After the Buffalo Bills’ postseason hopes came crashing down last week in the team’s meltdown performance in Washington, all hell broke loose, in the locker room with players openly questioning the defensive scheme and the effort of their teammates, and in the local media with heavy criticism of head coach Rex Ryan and reports that general manager Doug Whaley’s job could be in jeopardy. So, with all the negative karma surrounding the team coupled with the announcement that the team’s only Pro Bowler, LeSean McCoy, would be out with a knee injury, all of Buffalo’s fan base wondered how the Bills would come out and play in a meaningless game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Well, their effort was certainly there, even though the game resembled an early preseason game. Both teams were missing key pieces due to injury, big plays were at a minimum and you needed a program to identify some of the players on the field. Buffalo pulled out a 16-6 win, as their defense managed to hold the Cowboys’ offense to just over 300 yards of total offense and only a pair of field goals. Facing a fourth string quarterback making his first NFL start in Kellen Moore, the Bills’ defense still couldn’t muster any kind of a pass rush and allowed Dallas to convert half of their third downs into first downs. They did manage to come up with a couple of turnovers, with A.J. Tarpley intercepting a tipped pass and forcing a fumble on a kickoff that sealed the win.
The offensive star of the game was Buffalo’s diamond-in-the-rough running back, Mike Gillislee, who rushed for 93 yards on only 9 carries. He set up Buffalo’s first score when he took a Tyrod Taylor swing pass and fought his way down to the one yard line, setting up a Karlos Williams TD. He then put the game away with a 50 yard scoring run in the final minutes. Gillislee is using these last few games of the year to make a strong case for a permanent roster spot in 2016. The push for the playoffs is over for the Bills, but their finale next week is anything but a meaningless game. They’ll face the New York Jets, coach Rex Ryan’s old team, who will likely need to win to secure a wild card playoff spot.