After a rough few weeks - especially on offense - the Jets hoped to see some signs of progress and some positive outcomes from their offensive adjustments during the week. However, yet another slow start and double-digit first half deficit was only ever going to increase calls for the next permanent adjustment to be at the quarterback position.
Zach Wilson was benched for Tim Boyle late in the third quarter, having gone 7-for-15 for 81 yards with a touchdown and an interception in another listless display. Wilson was 0-for-5 on passes to wide receivers. By then, the game was basically over, but what this will mean in the longer term remains to be seen.
The Jets trailed 16-0 late in the first half before getting a spark from Thomas Morstead's completion to Brandin Echols on a fake punt and driving down to score on Wilson's screen pass to Breece Hall. The halftime margin was 16-6 after a failed two-point conversion.
On the opening drive of the second half, ex-Jets running back Ty Johnson's 28-yard catch and run on fourth down stretched the Bills' lead back out to 22-6. They then broke the game open on Josh Allen's 81-yard touchdown pass to Khalil Shakir midway through the third quarter.
Here are some takeaways...
- The Jets have had some bad starts this season, but none as immediate as Sunday's. Rookie return man Xavier Gipson was crushed by Reggie Gilliam on the opening kickoff and lost a fumble. The defense was at least able to hold Buffalo to a field goal, but that play set the tone for a Bills team clearly hoping to atone for their opening night loss to the Jets.
- Things didn't get much better from there as the Jets had to punt on each of their first two drives and saw Mekhi Becton carted off with an ankle injury and starting safety Tony Adams lost to a finger injury.
- After the Becton injury, the Jets had two players on their offensive line that entered the game with no offensive snaps between them at the NFL level - Chris Glaser at right guard and rookie Carter Warren at left tackle - and it showed. Max Mitchell also had a rough start to the game at right tackle.
- It was a pitiful offensive first half from the Jets, who had been outgained by 170 yards to 26 at the two minute warning. Hall rushed for zero yards on five carries and top pass catchers Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard and Tyler Conklin didn't have a reception between them in the first half. Wilson, who was playing through an elbow injury, finally had a couple of catches on Boyle's first drive, only to lose a fumble.
- The Jets held Buffalo to a field goal three times before finally giving up a touchdown on a James Cook touchdown that appeared to be a blown coverage by Adams' replacement at safety; Adrian Amos.
- Hall's touchdown was the Jets' first in almost 13 quarters and their first red zone touchdown since the Eagles game - when Philadelphia actually let the Jets score. He averaged less than two yards per carry again as the Jets dropped to 0-6 when he puts up less than 75 yards from scrimmage.
- The Jets ended up 0-11 on third down and Boyle ended up with the same number of completions as Wilson, despite only being in for a few series.
- One potential bright spot is that Jets rookie Will McDonald flashed a few times, including on a pressure around the edge and a running play that he blew up in the backfield. The Jets need players like McDonald to step up to give them some optimism for the future in games like these.
- Sauce Gardner had a rough day by his lofty standards with two costly penalties and multiple missed tackles. He was inches away from intercepting the pass on the long touchdown to Shakir but gave up the catch and then was unable to make the tackle.
- After Michael Carter's release, it was widely expected we'd see more of Dalvin Cook and his first carry went for 10 yards. However, with the running game not working, he didn't touch the ball again until late in the third quarter. Rookie Israel Abanikanda didn't see the ball until late in the fourth.