Win Probability Added: +16.12
NEP: +8.14
The first quarter is all about setting the tone of the game. If you can establish your game plan over an opponent early, then you have a psychological advantage. We should be more in tune with the signs that the first quarter of NFL games show; they often are more indicative of teams’ inclinations and game plans than we would like to believe. That means we should’ve taken Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor's bomb drop in the first quarter as a sign that their tilt against the New York Jets was going to be more shootout than defensive struggle.
Sure enough, Taylor let it fly deep down the right sideline in the first quarter, picking on struggling cornerback Darrelle Revis. Speedster Marquise Goodwin beat Revis off the snap, then simply outraced him to the ball 50 yards downfield. Revis got tangled and tumbled, while Goodwin reached up and simply roasted him for 84 yards and a score on one play. But that’s not the only deep-throw magic Taylor pulled off in this game…