I usually review the network announcers calling weekly Buffalo Bills games.
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Grading the Buffalo Bills in their 30-10 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
But I decided today it would be better to share the review that CBS analyst Tony Romo gave late in the second half when discussing the Bills offensive line during their team's 30-10 victory over the New York Jets Sunday.
“They made this game simple but slightly boring,” said Romo.
Slightly boring?
That was an understatement, especially following the Bills’ last-second, 41-40, heart-stopping comeback victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the Sept. 7 season opener.
Of course, most Bills fans are always content with slightly boring victories.
Sunday’s game certainly wasn’t what Romo and many so-called pregame experts – including former Bills and former Jets coach Rex Ryan – expected after the Bills’ run defense was gashed in the win over Baltimore and after the strong play of Jets quarterback Justin Fields in a last-second 34-32 Jets loss to Pittsburgh a week ago.
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Before Sunday’s game started, Romo called it a “trap game” for the Bills after their exciting victory over Baltimore. On ESPN, Ryan was among the experts who put the Bills on “upset alert.”
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"Whenever I sit on a pass play and sit out wide and push a guy even wider, I have a feeling Josh has a chance to hit the gap. If I own a guy and throw him down or something like that, it almost guarantees it depending on the coverage," Torrence said.
Whether they heard the slights or not, the Bills played like they felt insulted and were looking for another apology.
A week ago, many Bills fans apologized to quarterback Josh Allen for leaving the Ravens game early and missing the comeback.
The experts who thought Fields and Jets running back Breece Hall could duplicate what the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry did on “Sunday Night Football” might consider giving the Bills an apology after Sunday’s victory.
The Bills offensive line was so dominating in the run game that Romo later compared the game to watching the dominating teams at the University of Alabama play an easy opponent.
Play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz threw out Middle Tennessee State, which might have put up a better fight against the old Crimson Tide teams coached by Nick Saban than the Jets did against the Bills.
It was never a game after the Bills scored on their first touchdown drive and kicked a field goal after a Fields fumble to take a 10-0 lead.
It became one-sided so early that the primary reason to keep watching was to hear what CBS' No. 1 team Romo and Nantz had to say about the Bills.
Nantz and Romo went deep down into the garbage time bag to try and make the broadcast entertaining. They spent time celebrating Nantz’s 40-year CBS career covering the NFL; playing the old CBS theme song for the NFL; and airing an old black-and-white clip of the first game in 1960 between the Bills and the Jets, who were then called the New York Titans.
Nantz deserved some love, as did the CBS theme song. And the clip of the Titans-Bills game made me smile.
The one-sided game also allowed the announcers time to discuss the favorable Bills schedule, which means they won’t play a team that made last year’s playoffs until the home game against the defending AFC champ Kansas City (now 0-2) on Nov. 2 that Nantz and Romo have been assigned.
For trivia experts, CBS trotted out the little-known tidbit that referee Clete Blackman played quarterback for Nebraska in the 1980s under legendary coach Tom Osborne. Where was the black-and-white footage?
The only suspenseful moment Sunday came when Allen rushed to the sideline after taking a shot to his nose by Jets defensive lineman Michael Clemons on a scramble.
Buffalo Bills NY Jets NFL Football
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) has his nose worked on after being injured against the New York Jets during the first half at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News
Nantz and Romo immediately thought Allen’s rush to the sideline meant the injury had to be serious before realizing he had a bloody nose.
“This is not OK,” said Romo after Allen missed two plays. “He would never do this … He wouldn’t sit out this long unless it was something.”
Sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson noted Allen was “bleeding profusely” and had cotton in his nostril. She speculated that Allen’s nose may have been broken and he may have needed to be X-rayed after the game.
But the quarterback, his nose noticeably swollen, made light of it during a postgame interview with Wolfson.
Nantz made light of it, too, after determining the injury apparently wasn’t serious.
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“Good thing the wedding photos were taken in late May,” said Nantz of the quarterback’s wedding to singer-actress Hailee Steinfeld.
“You are terrible,” replied Romo.
The Jets were actually terrible.
Romo was Mr. Brightside regarding Fields, saying he was accurate BEFORE he immediately proved otherwise by throwing back-to-back inaccurate passes.
Nantz and Romo seemed to have bought the Jets’ Kool-Aid and were hopeful that last week’s close loss to Pittsburgh would be the beginning of the end of the frustration of Jets fans, who have something in common with Buffalo Sabres fans: a long playoff drought.
Check that. Nantz and Romo almost seemed to be rooting for new Jets coach Aaron Glenn and his team to at least make it a competitive game. Of course, it is their job to keep fans watching.
But by game’s end, CBS’ cameras told the story as they focused on a Jets fan in the stands, who immediately put his thumbs down.
“There’s the evaluation,” deadpanned Nantz.
Then there was another shot of a Jets fan with head in hands.
Now let’s move on to some more evaluations of the broadcast:
Romo’s Take: The game didn’t need much deep analysis from Romo, who correctly pointed out that Bills running back James Cook (132 yards rushing, two touchdowns) was a bigger factor than Allen because the Bills knew the way to beat the Jets is by focusing on the running game. He had high praise for Allen’s mental command of the offense and for pass rusher Joey Bosa. Romo said if Bosa stays healthy, “he’ll be a huge deal for them.”
Say What?: With the Bills ahead, 10-0, and driving for another score, Romo said he felt like the Jets were “controlling the game but they are beating themselves.” He got the second part right.
The Silly Remark: Romo before the Jets lone touchdown in the final minute: “This actually is a big play, I know it sounds silly.” It was silly.
A Silly Timeout: Romo was right to criticize the Bills for taking a timeout late in the first half that eventually allowed the Jets to have a chance to kick a field goal before halftime. Fields threw three incomplete passes to make the decision moot.
No Jinx: Before Bills kicker Matt Prater went out to make a 52-yard field goal, Nantz mentioned Prater had made an NFL record of 81 field goals beyond 50 yards. After Prater made No. 82, Romo told Nantz, “that was big for you.” Presumably, Romo meant because Nantz didn’t jinx the kick. Nantz added context by mentioning Prater had kicked for Denver for years, suggesting the high altitude may have been part of his over 50-yard line success. “I was ready to live with it,” said Nantz of possibly jinxing the kick.
“Next Level”: Romo used his favorite expression to describe Cook’s 44-yard touchdown run, which included an amazing jump cut. “I’m not saying he’s underrated,” Romo said of Cook. “But he’s underrated.”
Beyond Recognition: Nantz said Glenn “doesn’t recognize his team” from the Steelers game before as they fell behind 20-0. Longtime Jets fans recognized them.
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The Dick Jauron School of Coaching: Romo was surprisingly OK with Glenn kicking a field goal on a 4th and short late in the first half with the Jets trailing, 20-0. “You’ve got to get on the board.” They trailed 20-3 after Nick Folk made the meaningless kick. Glenn must have not gotten the message that you don’t beat Allen, Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson by kicking field goals.
Living the Dream: That’s how Nantz described getting the announcing job he wanted since he was 11 years old.
The Perfect Fit: Nantz reminded viewers that the Jets had a chance to draft Allen when they chose Sam Darnold in the first round of the 2018 draft. He then described Allen’s marriage with the Bills and the Western New York community as “the perfect fit.” Romo replied, “if he’s in New York, I’d think he’d be the perfect fit, too.” That’s debatable, especially when you consider Darnold and Geno Smith are evidence that a quarterback has a better chance of success after leaving the Jets.
Hidden Yardage: After detailing the lack of first half offensive production of the Bills despite their big lead, Romo said their big lead was the result of “hidden yardage” from all the Jets penalties and mistakes. The Jets yardage was really hidden. They ended up with 154 total yards and much of that came in garbage time.
Good Question: With the Jets well behind, Romo said asked: “How good is Justin Fields?” He added the Jets were essentially telling him they need him “to save us.” It's only one game, but the answer to Romo’s question appeared to be, Fields still is “not very good” and the Jets need a different savior.
Playing it Safe: Romo smartly called out the Bills decision to run on a third and four yards to go on the first drive of the second half, up 20-3. “Just a little too safe,” said Romo of the failed play. “There’s a lot of game left.” Prater kicked another field goal for the Bills to go up 23-3. It looked like the Jets would have needed until October to score 24 points at that point.
Restaurant Report: Allen changed one play with an alert by saying “Mangia, Mangia, Mangia” at the line of scrimmage. Mangia is an Italian word meaning “eat.” It also is the name of an Orchard Park restaurant. In addition, there is a Mangia Tour in New Jersey that goes to food places depicted in the classic HBO mob series “The Sopranos.” I would think Allen was referring to the Orchard Park restaurant and not “The Sopranos.” If he were, maybe he will have upcoming alerts saying “Hutch’s, Hutch’s, Hutch’s” or “Bar-Bill, Bar-Bill, Bar-Bill.”
Good Memory: During the game, Nantz had many instant references to past incidents in Bills games, including a postgame tunnel scuffle in 2023 between the Jets’ Michael Clemons and Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins.
The Backflips: Elijah Moore, the ex-Jet who some Bills fans wanted to cut in preseason, scored a rushing touchdown and caught a 31-yard pass. He celebrated at game's end by doing back-to-back backflips during the Bills’ victory formation.
The Future: The Bills game with winless Miami on Prime Video's "Thursday Night Football" is being simulcast on WKBW-TV (Channel 7) with Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit on the call. Old friend Ryan Fitzpatrick, a big Allen fan, is part of the Prime Video pregame show. Bills fans would probably do some backflips for another “simple but boring” game.
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