The Jets’ Hail Mary prayer was answered before the half, but the Green & White (2-4) fell to the Bills (4-2), 23-20, as Buffalo K Tyler Bass kicked the game-winning 22-yard field goal with 3:43 remaining Monday night at MetLife Stadium.
In a game that saw both teams charged with 11 accepted penalties, Buffalo finished 3 of 4 in the red zone while the Jets went just 1 of 4. Aaron Rodgers was intercepted by Taron Johnson on a third-and-18 play with 1:52 remaining and Josh Allen secured the win for the visitors with a 6-yard third-down scramble that allowed Buffalo to end the game in victory formation.
“We have to find a way to get it done,” interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said. “That’s just another thing we have to shine a light on and see what are we calling, is it the calls or whatever it is. We have to fix it and fix it fast.”
There were plenty of storylines heading into the division battle. With the Jets playing their first game under Ulbrich and Todd Downing calling plays for the first time for the Green & White, first place was at stake. Rodgers threw for 294 yards and 2 TDs while the Jets had three players eclipse 100 yards. Breece Hall finished with 113 yards on 18 carries and Garrett Wilson pitched in with 8 receptions, 107 yards and a touchdown. WR Allen Lazard, who caught a 52-yard Hail Mary on the final play of the first half, led the team with 114 yards on 6 catches. That’s the first time since 2017 two Jets receivers had 100+ efforts in the same game.
“There was a strong wind, which was actually going the opposite direction to the right and I think once [Rodgers] got it high enough, the wind pulled it back where I ended up catching the ball,” Lazard said of the Hail Mary. He added: “We practice that at least once a week and being with Aaron, I have six years of doing that, so I had a pretty good anticipation of where the ball is going to be and very fortunate to be able to come down with that.”
With the ability to take command in the second half, the Jets had two opportunities to score inside the 5-yard line but only came away with 3 points. Hall ripped off a 42-yard gain run that put the Jets on the BUF 3, but the Green & White were forced to settle for a Greg Zuerlein 22-yard field goal, knotting the game at 20. RB Braelon Allen scored on third-and-2 from the Buffalo 4-yard line on the Green & White’s ensuing possession, but it was nullified when LT Tyron Smith was flagged for holding. Two plays later, Zuerlein missed a 32-yard field-goal attempt. He later missed a 43-yard field-goal attempt that would’ve put the Jets up, 23-20 in the fourth quarter.
“Everything you take a hard look at, but I’m not concerned with Greg,” Ulbrich said. “I know the track record of this man. I know he’s going to catch his rhythm here and we’re going to roll.”
For the first time this season, the Jets scored 10 points on their first two possessions. Finding balance and rhythm, the Jets rushed 7 times for 44 yards and Rodgers hit on 6 of first 9 passes for 72 yards. That included a 5-yard scoring pass to Wilson with 2:01 remaining in the first quarter as the Jets took a 10-7 lead. The offense’s 124-yard output in the opening stanza was the most for the club since Game 5 in 2022.
