Instant analysis, recap of Bills disappointing loss to Jets in Week 1
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The Buffalo Bills opened their 2023 campaign with a disastrous 22-16 loss to the New York Jets. Here is Bills Wire’s analysis and recap of Buffalo’s disappointing performance in East Rutherford:
Game recap
Buffalo Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd (56) USAT
The much-hyped opening game between AFC East divisional foes saw a shocking shift of emotions throughout the entire evening. The Bills offense opened with a disappointing five-play drive, culminating in a punt.
On New York’s first drive of the season, quarterback Aaron Rodgers left with an injury after only four plays. The veteran quarterback was sacked by Leonard Floyd, and the Jets’ massive offseason addition was off the field in a matter of moments.
The Bills offense finally made some progress, only to be denied just outside of the red zone. Buffalo rattled off an 11-play drive that stalled out at the Jets 22-yard line. Jets defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers sacked Allen, putting the Bills in a tough third-down position. In the end, Allen couldn’t lead his team further, leading to a Tyler Bass 40-yard field goal.
The roller coaster ride continued for Buffalo, as Allen forced a deep pass downfield. Jordan Whitehead intercepted his first of three Allen passes on the evening. Still, Buffalo’s defense kept things under control, forcing the Jets to settle for a field goal to tie the game.
Buffalo’s offense looked like they were about the turn the corner, as Allen led the Bills offense on an 11-play, 75-yard drive. Allen rolled out to his right and delivered a pass to Stefon Diggs in the corner of the end zone to give Buffalo a 10-3 lead.
The Bills defense would once again make a big play, with Matt Milano intercepting Zach Wilson. However, Buffalo’s offense could only muster a field goal in response. Even so, the Bills entered halftime with a 10-point lead.
The second half was a time of horrors for Allen. He turned the ball over three more times, with two more interceptions by Whitehead and a lost fumble.
The Jets methodically worked their way back into the game. New York wideout Garrett Wilson made a fantastic juggling catch to give the Jets their first touchdown of the season.
While Buffalo’s offense stalled, the Jets continued to grind out yards on the ground. Breece Hall and Delvin Cook slowly carved up the Bills defense. While the New York offense was far from dynamic, it did enough to keep the Jets in it.
The Jets took their first lead of the game just after the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter. The Jets made several conservative play calls to put them in position to take a three-point lead.
Down 16-13, Buffalo’s offense showed a spark of life.
The unit was forced to play quickly and decisively. Allen, despite his struggles throughout the second half, pulled it together to drive the Bills offense into field goal range.
Bass upheld his end of the bargain with the dramatics, narrowly making a 49-yard game-tying field. The kick clanged off the goal post and cleared the bar.
Buffalo took possession of the ball in overtime but proceeded to go three-and-out. In improbable fashion, Jets punt returner Xavier Gipson returned Sam Martin’s low line-drive punt 65 yards to the end zone for the victory.
The keys to the game
(Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Allen’s four turnovers effectively stunted any sort of meaningful progress for the offense. Allen threw three egregious interceptions. He followed those with a mess of a fumble, one which put the Jets in an ideal position to tie the game.
The Jets found success on the ground. New York ran for 172 yards on 28 carries. Hall was stellar in his return to the field, rushing 10 times for 127 yards. Hall had a sensational 86-yard scamper that completely flipped the field for New York.
Buffalo’s defense kept Wilson under wraps. Wilson threw for only 140 yards on a 14-of-21 passing day. Even so, Wilson managed the game and put New York in a position to win. His lone turnover led to only three points by Buffalo’s offense.
The Jets defense, for the second consecutive year, gave Buffalo’s offense fits. Outside of Diggs and a few plays by James Cook, the Buffalo offense looked sluggish. The offense line had issues with protecting Allen. In turn, Allen forced several passes, which became turnovers.
Sam Martin’s final punt lacked the hang time to allow the coverage unit to effectively bottle up Gipson. The unit looked out of sorts as Gipson weaved his way for the game-winning score.
Game balls
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
It’s not exciting to give game balls following a loss. However, there were a few standouts:
Stefon Diggs–10 catches, 102 yards, 1 touchdown reception
Tyler Bass–three-for-three on field goals, including the 49-yarder to tie the game with two seconds remaining in regulation
Leonard Floyd–three tackles, 1.5 sacks
What happened?
Buffalo’s offense never seemed quite comfortable throughout the game. The Bills started with a quick passing attack to neutralize the Jets defensive attack. However, this advantage largely went away as the Jets put more pressure on the Bills offense line.
Allen’s turnovers were alarming. He was pressing throughout the game and reverted back to some hero ball tendencies. The interceptions were horrendous decisions, almost as if nothing would go wrong once the ball left Allen’s hands.
It became a snowball effect. The line struggled; Allen struggled; the team struggled.
Some blame falls on Ken Dorsey as well. The playcalling did not fit what would most effectively deal with the Jets superior front four. The lack of a run game in addition to the inability to consistently get the ball into the skill players’ hands is quite a problem that needs to be solved in four days.
What’s next?
Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Buffalo Bills return to Orchard Park for their first home game of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders (1-0) squeaked out a 17-16 victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 1. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers caught two touchdown passes in the victory.
Story originally appeared on Bills Wire