Where Are They Now? Bills Roll Over Struggling Eagles

In a new weekly feature, The Crimson will be tracking the successes (and potential failures) of some of Harvard’s most successful graduates not to use their Harvard degrees. While a tour through professional sports is not exactly a who’s who of Harvard alumni, a few athletes have taken their game to the next level. From Jeremy Lin to Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Crimson maintains a presence outside of the labs and law offices of the world.

In this edition of “Where Are They Now,” our focus continues to be on Ryan Fitzpatrick '05. Fitzpatrick and the Buffalo Bills played host to Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Following last weekend’s disappointing three-point loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bills had hoped to recover in their matchup against Philadelphia.

The Bills didn’t seem to be intimidated by the once-touted “Dream Team,” as Fitzpatrick and Co. put up 21 points on the board in the first half. In the second quarter, the Harvard alum capped a 77-yard drive by connecting with wideout David Nelson for his only touchdown of the day. Buffalo never looked back and earned itself a 31-24 victory.

Fitzpatrick finished the day with 193 passing yards, the lowest total of his 2011 breakout season. The drop-off was due in part to the Buffalo running game. The Eagles had no answer for Bills running back Fred Jackson, who ran the ball 26 times and finished with 111 yards on the ground

Buffalo’s typically weak defense made great strides in Sunday’s matchup. The Bills harassed Michael Vick throughout the contest, forcing the four-time Pro Bowler to throw four interceptions.

Following Sunday’s victory over the Eagles, Buffalo moved to 4-1 and remained atop the AFC East. The squad will hit the gridiron again next week in a Cinderella matchup with QB Rex Grossman and the 3-1 Washington Redskins.