It wasn’t a good Sunday for New York football, folks. Well, except for the Buffalo Bills, who do play in New York.
While the Giants were getting blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium, the Jets just couldn’t get anything going against Buffalo. The final score ended up at 20-12, but both teams were pitching a shutout for virtually the entire first half.
Neither squad scored until Josh Allen threw a touchdown pass to Dawson Knox with 26 seconds left in the second quarter. The Jets tied things up with a Zonovan Knight rushing touchdown at the start of the third quarter. Buffalo struck right back with a rushing touchdown of its own about two and a half minutes later. This one came on the legs of Allen.
That’s when the Bills started to slowly pull away. Mike White finished the game under center, but he briefly went to the locker room after taking a brutal hit. A fumble by Joe Flacco allowed the Bills to extend their lead to 10 points. A second Tyler Bass field goal made it 20-7 before New York blocked a punt and secured a safety.
Gang Green’s offense had the ball and was driving down the field late in the fourth quarter and kicked a field goal. It was just too little, too late — although the boys in green gave it a valiant effort.
Both teams swapped punts throughout the first half. There were a total of 10, with each team registering five. While playing in the elements — rain that turned into snow — neither Buffalo nor New York could put together a drive of more than 30 yards. Until the Bills’ final drive of the first half, of course.
The Jets racked up yards, but for the second straight week, they couldn’t find a way to get into the end zone. White finished with 268 yards while completing 27-of-40 passes. Knight rushed for 71 yards on 17 carries with New York’s lone touchdown. Nine different players caught at least one pass. Garrett Wilson (six for 78 yards), Elijah Moore (six for 60), and Tyler Conklin (five for 28) were the only ones to reel in five-plus catches.
Although White returned from his injury, two other key players couldn’t. Wide receiver Corey Davis was knocked out of the game with a head injury, while defensive tackle Quinnen Williams’ injured calf kept him out of the contest.
This loss drops Gang Green to 7-6. After a four-game winning streak earlier in the year, the Jets have now lost four of their last six. They entered this game in possession of the AFC’s final playoff spot. That may not be the case once Week 14 is over, though.
The New England Patriots could leapfrog them with a win over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night. These two would have identical records, but the Pats obviously beat New York twice, holding onto a tiebreaker. The Los Angeles Chargers could also be 7-6 if they beat the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
The Jets are now forced to try and rebound at home over the next two weeks. The Detroit Lions will visit them in Week 15, followed by a matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday Night Football in Week 16.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.