NY Jets hanging in game with Bills, trailing 14-10 at half

A late score has the New York Jets thinking upset on Sunday afternoon against mighty Buffalo

Thanks to a late score from Michael Carter, the New York Jets are keeping things tight with the division-leading Buffalo Bills, trailing by only a 14-10 margin after the first half-hour.

Jets (10)

PASSING: Zach Wilson (11-of-14, 90 yards)
RUSHING: Michael Carter (5 carries, 34 yards, 1 TD)
RECEIVING: Garrett Wilson (6 rec., 65 yards)

Bills (14)

PASSING: Josh Allen (13-of-22, 163 yards, 1 INT)
RUSHING: Josh Allen (5 carries, 61 yards)
RECEIVING: Stefon Diggs (5 rec., 93 yards

Jordan Rules

With the exception of Josh Allen’s rushing endeavors and Stefon Diggs’ tallies, the Jets’ defense came to play in the opening frame. Their most valuable contribution came on the opening drive, overcoming an awful opening kickoff that Buffalo up near midfield through a Jordan Whitehead interception. Granting Allen 32 seconds and three timeouts at the end of the half was a risky gambit, but they forced a late Tyler Bass field goal attempt that fell short.

Let Zach Attack

Several of the Bills’ defensive studs, such as Tre’Davious White and Jordan Poyer, are sitting out, but the Jets have been a bit reluctant to throw the ball downfield, opting for sideways tosses and attempts behind the lines of scrimmage before opening it up once Garrett Wilson (by far the Jets’ top receiver) found a bit of a groove. If Zach Wilson is truly hurt … having taken a bit of a big hit in the first half … this game is too valuable not to consider putting Mike White in.

Or Run It Out

Further offensive momentum was generated through Michael Carter, who also had a clutch reception en route to his short score. Things looked dire in the first game of the post-Breece Hall era last week, but Carter has proven himself more than capable of handling primary rushing duties. If the Jets truly want to put Zach Wilson in control of things, relying on fellow sophomore Carter would be the right way to go.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags