Bills shuffle off to Detroit and pound Jets, 38-3

After a week of frightening weather, an abbreviated practice schedule and an out-of-state trip to play a “home” game, the Buffalo Bills played one of their best performances of the season.

Kyle Orton threw two touchdown passes, Robert Woods pulled off a slick one-handed catch and Scott Chandler added a snow-themed celebration as the Bills shook off a rough week and drubbed the New York Jets, 38-3, on Monday night.

Heavy snow in the Buffalo area forced the Bills to move the game to Detroit, but there were plenty of Bills fans in attendance at Ford Field. Buffalo (6-5) couldn’t even practice before arriving in Michigan on Friday, but it was the Jets (2-9) who looked out of sorts all night.

Orton threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Woods in the first quarter, and the second-year receiver from USC made a one-handed catch for a 27-yard gain to set up another touchdown in the second. Chandler caught a 19-yard scoring pass from Orton to make it 14-3 late in the half, and then mimicked a shoveling motion in the end zone.

Chandler needed a snowmobile to get out of his neighborhood before the team traveled to the Detroit area, and the Bills faced logistical issues for several days. Tickets to the game were given out for free, and although Ford Field wasn’t quite full, the crowd of 56,044 created a solid atmosphere in prime time.

“Our fans are phenomenal,” Buffalo Coach Doug Marrone said. “When I first came out there, you don’t know what to expect. . . . Obviously, you get concerned whether is it going to be a home field or things like that, or be ready for a silent count. Then all of a sudden when I came out and looked to the right, and I saw all of those blue jerseys, I was like, ‘Holy cow, baby. Here we go. We’ve got the crowd.’”

It was Buffalo’s second victory of the year in Detroit — the Bills beat the Lions in early October. The field was repainted for this game, with Buffalo’s team logo at midfield and “BILLS” in both end zones.

“That was a horrible performance,” Jets Coach Rex Ryan said. “We didn’t block, we didn’t tackle, we didn’t do anything.”