Rookie returner Xavier Gipson led the New York Jets to a 22-16 Week 1 win over the Buffalo Bills with a punt return touchdown in overtime. However, the success was overshadowed by a potentially serious injury to quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Bills @ Jets: At a glance
- Aaron Rodgers’ debut for the New York Jets lasted less than five minutes and was already over after a sack. After the game, head coach Robert Saleh confirmed that it looked like an Achilles tendon injury. “It is not good.”
- After Rodgers’ failure temporarily sucked all the energy from the home crowd out of the stadium, four turnovers by Bills QB Josh Allen ensured that the Jets gradually found their way back into the game and the crowd woke up again.
- The decision was made by rookie returner Xavier Gipson, who carried a punt 65 yards into the end zone in overtime.
Bills @ Jets: The Analysis
Everything was set for quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ long-awaited debut for the New York Jets. However, it only lasted four plays. After heavy pressure from the Bills and a sack from Leonard Floyd, Rodgers remained sitting on the MetLife Stadium floor and ultimately had to leave the field. X-rays were negative, but head coach Robert Saleh confirmed after the game that it was likely an Achilles tendon injury that would end the season for the four-time MVP. “It is not good.”
Zach Wilson took over for Rodgers less than five minutes into the game. This was followed by a punt and the first long drive by the guests from Buffalo, which was only stopped in the red zone. Tyler Bass scored from 40 yards and put his team in front. A little later, Bills quarterback Josh Allen gave the Jets new hope with an ill-advised deep shot towards Deonte Harty in double coverage. Safety Jordan Whitehead made the interception at his own 4-yard line. Allen could have simply run for a new 1st down, but instead opted for a “thrown” punt.
On the very next play, running back Breece Hall ran 83 yards into the red zone in his comeback from a torn ACL. In the end, a 26-yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein tied the game. The Bills then had their best attack to date, which ended with a scramble by Allen, who finally found Stefon Diggs in the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown pass.
This was followed by an interception from Wilson to linebacker Matt Milano over the middle and another field goal by Bass to give Buffalo a 13-3 halftime lead.
Bills @ Jets: Allen’s mistakes bring New York back into the game
The Jets started the second half with a clear plan: focus on the run game. And that would bear fruit, because after a six-minute drive, Zuerlein reduced the deficit with a 43-yard field goal. And after Allen once again tried a simply stupid shot towards the end zone in double coverage under pressure from Quinnen Williams, Whitehead caught his second interception and kept the game open.
That was at the end of the third quarter, and in the fourth the two – Allen and Whitehead – immediately followed up with an interception. Once again the throw didn’t have much chance of reaching its target – Gabe Davis. And this pick hurt, because the Jets then had their best drive with Wilson. At the end there was a spectacular tip-drill catch for a touchdown by Garrett Wilson under the close guard of Tre’Davious White, who had almost fended off the pass. Jets equalize at 13:13 with only 4:55 minutes left on the clock!
And it got even better for the Jets, because immediately after the snap Allen lost a fumble and gave the ball straight back to the home team. The Jets reached the two-minute warning, but settled for another field goal that gave them the lead for the first time with 1:48 minutes left. Enough time for the guests to get within field goal range again and equalize with a 50-yard kick from Bass. Overtime!
The Bills got the ball first, couldn’t make any progress and ultimately punted the game away, as Gipson couldn’t be stopped from a 65-yard return into the end zone.
Buffalo Bills (0-1) @ New York Jets (1-0)
Result: 16:22 (3:0, 10:3, 0:3, 3:10) BOXSCORE
Bills @ Jets – the most important statistics
- Sauce Gardner is considered one of the best cover cornerbacks in the NFL. However, that hasn’t stopped Allen and the Bills from targeting him. No Jets cornerback saw more targets as a defensive lineman, according to Next Gen Stats, than Gardner, with five. And all five passes came for 62 yards (118.3 passer rating).
- Breece Hall’s 83-yard run in the first half was the second-longest run in New York Jets franchise history. Only Johnny Johnson surpassed him with a 90-yard run against the Chicago Bears in 1994.
- Allen’s touchdown pass to Diggs was the 30th touchdown between the two. They are only the second QB-WR duo in Bills history with at least 30 touchdowns. The other two were Hall of Famers Jim Kelly and Andre Reed (65).
- With his three interceptions, Allen now has 83 turnovers since his debut in 2018 – the most in the NFL during that span. Whitehead, meanwhile, is the first Jets player with three picks in a game since Ty Law in 2006, who also did so against Buffalo.
The star of the game: Breece Hall (Running Back, Jets)
Hall made an emphatic comeback after tearing his cruciate ligament last year and excelled in a situation where everyone knew he would get the ball. He carried his team with 127 rushing yards, taking a lot of pressure off of QB Zach Wilson.
The flop of the game: offensive tackles (Jets)
The Bills were handed this game on a silver platter. Rodgers was out early and the Jets made it clear they didn’t have too much faith in Wilson. All Buffalo should have done is not throw the game away. But that’s exactly what Allen did with his hands full with his three bad and unnecessary interceptions – against a normal pass rush and without pressure. The fumble at the end was the cherry on the cake. Incidentally, Allen is now 0-5 in overtime games.
Analysis: Bills @ Jets – this stood out tactically
- The Bills’ personnel packages were extremely variable from the start. They often relied on slot receiver Deonte Harty, not only in the slot, but also sometimes as a Z receiver and in the backfield. He also acted as a pre-snap decoy with jet motion. Likewise, tight end was often switched between Dawson Knox and Austin Kincaid or played with both to stimulate the run game.
- Fully aware of the Jets’ anything but stable offensive line, the Bills almost completely avoided blitzes and were successful in generating pressure even without them. And this on both sides of the line.
- Both the Jets and the Bills mostly relied on 2-high looks defensively to contain the circles of fast receivers and prevent shot plays. Accordingly, we mainly saw passes over short and medium distances so as not to risk anything. When Allen did attempt a deep shot, he fired into double coverage and had an interception.
- After Rodgers’ injury and Zach Wilson’s obvious limitations, the Jets relied more on the run game and often brought 12 personnel onto the field – on Hall’s 83-yard run there were even three tight ends who helped with blocking. When Wilson did throw after the break, it was mainly very short passes such as screens and passes on underneath routes. Avoiding risk was the motto.