http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/16/sports/football/jets-and-ryan-fitzpatrick-get-vindication-against-rex-ryan-and-bills.html 2016-09-16 07:03:54 Jets and Ryan Fitzpatrick Get Vindication Against Rex Ryan and Bills Fitzpatrick threw for 374 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions, as the Jets outlasted Buffalo in a back-and-forth game and helped send their former coach Ryan to his first 0-2 start. === ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The game that was supposed to be a defensive battle turned into an offensive shootout as The game was vindication for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who had been 1-8 against teams coached by Bills Coach Rex Ryan, including two losses last season that included a painful defeat in the final game, when Buffalo ended the Jets’ playoff chances. But on Thursday night, before a national television audience, Fitzpatrick ruled the game, throwing for 374 yards as he avoided turnovers and kept Buffalo’s defense on the field for sustained stretches. The win was the first for the Jets in Buffalo since 2011. Ryan, who coached the Jets for six years before being fired after the 2014 season, has started a season 0-2 for the first time as a head coach. The tone for the game was set early, as the Jets moved methodically downfield on drives of 62, 75, 66 and 77 yards to score on their first four possessions. The Jets led, 20-10, at intermission and did not punt until the third quarter. Fitzpatrick — who threw five interceptions in those two losses to the Bills last season — picked apart the Buffalo secondary for 211 yards and a passing touchdown before halftime. On the opening drive, the Jets grabbed a 3-0 lead on a 28-yard field goal by Nick Folk after stalling on the Bills’ 6-yard line when Brent Qvale was flagged for a false start and Fitzpatrick’s shovel pass to Bilal Powell fell incomplete. Fitzpatrick dropped back 21 times in the first half, scrambling on four plays to gain critical yards and keep drives alive as running back Matt Forte struggled to break free against Buffalo’s defensive front. On the Jets’ second possession, Folk booted a 29-yard field goal to pull the Jets within one point, 7-6. On their next two drives, the Jets scored on a 1-yard plunge by Forte, and Fitzpatrick found Eric Decker on a 5-yard slant in the end zone. The Jets dominated time of possession, but the Bills benefited from big plays and turnovers. Buffalo amassed 155 yards of offense — nearly matching their total from Week 1, a 13-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens — on two passing plays alone. The first came on the Bills’ first possession with an 84-yard touchdown pass from Tyrod Taylor to Marquise Goodwin, who sprinted past cornerback Darrelle Revis, caught the ball in stride and raced into the end zone. It was the longest touchdown pass at home in Bills history. Taylor later connected with Greg Salas for a 71-yard touchdown on Buffalo’s first possession of the second half. Facing third-and-6, Taylor was flushed out of the pocket. Rolling right, he located Salas behind safety Rontez Miles. Salas ran into the end zone untouched, cutting the Jets’ lead to 20-17. On the ensuring Jets’ drive, Fitzpatrick found Jalin Marshall for a completion, but the ball was jarred loose by linebacker Preston Brown, and cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman scooped it up and sprinted 36 yards for a touchdown and a 24-20 Bills lead. But the Jets would come back, moving 84 yards on a 12-play drive that was capped by a 3-yard run by Forte to regain the lead, 27-24. Following a Marcus Williams interception of Taylor, Fitzpatrick maneuvered his team into scoring territory, where Folk kicked a 36-yard field goal for a 30-24 lead that put the Jets firmly in control.