The Buffalo Bills stole a messy win in chaotic Meadowlands

Regardless of how it played out, the Buffalo Bills escaped with a very important win over the New York Jets in Week 6. The Bills needed to snap a two-game losing streak that had gotten out of control against quality AFC opponents. The importance of gaining their own two-game lead over the nearest AFC East rival early in the season cannot be overstated.

We can’t know for sure how the night would have played out had none of the missed kicks happened, but the most harmful lost points belonged to the Jets. Teams facing the Bills are often quick to point out that self-inflicted mistakes are magnified when Josh Allen is on the other sideline. On Monday night, Allen made the Jets work for everything they sought, playing turnover-free football.

Down by three and no doubt feeling confident having completed a 52-yard Hail Mary to Allen Lazard just before halftime, Aaron Rodgers decided to tempt fate once more. Just before the two-minute warning in regulation, Rodgers rifled a deep pass Mike Williams’ way, but the receiver erred, allowing cornerback Taron Johnson to parkour in from out of frame, stealing one back for Buffalo.

Indeed, there would be no victory lap for the 40-year-old Rodgers — forced instead to watch as Josh Allen called his own number around the left end, to send the “W” Buffalo’s way. It was a fitting play to claim the win, using three runs to close out the game — offering a stark contrast to those fateful decisions made in the final moments against Houston Texans a week earlier.

Without a doubt, this was an ugly victory for McDermott’s group. After a wild first half, both teams managed to score just three points each following the break. The Bills are lucky they struck last, and that the best offensive outing by Rodgers and the Jets’ offense this season didn’t spoil their plans to stay in first place.

Despite Rodgers throwing for a few yards shy of 300, with both Lazard and Garrett Wilson going over 100 yards receiving each, and giving up over 100 yards on the ground to Breece Hall, the Jets couldn’t outplay the turnover battle. Instead of enjoying smugness in victory, Rodgers was left exasperated and shaking his head on the bench.

Fortunately it all worked for the Bills in the end, otherwise that Hail Mary would hold a much bigger place on the Mantle of McDermott Mistakes. As now, “Eight Seconds” has entered the lexicon of Bills Mafia lingo. That may seem unfair to him seeing how Bobby Babich is the defensive coordinator behind that play, but there’s real history between McDermott and crazy in-game mistakes.

Buffalo’s latest Hail Mary gaffe is inexcusable, no matter how anyone tries to paint over it. Surrendering that touchdown before halftime erased a double-dip opportunity for the Bills, which is a huge reason teams prefer to kick off at the beginning of games. To make matters worse in that regard, Buffalo’s drive to open the third quarter came up empty after (trigger warning) Tyler Bass missed a 47-yard field goal wide right. From hopeful double-dip to a 10-point swing in the wrong direction.

And then things got u g l y for both teams.

Monday night’s game featured plenty of impressive plays, perhaps none more so than Allen’s incredible field-destroying 42-yard sideline throw to a leaping Ray Davis. But there was also too much unnecessary drama fueled by an excessive amount of penalties. In total, there were 22 accepted penalties for 204 yards — 11 for 94 yards on the Bills, 11 for 110 on the Jets. Don’t ask about the declined ones.

Even Rodgers addressed some of those calls during his postgame presser, stating that more than one roughing-the-passer flag wasn’t a just penalty for either side. There were, however, plenty of self-inflicted flags that just have no place on a team intent on going far into January. Head coach Sean McDermott pointed out after the game that pre-snap penalties are “non-negotiable” items and need to be addressed.

Again, the biggest takeaway is that the Bills are now 4-2 and firmly in control of the AFC East after just six weeks. No one outside of the team’s fan base would have taken that bet in August. The East was the Jets’ to lose, because old man Rodgers was back in the saddle. And those Miami Dolphins? Oh they were bound to have a few things to say about Buffalo’s reign. Clearly, the Bills were the third-best team in the division after losing the likes of Stefon Diggs.

Six games into the season, we begin to learn what teams are really made of. Guess what? Though a lot of players have come and gone, once again these Buffalo Bills march forward with a ton of grit and determination, always up for the challenge of re-directing a lost route. For as much as McDermott can be taken to task about those all-too-frequent mind-numbing game-day mistakes, his teams often compete above their weight class.

Yes, the passing game is still a major work in progress. Though that may sound crazy given Allen’s overall start to 2024, it’s true. The key there is of course focusing on the progress being made. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady must continue finding more opportunities for tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox. Kincaid once again disappeared during most of the second and third quarters. Knox only had one catch, but what a fantastic target it was as a 12-yard touchdown grab. When Knox scores a least one touchdown, the Buffalo Bills are 20-1. Give these guys more opportunities, which means finding new ways to scheme Kincaid open against double coverage.

Thankfully we saw a few looks and completions further down the field to wide receiver Curtis Samuel, but Brady really should consider overhauling the way he’s featured on offense. There’s so much more meat on the bone in his game. As for wide receiver Mack Hollins, to the chagrin of many I will continue banging the drum for him to find more meaningful looks. It’s clear that Josh Allen likes to go Hollins’ way in the red zone and building that chemistry now could pay huge dividends late in the season.

An easy person to cheer for, there’s a lot to love in rookie running back Ray Davis’ game. Filling in for James Cook, Davis carried the ball 20 times for 94 yards and caught all three of his targets for 55 yards. It’s clear that the Bills are committed to the ground game, and they’ve found the right people to seamlessly integrate on any given down.

Taron Johnson’s return was massive, and it’s worth wondering how the end plays out without him on the field. That’s also true of safety Taylor Rapp who made plenty of huge plays in front of a national audience: none bigger than chasing down running back Breece Hall to prevent a touchdown, and later flying across the end zone opposite Damar Hamlin to deny a would-be touchdown pass.

The calls to replace Tyler Bass will continue to increase, but to claim that he’s been terrible is disingenuous if unwilling to consider all factors. Simply taking a deeper dive into the position this season will reveal far more than just those kickers making 60-plus field goals. In the end, Bass’ poor night was nowhere near as bad as Greg Zuerlein’s. This isn’t to excuse Bass’ misses, or any kickers who struggle to connect where expected.

Bass’ missed extra point was ultimately blocked, but it’s fair to wonder if it was headed in the right direction otherwise. Every 47-yard miss by a Bills kicker stings differently thanks to Super Bowl XXV, but the Meadowlands weather played a real role Monday night. You’ll find no argument from me debating against the idea that a kicker’s job is to secure points. For now, I remain willing to consider more about what’s behind Bass’ misses than to land on the idea that he’s simply “broken.” Perhaps the better question is if the Bills should prioritize finding a kicker who excels in poor conditions?

So yes, this season hasn’t been without its challenges for fans, and the Bills have only played six games. That means there might be more bumps along the way. Still, there’s plenty to like about this year’s Bills.

It may be time to just accept this year’s team for what it is, since they are winning. It’s true they’ve chosen to work their magic in ways most fans aren’t used to watching with Josh Allen at the helm, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The challenge now is making sure that magic formula continues into the playoffs, aided by the mantra of one game at a time.

On deck: a home date with the Tennessee Titans.