The New York Jets kept things competitive early against the Buffalo Bills, but the same old issues ultimately caught up to them.
With Geno Smith leaving early due to an injury, fourth-round rookie Cade Klubnik made his NFL debut in the second half. However, the team’s same red-zone struggles continued as the Jets fell to 2-8.
After winning the toss and deferring, New York’s defense forced a punt on Buffalo’s opening possession. Although the Bills converted on their first fourth-and-short, the Jets still got the ball back.
The biggest play of the drive came from rookie David Bailey, who nearly intercepted a screen pass. He telegraphed it perfectly out of Allen’s hands, but batted it out. Had he secured the football, it would have likely gone the other way for six.
The Jets went three-and-out on their first possession of the game, before Buffalo ultimately broke through and scored their first touchdown of the day on an Allen sneak. It came after a long pass interference call on Malachi Moore brought the Bills to Gang Green’s three-yard line.
While New York didn’t match the touchdown, they put points on the board with a 41-yard Jason Sanders field goal, cutting the deficit to 7-3 with 12:20 left in the first half.
The Bills tacked on another field goal, though; the Jets had a chance to tie it before halftime, getting the ball back with 2:15 left. Despite several big plays from Geno Smith, including a 33-yard bomb to Garrett Wilson, the Jets’ offense stalled again and settled for a field goal.
While the Jets trailed by just 10-6 entering halftime, the same issues continued to plague them: penalties and an inability to finish drives in the red zone. Entering Sunday, the Jets owned the worst red-zone conversion rate in the league, while penalties in high-leverage situations have cost them all season long.
In the first half alone, New York committed four penalties for 33 yards, including multiple that extended drives.
To begin the second half, fourth-round rookie Cade Klubnik took the reins after Smith was evaluated for a concussion following a rough hit on the Jets’ final first-half series.
Klubnik led the Jets on a scoring drive to open the half, but the team still settled for three, making it 10-9 in favor of Buffalo. He also connected with Wilson on a 29-yard pass for his first career completion in the regular season.
The Bills immediately responded, though. A huge 54-yard catch-and-run to Dalton Kincaid opened things up for Buffalo before another Allen QB sneak at the goal line gave them their second TD, making it 17-9.
Once again, New York responded with a field goal, cutting the deficit to 17-12 with 4:21 left in the third quarter, as the FG fest continued.
The Bills kept scoring touchdowns, though, while the Jets settled for field goals. Allen found DJ Moore for a 45-yard TD to extend Buffalo’s lead to 24-12 with 3:35 left in the third quarter.
While Smith came back for the Jets’ second possession of the half, he headed back to the locker room and didn’t return against the Bills, handing Klubnik the keys to finish the game.
New York recorded their second interception of the season as Azareye’h Thomas picked Allen off on a deep throw into double coverage. It marked only the team’s second interception under Aaron Glenn in 27 games, and the offense got an extra possession, trailing 24-12 with 13:00 left.
The offense couldn’t capitalize, though, as Klubnik and company went three-and-out. Once again, the defense came up clutch, forcing a Bills three-and-out after a Will McDonald sack on third down capped the stand.
Still, the offense couldn’t move the ball. This time, Wilson, after catching a pass from Klubnik, tried a lateral pass back to Kenyon Sadiq before it came loose, and the Bills recovered.
On the first play of the Bills’ possession, James Cook went 74 yards, turning it into a 31-12 game and icing things with 4:42 left.
It was another familiar story for the Aaron Glenn-led Jets on Sunday. They hung around with one of the better teams throughout the first half, but as the game went on, the same old problems became impossible to ignore.
Gang Green moved the ball at times, but didn’t score a single touchdown, consistently settling for field goals. That’s not going to cut it against a high-level team like Buffalo.
Ultimately, the Jets fell to 2-8 on Sunday and will shift their focus to Week 11, when they face the winless Los Angeles Chargers in a crucial clash for the league’s draft order.
