Buffalo Bills beat New York Jets 23-20 in sloppy Week 6 contest

The Buffalo Bills traveled to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Jets after a two-game losing streak. Early in the game, WIVB's Josh Reed tempted fate by pointing out that Josh Allen had never lost more than two consecutive starts in his career. For much of the game, it looked like that tweet had jinxed Buffalo.

As if those bets weren't enough, the game had evolved early in the season to allow the Jets to take the lead in the AFC East. And if this The stakes weren't enough, after Robert Saleh's ouster the Bills were the first to test their mettle against interim coach Jeff Ulbrich (who has a fantastic first name).

Buffalo took an early lead by winning the coin toss and deferring. The Jets were happy to receive the ball and pick up big yards at will. The Bills' unbalanced defense slowed down Aaron Rodgers and Co. in the red zone. A loss by Breece Hall on third down brought a sigh of relief from Bills fans as “New York” settled for a Greg Zuerlein field goal and took the real lead early with its first opening points of the 2024 season .

Josh Allen entered his 100th game of the regular season after a touchback and the Bills started with two first downs. A 12-yard gain from running back Ty Johnson, playing for the injured James Cook, was followed by a 14-yard pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid, who lowered his shoulder to get some RAC. Ray Davis continued the drive with runs of three, 14, six, five and 15; ended at the Jets' one-yard line. An Allen sneak for a touchdown was negated by an illegal formation penalty (I'll share my opinion on this in my penalty summary). Davis brought Buffalo back for the first, and the second, where Josh Allen snuck in for a touchdown, counted. Both teams stayed in the end zone and looked a little unsettled, which continued throughout the night.

The Jets got back into rhythm with a small ball and a big play from Breece Hall for 21 yards. The Jets looked like they were going to sputter briefly, but another big run from Hall put the Jets in a goal-to-go situation. A tipped ball saved Buffalo from defensive pass interference in the end zone. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson made that irrelevant with a touchdown catch in tight territory. Originally ruled incomplete, the league's eye corrected the call for a touchdown.

The Bills got the ball back against a Jets defense that was missing safety Chuck Clark, who left the field due to injury. Still, Buffalo made a three-pointer, which led to a Sam Martin punt for a touchback.

It seemed like a huge defensive pass interference call put the Jets in position in Bills territory. This time, Buffalo was saved by an illegal formation penalty. After a replay, Breece Hall was finally stopped by Buffalo's defense for no gain at the end of the first quarter. A tackle for loss by Terrell Bernard, who interpreted a breeze-seeking missile, pushed the Jets back and led to their first punt of the night.

The Bills started again at their own 10 thanks to a punt by Thomas Morstead and a penalty by Kaiir Elam. The Jets again tried to start strong on defense, snuffing out a run by Ray Davis and pressuring Allen on the next snap . A flag flew with Allen in the end zone. Allen found Davis for a 42-yard throw and Buffalo fans sighed with relief when the officials announced the flag was flying on the Jets. The Bills were then forced to be a little more methodical, but an eight-yard touchdown pass to Mack Hollins put Buffalo back on top, although Tyler Bass' missed/blocked extra point was bad enough to make the commentators laugh.

Thanks to a solid kickoff return, the Jets started with good field position. After a good start, the Jets got sweet with an attempted Flea flicker that was negated by a DaQuan Jones sack, resulting in a loss of seven. Another sack by defensive end AJ Epenesa followed shortly after to end the drive.

As time dwindled in the second quarter, Buffalo had their own 20 points and were looking to extend their lead. A controversial DPI helped flip the field for Buffalo, and a second one later in the drive brought the Bills even closer. A crooked fumble by Allen nearly ended the Bills' attempt at a touchdown. After that facepalm moment, tight end Dawson Knox scored his first touchdown of the year on a 12-yard pass from Allen.

By using two timeouts during the Bills' drive, the Jets were able to save time to make something happen. With 21 seconds left in the half, football fans were taught a lesson about never saying “die” after a terrible defensive performance allowed a 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown to wide receiver Allen Lazard.

When Curtis Samuel returned after halftime, he gained 38 yards on a precise pass from Josh Allen. An offensive pass interference call against Dawson Knox set the Bills back and it was too much for Josh Allen and Co. to overcome. Tyler Bass came out to attempt a three-pointer and it remained an “attempt” with the kick going wide of the right goal.

On the Jets' next play, Buffalo appeared to have stopped them early, but a hard hit from Epenesa gave them new life. A 42-yard dash from Breece Hall put the Jets at the Buffalo three. The Bills defense came hard and forced the Jets to settle for a field goal to end the game at 20-0.

Looking to regain the lead, Buffalo sputtered and stumbled for the second time in the game. The Jets continued their momentum, with Aaron Rodgers finding Garrett Wilson for two nice passes. A low block from Taron Johnson pushed the Jets 15 yards closer to the goal line. Rookie running back Braelon Allen appeared to have a touchdown up the middle, but a holding call on offensive tackle Tyron Smith negated the score. The safety tandem of Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp intercepted a touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson to force a field goal attempt. For the second time in the game, the word “try” was the operative word.

With the Jets' defense now without cornerback DJ Reed, Buffalo's offense was forced to retire with two procedural penalties. During the change of field direction between the third and fourth quarters, left tackle Dion Dawkins received an unsportsmanlike conduct flag. Buffalo, now trailed on 3rd-and-21, was unable to convert and had to punt again.

The Jets started a little shaky, but a miracle catch for the 25 by Lazard off linebacker Terrell Bernard kept the drive going. Buffalo's defense stepped up again to force a field goal attempt from Zuerlein. In the theme of the evening, another Doink once again used the crucial word “try.”

Buffalo moved the ball well after missing the field goal, with some help from a rough tackle on the passer by defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw. Buffalo stalled inside the 10. Tyler Bass was setting up for a field goal attempt that was made a few yards easier thanks to an infraction in the neutral zone. Finally a field goal was made. Javon Kinlaw decided to tackle a referee after the field goal, resulting in an unsportsmanlike conduct flag.

With less than four minutes left, the Jets trailed by three points at their own 30 and took control. On the first play of the drive, what looked like a Bills fumble recovery was ruled an incomplete pass. Buffalo was close to getting off the field again, but a defensive pass interference by cornerback Christian Benford on third down gave the Jets a first down. This play was followed by two more penalties, one for each team, to wipe out the deficit. A great tackle by cornerback Rasul Douglas was followed by another penalty, but the Jets had to erase a long lead (so this one was fine, I guess). Taylor Rapp fumbled a pass and then the hero of the game announced his triumphant return. Taron Johnson intercepted the ball at the Buffalo 18-yard line as the clock sounded the two-minute warning.

The Bills tried to run out the clock. Two runs by Davis gave Buffalo the lead on third down. Fearing the Jets might get the ball back, Josh Allen raced left to grab the first possession and slid in to keep the clock running. From then on it was a matter of giving everything to break the two-game losing streak.