Bills Dominate Jets to Lock Up 2-Seed

With the chance to clinch the #2 seed in the AFC, and going undefeated at home for the first time since 1990, the Bills showed up big against a Jets team that had nothing to play for this late in the season. The result was what you’d expect, which included Mitch Trubisky seeing an entire quarter of action thanks to a (spoiler!) five possession lead.

Successful Opening Drive

The Bills received the opening kickoff, and marched right down the field to take an early 7–0 lead on New York. Josh Allen found Khalil Shakir for a gain of 12 on 3rd and 5 to keep the drive alive early. An unnecessary roughness call on the Bills backed them up 15 yards, but an illegal use of hands flag against the Jets on the next play reset the downs for Buffalo. A holding penalty turned 3rd and 3 into 3rd and 13, but Allen was able to find Mack Hollins wide open down the middle for a 23 yard completion. After another connection to Hollins for 10, and a quick pass to Dalton Kincaid who gained 11, it was 1st and Goal from the 1. The tush push (which has become automatic at this point) was successful, giving Allen his 65th career rushing touchdown, tying Thurman Thomas for the most in franchise history.

GROOT

The Jets moved the ball successfully on their opening drive, with Breece Hall picking up two first downs on the ground. A holding penalty on the Jets was cancelled out on the next play by a 10 yard completion, leading to 3rd and 1. Aaron Rodgers underthrew an open target while rolling right, but the offense would stay on the field for fourth down. Rookie running back Braelon Allen was stuffed at the line of scrimmage by Greg Rousseau, leading to a turnover on downs.

A holding penalty and false start would lead to Allen checking down to Shakir on 3rd and 21, giving Sam Martin and the punt unit an easier job on fourth and forever.

Hall picked up two more first downs for the Jets, which included his 17 yard carry to move New York across midfield. A 28 yard completion from Rodgers to Garrett Wilson placed the Jets in the redzone, after Rasul Douglas ran into Terrel Bernard and fell down while in man coverage. Two plays later, Groot tipped a pass attempt from Rodgers, with the ball falling right into the hands of Jordan Phillips. The defensive tackle immediately gave himself up, preserving the turnover and saving his lungs from a potential big-man rumble.

SAFETY

Once again, Buffalo’s offense was unable to capitalize on the turnover, punting on 4th and 9 from New York’s 44 rather than sending Tyler Bass out for a 61 yard field goal in the wind. Martin was able to pin New York at the five yard line, and a false start moved the Jets back half the distance to the goal. Dawuane Smoot registered a tackle for loss on first down against Allen, moving them back even further. Epenesa blew right past the left tackle and sacked Rodgers in the endzone for a safety, giving Buffalo a two-possession lead.

The Bills would tack on a field goal at the end of the first half, with Bass nailing a 39-yarder as time expired. To get into field goal range, Amari Cooper beat his man over the middle for a 17 yard gain, and an unnecessary roughness call against New York gave Buffalo 15 yards a few plays later.

Third Quarter Fireworks

Despite the Jets starting with the ball in the second half, the third quarter was all Buffalo, scoring three touchdowns while preserving their shutout defensively. The Jets punted after a holding penalty and delay of game stalled their drive, despite finding earlier success in the passing game with a 22 yard completion to Davante Adams.

Following a quick three-and-out from the Bills (the touchdowns are coming, I promise), the ball was quickly put back into the hands of Rodgers. Wilson picked up 13 on the first play of the drive, but a tackle for loss from Ed Oliver, false start, and sack split by Rousseau and DaQuan Jones turned 1st and 10 into 3rd and 19. Attempting to hit a receiver beyond the line to gain, the pass from Rodgers was jumped by Christian Benford for an interception, with the corner returning it 24 yards and picking up an unnecessary roughness call against Rodgers for a late hit out of bounds.

Buffalo moved the chains thanks to another tush push after Cooper picked up nine yards on his first down catch. Following a run by James Cook for negative yardage, Allen went back to Cooper down the field, with the receiver making a play in tight one-on-one coverage for an incredible 30 yard touchdown grab. Cooper displayed his ability to high-point the ball, jump high enough to get two hands on the football, and maintain control as he fell back down, all while having a Jets defender in his face. That play was exactly why Brandon Beane traded for the wide receiver before the deadline.

Following an illegal block penalty against the Jets on the ensuing kickoff, it was Miller time in Buffalo. After a run stop against Hall on first down, the future Hall of Famer got to the quarterback for an eight yard sack on third down to force a three-and-out.

Former Jet Brandon Codrington returned the punt 25 yards, and another penalty on the Jets moved the ball to New York’s 37 yard line. Back-to-back unnecessary roughness penalties on New York moved the ball from just outside the redzone to the five yard line, with Cook getting his chance for a goal line touchdown in the onslaught.

On New York’s first play of the next drive, Wilson fumbled the football on a screen pass as he ran back into Oliver. Matt Milano recovered the football for another Buffalo turnover. Three plays later, Allen delivered another signature moment, rolling to his right to extend the play, and throwing across the field off his back foot into the endzone. Keon Coleman high-pointed the ball over two Jets defenders for an incredible 14 yard touchdown. It was a play straight out of backyard football, or if you’re really bad at Madden, yet somehow QB17 and Buffalo’s top draft choice from April made it work.

For the icing on the cake, Oliver sacked Rodgers for a 12 yard loss to end an extremely eventful third quarter.

Money Mitch

Following a Jets punt, Mitch Trubisky would lead the offense for the entirety of the fourth quarter, throwing just one pass. However, practice squad call-up Tyrell Shavers made the most of his first NFL catch, taking a simple screen pass 69 yards to the house. Now up 40–0, the game was well out of reach, leading Buffalo to keep backups in for the rest of the game. Aaron Rodgers’ day was done, but Bills legend Tyrod Taylor led New York on two garbage-time touchdown drives, connecting with Wilson for a nine yard score and Tyler Conklin for a 20 yard score.

Afterthoughts

What a way to clinch the #2 seed! At times, the Jets seemed to be moving the ball well, only for penalties or turnovers to stall the offense. New York was flagged 16 times for 120 yards, as opposed to Buffalo’s seven for 60 yards.

It was good to see Buffalo’s defensive line get to the QB, and take advantage of a weak offensive line missing both starting tackles. Ed Oliver has turned his season around the last few weeks, and it would be extremely impactful if he could keep this level of play going in the playoffs. Once the backups were in, Joe Andreessen recorded a team-high eight total tackles, as his incredible story continues.

The offense didn’t put up eye-popping numbers, but that was largely due to the short fields given to them by defensive turnovers and penalties. Cook ran for just 53 yards, but notched his 15th rushing touchdown of the season (and 17th total TD). No player on the Bills had more than three receptions, with Coleman, Cooper, and Shakir leading the way in that category. Cooper made the most of his targets, catching all three for 56 yards and a score. Meanwhile, Coleman caught just three of his seven targets, but made one of the most impressive grabs of the day on his touchdown reception.

Going into this season, it was an uncommon opinion to pick the Bills to make the playoffs, let alone win the division. After losing Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis, Mitch Morse, Tre’Davious White, and Jordan Poyer in the offseason, this was viewed as a ‘rebuilding year’ for the Bills. After clinching the AFC East on December 1st, the Bills are now locked into second in the AFC because they were the only team that could beat the Chiefs. Oh yeah, and they just so happened to break the franchise record for most points and most touchdowns scored in a year. The ‘everybody eats’ mentality has worked wonders, with 13 different players registering a receiving touchdown this season, tying an NFL record. Look for a pass to Reggie Gilliam, Alec Anderson, or Zach Davidson to break the record in Week 18.

Game Awards

Offensive Player of the Game: Josh Allen

Another three touchdown performance for Allen, totaling 199 total yards without turning the ball over or taking a sack. I’d expect him to take the opening snap next week to preserve his starting streak, then watch Trubisky for the rest of the game from the safety of Buffalo’s sideline. 2024 regular season Josh Allen, thank you for quite the year.

Defensive Player of the Game: Greg Rousseau

Groot’s play this season has elevated an otherwise lackluster defensive line group. It took almost all season, but Oliver and Miller are finally rounding into form, allowing Rousseau to take advantage of more one-on-one opportunities against the pass and run. Rousseau finished with three total tackles, half a sack, a pass defended to assist in the Phillips interception, and a crucial run stuff on 4th and 1 on New York’s opening drive.

MVP: Mack Hollins

This one is unorthodox, but Hollins deserves some recognition for the season he’s had with Buffalo. What a difference some realignment on the depth chart can make, after Hollins was basically WR1 in the ugly loss to Houston, he has since carved out a nice role for himself as Buffalo’s WR4. Willing to get his hands dirty as a blocker, reliable hands, good for two catches for 20 yards every week and the occasional touchdown, but most importantly, the VIBES. Yes, he’s got the infamous ‘no shoes’ philosophy, but his constant impulses to celebrate while a play is still developing leads to hilarious screenshots and replay angles. Against the Jets, Hollins hauled in two passes for 33 yards, had quite the celebration for Coleman’s ridiculous touchdown catch, and waved goodbye to Jets players while blocking for Shavers on his way to the endzone.

What’s Next: Bills @ Patriots 1/5

With the Week 18 schedule announced at the conclusion of Sunday Night Football, Buffalo will officially be a part of the Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET grouping. This shouldn’t come as a surprise with the Bills likely to rest starters and the Patriots trying to preserve the #1 draft pick they currently possess. Then, it’s onto the postseason!

Editor’s babble: I’m fully on board with recognizing Mack Hollins. He is Buffalo. Many thanks to Colin Richey for his terrific contributions to our blog. You can also find Colin on Xwitter @whatthef00tball.