Defense shines in key moments as Bills knock out Jets, strengthen AFC East lead

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — All game long, the Buffalo Bills gave up uncharacteristic big plays against the New York Jets. None more notable than allowing the Jets to score on a Hail Mary at the end of the first half to make it a three-point game, despite the Bills’ offense scoring a touchdown on three of its first four drives.

But it was on another throw when nickel corner Taron Johnson announced his return to the starting lineup in the loudest way possible, picking off an Aaron Rodgers pass with just under two minutes remaining to preserve a 23-20 win.

Johnson, a 2023 second-team All-Pro, was playing in his first game since Week 1 when he suffered a forearm injury.

The Bills’ defense gave up eight plays of 20 or more yards to the Jets. In the first three games of the year, the Bills allowed seven such plays. That number is now at 15 from Weeks 4 to 6. Buffalo also allowed a Jets offense that came into the game averaging 80.4 rushing yards per game to get 121 yards on the ground.

The unit was saved by two missed field goals by Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein in the second half, in addition to a strong red zone defense that allowed the Jets to convert on one of four red zone trips.

Though the Bills missed opportunities (notably where penalties were involved), they came away with the win by forcing needed turnovers and avoiding crucial mistakes. Quarterback Josh Allen has now gone six straight games without throwing an interception, the longest stretch of his career.

Describe the game in two words: Bouncing back. It wasn’t pretty, but the Bills avoided their first three-game losing streak since 2018 and maintained a significant lead in the AFC East.

Eye-popping stat: Josh Allen was traveling 16.26 mph when he let go of the ball on his 42-yard completion to RB Ray Davis in the second quarter, the fastest speed by a quarterback on a deep completion (20-plus air yards) over the past two-plus seasons (since Week 1, 2022), per NFL Next Gen Stats.

Most surprising performance: Davis. Ty Johnson has been the team’s second back behind James Cook in terms of snaps, and while Davis has flashed his potential, this was a significant performance on a night when Cook (toe) was inactive. Davis’ 116 scrimmage yards in the first half were the most by a Bills rookie in a half since 1980. He finished with 20 rushes for 97 yards and three catches for 55 more. This offense is at its best when the running game gets going, and this kind of depth behind Cook is a good sign.

Troubling trend: Tyler Bass‘ kicking. Bass’ woes have been a concern since training camp, and Monday night was a reminder. While it was a blustery night — 17 mph sustained winds and gusts in the 30-35 mph range — the issues aren’t new. Bass likely would have missed a PAT that went very wide left, but it was also blocked, and he missed a 47-yard field goal too. He made a 22-yard field goal in the fourth quarter but is now 2-of-5 from 40-49 yards this season (tied for the 31st-worst percentage from that distance). — Alaina Getzenberg

Next game: vs. Titans (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

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New head coach, new offensive playcaller, same result for the New York Jets, who dropped their third straight game and missed a chance to grab a share of first place in the AFC East.

Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, who replaced the abruptly fired Robert Saleh six days ago, presided over the same kind of performance that prompted owner Woody Johnson to sack Saleh: too many penalties (11 for 110 yards), too many wasted opportunities and too many points left on the field, including a pair of missed field goals by kicker Greg Zuerlein in the second half.

The Jets showed some signs of life on offense under new playcaller Todd Downing, who replaced the demoted Nathaniel Hackett, but the result was another crushing loss. They have lost by a combined 10 points in the past three games, and now they’re on the verge of falling out of contention.

It wasn’t supposed to go like this for the Jets (2-4), who fancied themselves as Super Bowl contenders. Johnson called this the best roster he has had in 25 years, but it’s not performing up to expectations. Not even close. Johnson figured a coaching shake-up would help, but this was just more of the same. Unless they turn it around quickly, the 2024 Jets will go down as one of the biggest busts in recent history.

QB breakdown: You can hold the “Rodgers-is-washed up” headlines. Rebounding from last week’s three-interception clunker, Aaron Rodgers passed for 294 yards — just shy of his first 300-yard performance in 28 games. Typical, right? The whole night was just a tease. Rodgers played well enough to win, but he was undermined by three dropped passes; the Jets lead the league in drops. Rodgers (23-for-35, 2 TD, 1 INT) made one magical moment, a 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown to end the first half, but he ran out of magic with an interception on the Jets’ final drive of the game.

Most surprising performance: Welcome back, Breece Hall. A nonfactor in the previous two games, Hall came alive with Downing calling the plays. Buffalo’s shaky run defense might have had something to do with it, too. Either way, Hall was back to his dual-threat ways, producing 113 yards rushing and 56 receiving. There was more creativity in the run game and the holes were bigger. Ultimately, it wasn’t good enough because of the red zone inefficiency (1-for-4).

Troubling trend: What is it with the Jets and backup running backs? They had no answers for rookie Ray Davis (152 yards from scrimmage), who replaced James Cook and became the latest understudy to shine against them. Remember Week 1? San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey was a late scratch and in came Jordan Mason, who rushed for a career-high 147 yards. Truth is, the Jets’ run defense wasn’t very good. Once again, the tackling was shoddy, and the gap discipline left a lot to be desired. Linebacker C.J. Mosley returned from a three-game toe injury, but he played limited snaps as Jamien Sherwood remained the Mike linebacker. Mosley was removed in the nickel.

Eye-popping stat: Rodgers’ Hail Mary to Allen Lazard traveled 52 air yards — the most on a completion by a Jets quarterback since Mark Sanchez in 2010. It was the fourth Hail Mary touchdown of Rodgers’ career; no other player had more than two since 2008. — Rich Cimini

Next game: at Steelers (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday)