Bills 23-20 Jets (Oct. 14, 2024) Game Recap

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills were expecting to go into halftime against the New York Jets with a 10-point lead and all that momentum.

That changed with a stunning pass from Aaron Rodgers that sent the Jets and their fans into a frenzy and sent social media into a frenzy.

“Kind of a slap in the face,” Allen said.

But he and the Bills overcame Rodgers' 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown throw at the end of the first half to top the Jets 23-20 on Monday night and take control of the AFC East to start the season.

“We fight through adversity, come to halftime, regroup and say, let’s just take control one play at a time,” Allen said. “We didn’t get as many points in the second half as I would have liked, but we found a way.”

Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and Tyler Bass made up for an earlier miss by kicking a go-ahead 22-yard field goal with 3:43 left to give the Bills (4-2). helped snap a two-game skid. They have never lost three in a row since Allen started at quarterback.

“It was a tough win led by Josh,” coach Sean McDermott said.

The loss was the third in a row for the Jets (2-4), who capped a tumultuous week in which coach Robert Saleh was fired, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich replaced him and interim coach and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was demoted from the game. Obligations to appeal in favor of Todd Downing.

“Yeah, it’s been a weird week,” Rodgers said.

Normally reliable kicker Greg Zuerlein missed two would-be field goals for the Jets, hitting the left upright on both.

The game was also full of yellow penalty flags – both teams had 11 penalties.

Allen finished 19 of 25 for 215 yards. Rookie Ray Davis, filling in for the injured James Cook, ran for 97 yards on 20 carries and caught three passes for 55 yards.

With the Jets trailing 23-20 in the final minutes, Rodgers threw deep for Mike Williams, but the pass was short and Taron Johnson – returning after breaking his right forearm in the season opener – had a jumping interception. Williams was checked for a head injury after the game.

Allen and the Bills were then able to run out the clock and seal the victory. They are the only team in the AFC East with a winning record.

“Our number one goal is to make the playoffs, and you do that by winning your division,” Allen said. “We understand the seriousness of this type of game as a straight-up win leaves us 4-2 and 2 1/2 games ahead instead of 3-3 and in second place.”

Rodgers was 23 of 35 for 294 yards with two touchdowns and the INT, and Breece Hall had 113 rushing yards and 56 receiving yards.

“I thought we were going to have a big night offensively,” Rodgers said.

It certainly seemed like they were heading towards that.

With the Jets tied at 48 points of their own and perhaps hoping to get within field goal range before halftime, Rodgers took a few steps back and danced around a bit before firing the ball toward the end zone. Allen Lazard reached out in front of two Bills defenders and fell on his back.

After a short scrum, officials decided it was a touchdown.

“When you catch these impulse waves, you have to persist,” Ulbrich said. “And you have to finish a team, which we didn’t do.”

The Jets got into an early rhythm on offense, with Downing dictating the plays while Rodgers got New York into the red zone. The Jets settled for a 34-yard field goal from Zuerlein, but it was New York's first points on an opening drive this season.

Buffalo recovered by shredding Ulbrich's defense for 61 yards — including 48 on six runs by Davis — and capping the Bills' opening drive with a 1-yard keeper by Allen to make it 7-3.

Allen's 56th career TD run moved him one spot behind OJ Simpson for second in franchise history.

Garrett Wilson gave the Jets the lead back on their next drive with a 5-yard TD catch that was initially ruled incomplete but was reversed on video replay before Ulbrich had to challenge.

Allen led the Bills on a 90-yard drive, giving Buffalo the lead back, capped by an 8-yard TD pass to Mack Hollins. Quinnen Williams caught Bass' attempt at an extra point, but it went wide left.

Allen's second touchdown pass was a 12-yard toss to Dawson Knox with 21 seconds remaining before halftime, giving Buffalo a 20-10 lead.

Bass pushed a 47-yarder to right on Buffalo's first drive of the second half. Midway through the third quarter, Zuerlein made it 20-0 with a 22-yarder.

The Jets appeared to take a late lead on their next possession when Braelon Allen ran up the middle from four yards out, but left tackle Tyron Smith was forced to hold. Rodgers connected with Wilson in the back of the end zone on the next play, but the wide receiver couldn't hold on to the ball after being knocked down by Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp.

Zuerlein then hit the left post with a 32-yard attempt to keep the game tied. He also missed a potential 43-yarder with 9:44 left in the fourth quarter and hit the upright again.

Injuries

Jets S Chuck Clark was sidelined in the second quarter with an ankle injury. … CB DJ Reed left in the third quarter with a groin injury.

Next

Bills: Host Tennessee on Sunday.

Jets: Play at Pittsburgh on Sunday night.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL