The Buffalo Bills overcame a slow start to defeat the New York Jets 18-10 at MetLife Stadium. Tyler Bass was the difference in the game as he made a franchise-tying six field goals as Buffalo (5-2) rallied from a 10-0 deficit.
Sam Darnold returned from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the last two games and he completed 12 of 23 passes for 120 yards with two interceptions. The New York offense was held to just four yards in the second half as they fell to 0-7 on the season.
Jets defense holds Bills out of end zone, offense pathetic in second half to remain winless
The Jets opening drive was one of their best of the season as they went 11 plays in 67 yards, Darnold finding Breshaun Perriman for 19 yards to the Bills' 40 being the key play. A sack on first down at the 17 stalled the drive and fill-in kicker Sergio Castillo booted on from 29 yards.
After Bass missed a 45 yard field goal, New York went on another long drive, this one covering 12 plays. On fourth and one at the Buffalo 18, head coach elected to go for it rather than kick the field goal, but La'Mical Perine was stopped for no gain.
On the Bills first drive of the second quarter, Allen spread the ball around, finding Cole Beasley and Reggie Gilliam for big plays through the air as well as scrambling for 31 yards. On third and goal from the Jets' 14, he was sacked by Tarell Basham, who forced a fumble that was recovered by John-Franklin Myers.
The turnover was turned into points, Denzel Mims picking up 27 yards on a pair of catches and on the eighth play of the drive, Perine scored his first NFL touchdown from five yards out to extend the New York lead to 10-0.
After Bass converted on a 53-yard field goal to cut the lead to 10-3, the key play of the game came when Darnold was picked off by Dane Jackson and Buffalo converted the turnover into a second field goal as Bass hit from 48 yards away to make the score 10-6 going into halftime.
Buffalo received the second half kickoff and Allen got Stefon Diggs involved with a couple of receptions. A false start penalty on linemen and ex-Jet Brian Winters bogged down the drive and Bass came out to nail a 46 yard field goal.
A Jets punt quickly gave the Bills the ball again and they embarked on their longest drive of the game, 14 plays in 73 yards in 7:23. A touchdown pass from Allen to Gabriel Davis was nullified an illegal formation penalty, but Bass gave Buffalo their first lead of the afternoon with a 37-yard kick.
Bass missed his second field goal of the game from 37 yards less than three minutes into the fourth quarter, but he atoned for it with a 29-yarder for his fifth of the day with 6:01 remaining in the game to extend the Buffalo lead to 15-10.
With the New York offense doing next to nothing in the second half, Buffalo forced the Jets to use two of their three timeouts as Alle n found Beasley for 18 yards for the big play of the drive and Bass would boot his record-tying kick from 40 yards to make it 18-10.
Faced with needing a touchdown and two-point conversion just to force overtime, Darnold was picked off by Jerry Hughes and Buffalo ran the clock out as the Jets are still in search of their first win of the season.
Up next
Buffalo will be back in action next Sunday as they host New England at 1PM. The Jets will face a monumental task as they try to pull off the upset of the season when they visit Kansas City to take on the Chiefs, also Sunday at 1PM.