The Buffalo Bills ended Week 6 of the NFL with a 23:20 road win over the New York Jets and even survived a Hail Mary from Aaron Rodgers.
Bills @ Jets: At a glance
- A late interception by Aaron Rodgers killed the positive vibe the Jets had sparked after several coaching staff changes during the week. Rodgers had previously scored his first Hail Mary touchdown for New York.
- Josh Allen was once again the decisive man for the Bills and prevented the longest losing streak of his career. Meanwhile, the Bills were able to celebrate a returnee who played a decisive role in the victory.
- Both teams were undisciplined in penalties and had little luck in the kicking game, resulting in chaos the NFL had not seen since the 1987 strike.
Bills @ Jets: The game report
In the first game since the dismissal of head coach Robert Saleh and the change of play-caller from Nathaniel Hackett to Todd Downing, the Jets’ offense played much more efficiently than last. In the end, it was Aaron Rodgers’ still-present extra class that brought the Jets close to a victory – until his last pass in the game fell a little too short and cornerback Taron Johnson gave a two-minute warning for the first time in a week 1 played, was intercepted and the Bills then ran down the clock.
Until then, however, a lively game quickly developed. The Jets opened the game with a red zone drive that was only stopped on 3rd down with a drop by running back Breece Hall. Greg Zuerlein then scored from 34 yards to give the Jets an early lead – it was their first opening drive of the season with points.
The Bills responded with a long drive of their own, which Josh Allen capped off with a rushing touchdown, after which the Jets quickly struck back, this time with Rodgers finding Garrett Wilson in the back of the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown – with the help of a replay assist, of course .
Until the break, the Bills recovered defensively and kept the home team in check while the offense kept its foot on the gas. In the second quarter, Allen turned the game around with touchdown passes to Mack Hollins and Dawson Knox with 21 seconds on the clock. Enough time, however, for Rodgers to relive his old magic: with the clock running out, he ended the first half with a Hail Mary that Allen Lazard caught 52 yards in the end zone – touchdown jets! Halftime score: 20:17 Buffalo.
In the second round it became clear once again that it is difficult to play in MetLife Stadium. Bills kicker Tyler Bass, who had previously had an extra point blocked, missed from 47 yards. In return, Zuerlein scored the equalizer from 22 yards, but missed his next two attempts from 32 and 43 yards when he only hit the left pole.
Bass did better from 22 yards with 3:43 minutes to play and ultimately put the Bills in front for the final time. Rodgers then made his momentous pick and Allen finally made the final 1st down of the game for the win, which leaves the Bills as the only team with a positive record in the AFC East after Week 6.
Buffalo Bills (4-2) @ New York Jets (2-4)
Result: 23:20 (7:10, 13:7, 0:3, 3:0) BOXSCORE
Bills @ Jets: Key stats
- Allen’s rushing touchdown was the 56th of his career. That puts him just one behind Hall of Famer OJ Simpson in second place in the franchise rankings. Hall of Famer Thurmas Thomas holds first place with 65. Both were, of course, running backs.
- Rodgers’ Hail Mary touchdown was his fourth in the NFL with the clock running out in the first or second half. Since 1970 (including the playoffs), only Dan Marino (5) has had more such touchdown passes, according to NFL Research.
- This was the first game in the NFL since October 1987 in which both teams each received at least ten penalties and missed several kicks. Back then, however, this happened to the Bills and Giants with replacement players during the major players’ strike in the NFL. This time both teams had 11 penalties each, the Bills for 94 yards and the Jets for 110.
The star of the game: Josh Allen (quarterback, Bills)
After two defeats in a row, Allen had had enough. With two touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown as well as the final 1st down on the ground, he led his team to its first success since Week 3. The Bills have never lost three games in a row with Allen as starting quarterback.
The flop of the game: Red Zone Offense (Jets)
The Jets offense definitely looked more fluid and played more efficiently than last, no question. However, inefficiency in the red zone remained a major problem. Gang Green reached the visitors’ 20-yard line four times but only scored one touchdown. In the remaining trips, Zuerlein hit two of three field goal attempts after drops and a pass breakup by both Bills safeties against Wilson prevented any touchdowns.
The highlight of the game
It wasn’t the decisive scene, but it was definitely worth seeing – Aaron Rodgers’ fourth Hail Mary touchdown in the NFL.
The 52-yard TD pass traveled 61.4 air yards, according to Next Gen Stats, which was the longest completion by a Jets quarterback since 2016. Lazard had 0.6 yards of separation on the catch and the probability of a catch was just 15.5 percent.
Source: www.sport.de
