Bills run past Cowboys, 16-6
ORCHARD PARK – Rex Ryan claimed his slightly delayed appearance at his postgame press conference Sunday afternoon had nothing to do with him watching the end of the thrilling Jets-Patriots overtime game.
"No," he said flatly.
OK, whatever. Count me as skeptical that running back Mike Gillislee was sent to the podium first as New York was scoring in overtime to beat New England, meaning Ryan Fitzpatrick's Jets will come to Buffalo for the season finale with a chance for a win-and-you're-in playoff scenario with none other than ex-Jets coach Ryan standing in their way.
Of course Ryan was watching, because now, thanks to the Jets win and the Steelers' improbable loss to Baltimore, this isn't at all just another meaningless season-ending game for a Buffalo franchise that has specialized in playing that very type of game through the years. No one's running for the bus next week, I'll guarantee you that.
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"I don't really feel anything about it," Ryan said when it was brought up to him, just in case he was telling the truth, that the Jets won, creating the aforementioned stakes. "I just know we're gonna give them our best shot, without question."
Their best shot had better be more effective than the one they threw at the Cowboys as the Bills had to sweat out a 16-6 victory on a rainy, windy, gloomy afternoon at Ralph Wilson Stadium against a Dallas team that actually had the nerve to trot out Kellen Moore as its starting quarterback.
One would think it will be, if the temperature in the Bills' locker room was any indication.
"We're not going to the playoffs, so the Super Bowl is next week for us," said running back Boobie Dixon, a man who is often prone to a bit of hyperbole. "I know we're gonna have a lot of guys jacked. We already know what's on the line. We've got something to play for now. We've been having something to play for, that's our respect and our pride; we always want that. But to send them home packing, that would be great."
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Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, a man not prone to an ounce of hyperbole, ever, took it down a notch when he said, "It's not the Super Bowl, but it's definitely a big game for us and we're looking forward to it."
So yes, this won't be the typical blah fest that so many of these Week 17 affairs have been since the turn of the century for the Bills. There's some real juice, and you know Fitzpatrick will be fired up for his first game back at the Ralph since 2012, after which he was dumped because the Bills drafted EJ Manuel.
And speaking of fired up, like Dixon, Jets linebacker Calvin Pace is already there, saying, "It's going to be a bloodbath. It's going to be one of those games where they are physical, we are physical. They are not going to be playing for a playoff spot, but Rex will have those guys ready to go and fired up."
Yeah, probably. It's just that the Jets will be playing for a postseason berth and the Bills will be playing to stroke Ryan's ego and give him a two-game sweep in games against his former team this season.
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Too bad Ryan couldn't elicit the same expected fire and brimstone attitude from the Bills when they played the Giants, or the Jaguars, or the Eagles, all teams that Buffalo lost to, all teams that aren't going to the playoffs, all teams that Buffalo certainly seemed to hold a talent advantage over. Had that been the case, Sunday's finale would have really been must-see TV, almost certainly flexed into the Sunday Night Football slot.
That same problem almost reared its ugly head Sunday. The 4-11 Cowboys are awful, yet with 6:53 remaining, they were down just 9-6 and had the Bills backed up at their own 8-yard-line. The Bills had been sputtering all day on offense, and only because Moore was quarterbacking a Dallas team that was minus Dez Bryant were the Bills clinging to that slim lead.
But let's give the Bills some credit. When they absolutely needed to put together a big drive, they responded in a big way. Taylor made a dazzling scramble on third-and-6 to convert a crucial first down at the Buffalo 19, and that play, maybe the biggest one of the game, seemed to sap whatever life the Cowboys had left.
"Yeah, that's Tyrod being Tyrod," guard Richie Incognito said of the play where Taylor could have been sacked about three times but somehow eluded everyone. "That's what makes him special."
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From there, three tough Karlos Williams runs produced another first down, then Mike Gillislee broke a 15-yarder, and two plays later, Gillislee skipped around the right end and raced 50 yards for the touchdown that put the game away.
"He’s the fastest slow guy I’ve ever seen," Ryan said, referring to Gillislee's poor 40-yard dash time at the 2013 combine which dropped him to the fifth round, chosen by Miami. "Once he gets out in the clear ... you know that’s two games in a row he’s housed a couple of them. But the kid just does a tremendous job for us and really gotta tip your hat to him."
So now there's one game to go in this disappointing Bills season, and even though it should be fun to watch given the matchup and what's on the line, even Ryan knows this is not how anyone in Buffalo envisioned the 2015 regular season would end.
"It’s certainly not what we were wanting," Ryan said. "The feeling for us, it’s like we don’t want to be in a spoiler role. And I think when you look at that next year, and everything else, we don’t want to be in that role. We want to be in the role of we win and we’re in. That’s where we want to be and that’s what we expect. That’s what we expected going into this season. Obviously didn’t happen."