Despite their strong start, there were still questions regarding the legitimacy of Robert Saleh's New York Jets team entering Sunday's game against the Bills. Those questions may be gone now, as the Jets posted a 20-17 win over visiting Buffalo to post the franchise's biggest win in a dozen years, when they upset the Patriots to advance to their second straight AFC title game.
Two interceptions of Josh Allen loomed large in Sunday's outcome. The picks overshadowed Allen's two touchdown runs as Buffalo was unable to hold its early 14-3 lead. The Jets' comeback was spearheaded by an opportunistic defense, an effective running game and the clutch play of quarterback Zach Wilson, who had arguably his best game since coming to the Big Apple.
Wilson's go-ahead touchdown, a 7-yard pass to James Robinson late in the third quarter, occurred after Sauce Gardner recorded the Jets' second pick of Allen, who was sacked five times by the Jets' aggressive defense. Wilson then turned to running backs Robinson and Michael Carter on the Jets' game-winning drive after the Bills had briefly tied the score.
Bryce Huff's strip sack of Allen essentially ended the Bills' hopes of pulling off a last-second comeback on their final drive. The win moves the Jets to 6-3, while the Bills fell to 6-2, holding a half-game lead over the Jets and Dolphins in the AFC East standings.
Here's a closer look at how the Jets pulled off the upset.
Why the Jets won
After a slow start, the Jets dominated the Bills offense, as Gang Green allowed just three points in Buffalo's final five possessions. Along with providing constant pressure on Allen, the Jets defense shut out Stefon Diggs in the second half after Buffalo's All-Pro wideout caught five passes for 93 yards in the first half.
He didn't light up the stat sheet, but Wilson mostly took care of the ball while engineering several lengthy drives after falling behind early. Wilson was aided by Robinson and Carter, who gained a combined 71 yards on eight carries on the drive to set up Greg Zuerlein's game-winning field goal. Wilson did his part on the drive, as his 12-yard strike to Denzel Mims on a third-and-5 play allowed the Jets to chew more off the clock.
Along with his late-game prowess, Carter, who led the Jets with 76 yards on 12 carries, scored the Jets' first touchdown on a 6-yard run late in the first half.
Per usual, the Jets received big plays from their rookies. Gardner's pick late in the third quarter set up Wilson's touchdown pass to Robinson. Jermaine Johnson's sack of Allen midway through the fourth quarter helped force a Buffalo punt that ultimately set up the Jets' game-winning drive. Garrett Wilson continued his big rookie season, as he caught eight passes for 92 yards that included a 24-yard grab on the Jets' first touchdown drive.
Why the Bills lost
For most of the season, the Bills have been able to overcome their penchant for turnovers. That wasn't the case on Sunday, as the Bills could not overcome Allen's two picks. Allen's first interception, which occurred on game's first drive after the Bills had reached the Jets' 13-yard line, came on an under throw to Dawson Knox that was corralled by Jordan Whitehead. Allen's second pick came moments after his defense forced what appeared to be a momentum-changing turnover (more on that in a second).
Playing without Jordan Poyer and Matt Milano, Buffalo's defense was unable to stop the Jets running game late in the game. Conversely, the Bills offense struggled to run the ball. Take away Allen's 86 yards on nine carries, Buffalo picked up just 48 yards on 13 carries. Newly acquired running back Nyheim Hines, who was used on special teams and in the passing game, did not receive a carry.
Turning point
The Jets ended the first half with a touchdown drive and were threatening to take the lead on their first possession of the second half. New York was temporarily turned back, however, when A.J. Epenesa scooped up Von Miller's strip-sack of Wilson deep in Jets territory.
New York's defense didn't blink, and gave the ball right back to its offense when Gardner recorded his second interception of the season. Gardner received an assist from Quinnen Williams, whose pressure of Allen contributed to the hurried throw.
Gardner's pick wiped out Miller's big play, as the Jets regained possession and took their first lead when Robinson scored his first touchdown since joining the Jets 12 days ago.
Play of the game
It's not often where the play of the game is also the turning point. But that was the case on Sunday, as Gardner's pick set up the Jets' go-ahead score while giving momentum back to the home team.
Gardner fittingly ended the game by breaking up Allen's fourth-down pass to Gabe Davis, as the Jets snapped their four-game losing streak to Buffalo.
Quotable
"We always challenge our O-line to make it so demonstrative that the coordinator has to call a run play. I thought the push, I thought our backs were seeing it really well, we were breaking tackles, our receivers were blocking. And when we needed a third-down conversion, [Denzel] Mims played big boy ball on the slant, and Zach delivered a strike that allowed us to take a couple of minutes off the clock. Just a really well-executed drive from everyone on offense." -- Saleh on the Jets' game-winning drive
What's next
Buffalo will face Minnesota in a game that could be a preview of Super Bowl LVII. Minnesota improved to 7-1 after eking out a three-point win in Washington on Sunday. The Jets will head into their bye week before facing the Patriots in New England in Week 11. The Patriots improved to 5-4 after whitewashing the Colts Sunday at home, 26-3. The Jets lost a close, hard-fought game against the Patriots in Week 8.