Star Lotulelei said. "We are just gonna keep grinding and get ready for Buffalo."
The Dolphins travel to Buffalo next week to face the Bills (3-4, 0-2) in a pivotal AFC East showdown. 

New York Jets @ Oakland

                                    1         2         3         4         FINAL

NEW YORK JETS   0        21        0         3         24

OAKLAND                10       7         7         7         31      

OAKLAND – With a 1st-and-goal opportunity late in the game, the New York Jets (2-5) couldn't figure out a way to even the score against the Oakland Raiders Sunday at O.co Stadium falling 31-24.
Quarterback Cam Newton had an uneven day with an impressive 403 yards passing but only one touchdown pass compared to a pair of interceptions.
"Not our day today," Newton said. "We turned it on there in the 2nd, but we had nothing the rest of the game."
Raiders rookie Amari Cooper shined in front of the home crowd with a 68-yard touchdown reception on the second play of scrimmage for Oakland and a phenomenal Odell later in the game.
"I don't know about calling in an Odell," Cooper said. "He didn't invent the one-handed catch - there are lots of guys making big plays every game."
After an impressive AFC East victory against Miami, the Jets have begun an untimely tailspin that needs to be corrected quickly if the team has aspirations of seeing postseason play.
"Obviously this is not where we wanted to be (2-5)," Tight End Orson Charles said. "There is nothing to do but to keep fighting."
The Jets head home next week to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

2015 Season - Week #7

Buffalo @ Jacksonville (London, England)

                                    1         2         3         4         FINAL

BUFFALO                 0         7         3         14       24

JACKSONVILLE    3         14       3         6         26

LONDON – Aaron Rodgers thought he had put his nightmare 3-interception day behind him with a 4^th quarter scoring drive that put his team up 24-23 with 22-seconds remaining – All the Bills (3-4) needed was one stop.

Blake Bortles and the Jaguars had other plans in mind.

Three consecutive completions by Bortles left rookie placekicker Jason Myers with a 47-yard field goal for the win.

Myers delivered.

“Not a huge fan of that defense we ran there at the end,” Rex Ryan said. “We needed one stop and just couldn’t get it.”

The 3-pick game for Rodgers represented a low point for the All-Pro quarterback.

“I just don’t know what happened today,” Rodgers said. “The bye is coming at a good time for me and our whole squad.”

Markus Wheaton was the lone bright spot for the Bills offense with seven catches for 97 yards and a touchdown.

The Buffalo defense held their own in London versus a steady Jaguars running game, but couldn’t make enough plays in the end.

“I really thought we had them there with that late touchdown,” Clay Mathews said. “We will keep working and grinding.”

The Bills will try to rest up during their bye week before facing their division rivals from New York.

Houston @ Miami

                                    1         2         3         4         FINAL

HOUSTON                 7         3         7         6         23

MIAMI                      0         7         6         5         18      

MIAMI – The Ryan Fitzpatrick era in Miami (2-4) started slowly and ended in heartbreaking fashion with a 23-18 loss at the hands of the Houston Texans Sunday in Miami.

With a 4^th and goal from the Houston 1-yard line with seven seconds remaining, the Dolphins were stuffed and had to limp off the field with the loss.

“That’s our mentality: running the football,” Joe Philbin said. “If we can’t get one yard we don’t deserve to win.”

Fitzpatrick threw a pair of first half interceptions, as he seemed to get his feet wet with the new offense.

“Not my best effort,” Fitzpatrick said. “No loss is forever, but this one stung a bit.”

Miami looked sluggish throughout and could not finish drives with touchdowns throughout the day.

Khalil Mack picked up two sacks on the day but was not able to help his team seal the deal in the end.

“Nobody likes losing,” Mack said. “I’m upset – that’s all I can say.”

The Dolphins will have no time to feel sorry for themselves as they head to Foxboro to face the Patriots on Thursday night.

New York Jets @ New England

                                    1         2         3         4         FINAL

NEW YORK              0         0         0         14       14

NEW ENGLAND     6         3         6         10       25

FOXBORO – The New England Patriots (6-0, 2-0 AFC East) were in control throughout as they dismantled the New York Jets (2-4, 1-1) Sunday at home.

Tom Brady didn’t mince his words after a game that was filled with trash talk on both sides.

“They came in chirping and talking,” Brady said. “They weren’t talking at the end.”

Jets coach Todd Bowles was less than happy with his team’s effort.

“I’m super frustrated with everything about that game,” Bowles said. “We never thought we’d be two-and-four – we have playoff aspirations.”

Quarterback Cam Newton played efficiently on the day but was unable to find any big plays on the day.

“They had a good plan to stop us,” Newton said. “It’s a division game, so we’ll get another shot at them.”

Runningback LeGarrette Blount ended the day with 26-carries for 144 yards rushing on the day.

“I heard all week about that d-line,” Blount said. “Didn’t seem like much to me.” 
The Jets will look to regroup next week as they visit the Black Hole in Oakland.

2015 Season - Week #6

Washington @ New York Jets

                                    1         2         3         4         FINAL

WASHINGTON        3         7         3         3         16

NEW YORK              7         6         0         0         13

NEW YORK – Two goal line interceptions, one with 17 seconds on the clock, by Cam Newton sealed the fate of the New York Jets (2-3) as they dropped a heartbreaker to the Washington Redskins 16-13 Sunday in the Meadowlands.

Newton finished completing 77% of his passes on the day with 270 yards, but the pair of ill-timed turnovers were all anyone could focus on after the game.

“It was just one of those days man,” Newton said. “I do feel like we played well enough to win, but I can’t turn those over there.”

Jordan Reed had a big game for the conservative play-calling Redskins offense picking up 127 yards and a touchdown.

“We run the AFC East,” Reed said. “I can’t wait to see New England and Buffalo – keep them coming.”

New York was unable to continue their momentum following their impressive London victory against the Dolphins two weeks ago.  Todd Bowles and his Jets will need to pick themselves up quickly as they travel to Foxboro to take on the first place Patriots next week.

Cincinnati @ Buffalo

                                    1         2         3         4         OT       FINAL

CINCINNATI           7         10       3         7         0         27

BUFFALO                 7         14       0         6         3         30

BUFFALO – As overtime began and it became apparent that the Bills would get another shot at victory, Toddy Gurley wanted the ball in his hands.

“I told coach (Rex Ryan) to let me handle the work,” Gurley said. “No disrespect to anyone out there, but our o-line and I weren’t going to leave without that W.”

Gurley carried the ball 8 times during an 11-play, 68-yard game winning drive culminated in a redeeming 32-yard Dan Carpenter field goal to put the Bills at 3-3 on the young season.

“When you miss a potential game winner, it hurts,” Carpenter said. “But I’m grateful our D (defense) held up enough to give me a second chance.”

Gurley finished with 207 total yards and a touchdown on the day.

Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton finished with a perfect passer rating with a 29-33, 419 yard, 2 TD performance.

“It wasn’t enough today,” Dalton said. “My hat’s off to those guys over there.”

The Bills head off to London next week to face the 1-5 Jacksonville Jaguars in Wembley Stadium.

Miami @ Tennessee

                                    1         2         3         4         FINAL

MIAMI                      7         3         7         7         24

TENNESSEE            3         7         17       14       41

NASHVILLE – A second half meltdown including three Jimmy Garoppolo interceptions spelled disaster for the Miami Dolphins (2-3) on Sunday in their 41-24 defeat at the hands of the Tennessee Titans.

With the game out of reach early in the 4^th  quarter, Garoppolo scampered 17 yards for a meaningless touchdown before proceeding to perform a summersault spin as he crossed the goal line in an ill-fated attempt at a celebration despite his team being down by three scores. Team captain Khalil Mack grabbed their rookie quarterback by the facemask and forced him to sit between Marcell Dareus and Star Lotulelei during the television timeout while the veterans gave him an earful.

“I appreciate Khalil intervening there,” Joe Philbin said. “But there’s no place for that in this game. Jimmy won’t see starting time in the near future.”

Philbin, a man of his word after defeats this season, worked with his owner and general manager after the game to acquire Ryan Fitzpatrick from the Patriots for a 2017 7^th rounder and Brett Hundley.

“I have no idea what’s going on to be honest,” Fitzpatrick said via teleconference. “It’s pretty rare to be traded during a season but a bit more rare to be traded while my team is warming up behind me.”

Garoppolo, when hearing of the news, was noticeably dismayed.

“I wasn’t trying to show off,” Garoppolo said. “I honestly blacked out or something. Those picks threw me off and I tried to blow off some steam when I finally got into the endzone.”

The Fitzpatrick-led Dolphins will look to steady the rocky ship against the Houston Texans next week.