Bills at Jets Recap
Another week, I was wrong with my prediction, but in a good way this time. The Bills rebounded from back-to-back losses on Monday night, winning 23-20 over the New York Jets. Josh Allen avoided the first three-game losing streak of his career with one of his best performances against a team he has struggled against. The Bills' defense stepped up when needed to ensure a much-needed victory that moved the Bills into first place in the AFC East at 4-2 and dropped the Jets to third place at 2-4 behind the idle Dolphins. News broke this morning that the Jets have completed a trade for Davante Adams. If they weren’t “all in” before last night, they are now.
Bills vs Jets Monday, October 14th, 2024
Fans of both teams have a reason to complain after seeing 22 accepted penalties for a combined 204 yards. The game was sometimes challenging to watch with the constant stoppages and questionable calls against both teams, particularly the unnecessary roughness penalties that A.J. Epenesa and Javon Kinlaw drew for their hits on the quarterback. The weather also played a factor, with Greg Zuerlein doinking two field goals off the uprights and Tyler Bass missing a field goal and having a PAT blocked that didn't look promising when it left Bass’s foot. Let's dive into the five things I liked and didn't like from the game.
5 Things I Liked
Ray Davis - Davis stepped up as the lead back with the most yards from scrimmage by a rookie this season with 152. He averaged 4.9 ypc and ran with a punishing style that helped wear down the Jets’ defense. His 42-yard catch brought life to the Bills’ second touchdown drive that started on their 10-yard line. Davis’s emergence should prevent the team from rushing James Cook back from injury.
Taylor Rapp - Rapp returned to the lineup after suffering a concussion against the Ravens and played the best game of his Bills career. Rapp finished the game tied for the team lead in tackles with 8, with none more significant than his tackle on Breece Hall’s 42-yard run that seemed destined for the end zone. Rapp also had three pass breakups, one occurring in the end zone on a crushing hit on Garrett Wilson, jarring the ball loose. The Hall tackle and hit on Wilson led to what looked like two sure touchdowns, ending in 3 points on one made and one missed field goal.
Taron Johnson - Johnson’s return to the defense was noticeable early in the run game defense, and he was tied for the team lead in tackles. His most important play came right before the two-minute warning with his game-sealing interception on the deep throw intended for Mike Williams. The Bills went on to pick up a first down and end the game with a kneel-down.
The Offensive Line - The Bills set the tone early on offense on the 9-play opening drive, running the ball eight times. The run blocking was critical for the offense to start off hot against a defense that has had their number in recent years. They also slowed down the Jets’ pass rush and held them to two sacks. One of these was a Josh Allen rush attempt up the middle, and Quinnen Williams stopped right before Allen reached the line of scrimmage. A big improvement compared to the last two weeks.
Joe Brady - Like many fans, I have been critical of Brady’s playcalling and personnel usage over the last two weeks. This week, the offensive game plan seemed more relaxed and balanced, utilizing the running game and giving the passing game more “easy” throws than we’ve seen recently. He even got the ball to Curtis Samuel a few times (ignoring the quick pass that was almost blown up). Overall, it was a solid rebound performance against the league's number two defense for Brady and the offense.
5 Things I Didn’t Like
Hail Mary Defense - The Bills’ decision to rush two and drop nine at the end of the half makes no sense to me. The Bills had an opportunity to go into halftime up ten while receiving the second half's opening kickoff. This was a significant momentum swing and brought to light another recurring issue Bills’ defenders have on these throws. KNOCK THE BALL AWAY. We’ve seen three completed passes (Arizona 2021, Minnesota 2022) where defenders allowed the receiver to catch the ball because they didn’t try to knock it down. Fortunately, they won this one, but it changed the game and prevented the Bills from winning comfortably.
Run Defense - Breece Hall came into the game averaging 3 ypc and hammered the Bills for 6.3 ypc and 118 rushing yards on the night. His 42-yard run that he couldn’t find the end zone on could have changed the game in the Jets’ favor if Rapp had not been able to chase him down. This will continue to be an area opposing offenses look to exploit as the season progresses.
Tyler Bass - Bass has become the most significant liability on the Bills roster. He’s been under the microscope all season and has not helped ease the mind of Bills fans so far. He is now 9-12 on field goals and 18-20 on PATs on the season. Bass’s second PAT attempt was blocked, and his 47-yard field attempt was wide right, erasing four points. I expect the Bills will bring kickers again this week for workouts.
Damar Hamlin - Hamlin has been inconsistent in his play the last three weeks. He was caught out of position in coverage multiple times last night and took poor angles to catch up to his assignment. The Bills have to consider replacing him with Cole Bishop or Mike Edwards.
Penalties - The Bills had 11 accepted penalties for 94 yards last night, both season highs. Some were questionable, but they also need to be cleaned up. The offense was responsible for seven on the night, tied for its most since week one against Arizona. On the season they’re averaging 6 penalties a game for 45 yards.
Critical Plays From the Game
I'm hitting on this again because it was a pathetic display of defense coming off of a timeout. The Hail Mary touchdown pass completely changed the momentum heading into halftime. The Bills had just completed a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive to push the lead to 20-10 with 21 seconds left. They went into a prevent defense, rushing two, and the Jets picked up 18 yards to get to half-field before using their final timeout. The Bills called a timeout after the Jets’ timeout and still came out in their sideline-protecting, prevent shell defense. We all know what happened next.
The unnecessary roughness penalty called on Spencer Brown looked like a pancake block, something that happens multiple times a game. This penalty negated the pass interference penalty Mack Hollins drew on D.J. Reed and, therefore, prevented the Bills from being first and ten in the red zone. They replayed third down and didn’t get it, resulting in a punt. At minimum, a field goal attempt was lost with this call.
Stat of the Game
BillsBanter Group Chat Quote of the Game
“Have to think this is the end for him,” - Doc Allen after Tyler Bass’s missed FG
Postgame Quote of the Game
"Kind of a gut punch…Fighting through adversity, getting in at halftime, regrouping, saying let's just control one play at a time," Allen said. "We didn't score as many points as I'd like in the second half, but found a way." - Josh Allen
Postgame Perspective
This game had me feeling a range of emotions. The first 29 minutes and 39 seconds were a team that showed up ready for the challenge and had answered it. The Hail Mary frustrated me and made me think of all the other times the Bills allowed a score or big play in that situation, leading to a loss. They found a way to win, though. Seeing players return from injury and playing at a high level is encouraging as the season progresses. Being 4-2 with a 2-game lead in the division after week 6 is a spot any fan would sign up for heading into a season. News just came out that the Bills are trading for Amari Cooper, which is a massive upgrade for the offense and will allow players to play in their natural spots. I will share more thoughts on the Cooper trade later.
Up Next: Buffalo vs Tennessee - Sunday 1:00 PM
