Few defenses have given the Buffalo Bills more fits than the New York Jets, but you never would have known that watching Sunday afternoon’s game.
Buffalo scored on seven of 11 of their drives against the Jets, moving the ball with ease. Josh Allen looked like himself, the running backs were heavily involved and Buffalo did not need to lean on their star players to score points. Simply put, the Bills offense had answers for just about everything the Jets attempted to do on defense.
While many players will get recognized for their play in the encouraged section, new offensive coordinator Joe Brady leads the way.
ENCOURAGE
Joe Brady: Joe Brady did not have time to install his own offense, but he tinkered enough with what he inherited to make it work.
Pre-snap motion? Check. Not only did Brady use pre-snap motion, he used it effectively.
Brady was also successful using play action and utilizing the team’s backs, something Ken Dorsey failed to do consistently. The way he schemed James Cook and Ty Johnson open on their touchdowns was well done. It was just a small sample size, but putting up 32 points against one of the NFL’s best teams is a great first impression.
Josh Allen: Buffalo’s quarterback declared that he was back during the team’s blowout win and he certainly looked it.
Allen completed 20-of-32 passes for 275 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. The turnover came on a Hail Mary before halftime so it’s hard to hold that against him. Buffalo’s franchise QB was decisive with the football and still exhibited his rocket arm on a pass to Khalil Shakir that resulted in an 81-yard touchdown.
Allen was not successful as a rusher (5 rushes for 15 yards), but the threat of the quarterback running alone is a win for how future opponents will have to game plan
James Cook and Ty Johnson: Buffalo’s backs both found the end zone in Sunday’s win.
Cook rushed for 73 yards on 17 carries (4.3 YPC) while adding 29 yards and one score on three receptions. Johnson, in a revenge game of sorts, rushed for just 11 yards on three carries, but showed off his speed and balance on three receptions that went for 47 yards. Johnson’s longest reception, a 28 yarder, saw him tip-toe the sideline all the way to the end zone on a 4th and 1 conversion.
Buffalo’s run game showed life as rushers and receivers against the Jets.
Khalil Shakir: Speaking of Shakir, the second year wide receiver has established himself the past few weeks as one of Josh Allen’s favorite targets. Shakir continues to catch just about everything thrown his way while picking up valuable yards after the catch. While most of his yardage came on his 81-yard score, Shakir’s final stat line (3-115-1) led both teams on Sunday. His 81-yard score is also the league’s longest TD reception of the year to date.
Leonard Floyd: Leonard Floyd is going to do down as one of Brandon Beane’s top free agent signings regardless of whether or not he returns in 2024. Floyd had his way with the Jets’ offensive line in Buffalo’s victory and finished with 2.5 sacks and three quarterback hits.
Tyrel Dodson: Tyrel Dodson has had some bad games and bad moments this season since entering the starting lineup. He was brilliant, however, against the Jets. Dodson led the team in tackles (7), recorded a sack and forced a Garrett Wilson fumble. It was a strong night for the linebacker.
Rasul Douglas: Rasul Douglas looked the part of a No. 1 cornerback against Garrett Wilson and the Jets. Douglas had tight coverage on Jets receivers throughout the evening and finished with two interceptions in Buffalo’s victory. He added a fumble recovery as well. Douglas will give the Bills defense a chance against some of the top tier passing attacks remaining on their schedule.
Reggie Gilliam: Talk about starting a game off right. On the opening kickoff, Reggie Gilliam tracked down Jets return man Xavier Gipson. With the return man in front of him, Gilliam used the proverbial hit stick and drove the returner to the ground. Along the way, Gilliam was able to knock the ball loose from Gipson. Quintin Morris recovered the fumble and helped set the Bills up with terrific field position. It was a perfect example of the complementary football that Sean McDermott has been looking for this season.
Third down defense: New York’s offense is among the worst in the league, but stopping a team from converting on third down all game is still impressive. The Jets were 0-for-11 on third down facing Sean McDermott’s defense.
WORRIED
4th down defense: Buffalo’s defense was lights out on third down, but the Jets were able to extend drives on fourth down. The team went 4-of-5 against the Bills on fourth down.
Injuries: The injuries continue to pile up for Buffalo with the team taking several hits in their secondary. Dane Jackson, Taron Johnson, Taylor Rapp, Micah Hyde and Cam Lewis were all banged up in the victory. Jackson and Johnson are in the concussion protocol which could prove difficult to clear in time for Sunday’s game.
It’s going to be hard for Buffalo to continue to find players to step up on the back end of the defense with so many players already dealing with injuries.
Bills OL: The Jets defense is able to dominate teams thanks to the pressure that they can generate upfront along the defensive line. That unit, however, was held in check by Buffalo’s offensive line. Josh Allen was sacked just once while taking four QB hits. The offensive line was also good in run blocking with the Bills finishing with 130 yards on the ground.
Dalton Kincaid: Kincaid had another solid outing as a pass-catcher (6 receptions for 46 yards), but his improvement as a blocker is what landed the rookie tight end on our list. Kincaid made a few early blocks to spring Buffalo’s backs on the ground. Later in the game, his “doot,” as he put it, helped Khalil Shakir find the end zone.
