Where Are They Now? Fitzpatrick Falls in QB Shootout

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 outsaide of the labs and law offices of the world.

Down four points in the final seconds of today's matchup, Ryan Fitzpatrick ‘05 had to live up to his nickname to get the Buffalo Bills (5-6)the win. But “Fitzmagic” was not magical enough as he threw behind his receiver, falling to the New York Jets in a crucial AFC East matchup, 28-24.

Despite the missed scoring opportunity late, Fitzpatrick provided the offensive spark for the Bills all game, throwing for 264 yards with three touchdowns and rushing for 34. He ended the game with a passer rating of 111.5.

Fitzpatrick outshone his Jets counterpart, Mark Sanchez, in the first half, but the two were locked in a shootout as the game went into the fourth quarter tied. After a Bills field goal with ten minutes remaining, Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress pulled in a one-handed grab to set up the go-ahead touchdown.

With a minute left, Fitzpatrick tried to execute a quick drive that needed to result in a touchdown for the win. But after a long completion was dropped by Buffalo wide receiver Stevie Johnson, Fitzpatrick threw behind the receiver for the second mishap of the drive.

The loss extends the Bills’ losing streak to four and also means they fall behind the Jets in the AFC East standings.

While Fitzpatrick and the Bills fell, Matt Birk ’98 and his Baltimore Ravens handed the San Francisco 49ers theirs second loss of the season and took the lead in the AFC North.

Birk was part of an offensive line that helped quarterback Joe Flacco and running backs Ray Rice and Ricky Williams combine for 253 total yards of offense in the Baltimore’s 16-6 defeat of San Francisco which ended the 49ers eight-game winning streak. The offensive line did not allow a sack in the game, while their San Francisco counterparts gave up a franchise-record tying nine sacks.

With an 8-3 record, the Ravens extend their home winning streak to six games and look poised to make a strong run at the playoffs.

In other sports news, the NBA lockout has finally ended after 149 days, and Jeremy Lin ’10 looks set to wear the Golden State Warriors’ jersey soon.

The point guard tweeted Saturday night, “I HAVE A JOB AGAIN!!! yesssssssssss,” showing how excited he is for the league to resume on Christmas Day for an abbreviated 66-game season.