A half century of Jets dread and gloom was supposed to finish Monday evening in opposition to the Buffalo Bills amid the ceremonious debut of Aaron Rodgers, one of the most prolific passers of his era. Instead, the Jets’ protection, younger receivers and a castaway quarterback, with assist from 4 turnovers from the Bills’ Josh Allen, fueled a 22-16 comeback, time beyond regulation win.
Capping a scoring rally that started with a game-tying landing drive late in the fourth quarter, the Jets rookie receiver Xavier Gipson returned a punt 65 yards for a landing in time beyond regulation to snatch again a victory in opposition to a division rival that appeared unlikely as soon as Rodgers was harm.
On the Jets’ third official offensive play of the recreation, left sort out Duane Brown missed a block in opposition to Bills linebacker Leonard Floyd. Rodgers tried to escape, however Floyd sacked Rodgers, rolling the quarterback’s legs as they each went to the floor. Rodgers stood up, then sat again down earlier than strolling to the sideline with assist from Jets medical workers.
Rodgers was transported to the locker room on a cart and didn’t return after formally being dominated out with an ankle damage.
Jets Coach Robert Saleh mentioned after the recreation that the crew was involved that Rodgers had injured an Achilles’ tendon. “M.R.I. is probably going to confirm what we think is already going to happen, so prayers tonight, but it’s not good,” he mentioned.
The cornerback D.J. Reed mentioned the damage rattled the protection and that it was robust to focus instantly afterward. “You can’t dwell on it because you know we have a game to play, but at the same time you don’t want your quarterback to be down,” Reed mentioned.
The singer Justin Timberlake and the rapper Sexyy Red have been amongst the celebrities who studded the sideline, drawn by the prospect of Rodgers’s Jets period. The fanfare inside MetLife Stadium rapidly dulled as Zach Wilson got here on in reduction and the Jets reverted to final season’s philosophy — working the ball and taking part in stout protection.
The protection held the Bills to a discipline objective on the drive that adopted Rodgers’s damage, and security Jordan Whitehead intercepted an Allen go on the Bills’ subsequent collection for the first of his three picks on the evening.
The second-year working again Breece Hall instantly responded, jolting for an 83-yard run to arrange a brief Greg Zuerlein discipline objective to tie the recreation at 3-3 with 10 minutes 35 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Hall, who tore an anterior cruciate ligament seven video games right into a promising 2022 season, had 127 yards on 10 carries in his return to play.
The Bills retaliated with a 75-yard landing drive, accomplished by a 5-yard toss from Allen to Stefon Diggs.
After Wilson pitched an interception of his personal on a brief go up the center meant for Randall Cobb, Buffalo kicked a discipline objective to deliver the rating to 13-3 at halftime.
Wilson mentioned he briefly talked to Rodgers at halftime and informed him that he liked him. After two seasons as the Jets starter, Wilson embraced his function as Rodgers’s understudy throughout coaching camp and bonding with the four-time league M.V.P.
Suddenly thrust again into the quarterback job, Wilson was hounded all night by a Bills go rush that dominated the Jets’ offensive line, a weak point of final season that carried into the Rodgers period. He was sacked twice and managed 140 yards on 14 of 21 passing, however he was in a position to start the second half with a 12-play, 50-yard discipline objective drive to slim the rating to 13-6.
“I just got to keep getting better,” Wilson mentioned in a postgame information convention. He added: “I just have to aggressively rely on everything I’ve done in the preseason and just do my best to keep improving as a player.”
On the Bills’ subsequent possession, Allen tried to discover Diggs in the finish zone once more, throwing a deep go on second-and-13 from the Jets’ 41-yard line into double protection. With defensive sort out Quinnen Williams bearing down on Allen as he threw, Whitehead caught his second interception, this time for a touchback. The Jets have been unable to rating off the turnover, going three-and-out.
The actuality of a Rodgers-less offense all however silenced the crowd as the clocked ticked towards what appeared to be a depressing ending. The unit sputtered because it had final season, choked by safety for Wilson that couldn’t maintain up as he looked for high-percentage, risk-averse passing choices.
With 9:43 remaining in the recreation, Whitehead snatched one other go from Allen — a toss geared toward Gabe Davis — gifting the Jets the ball at their very own 43-yard line. On the ensuing drive, the Jets’ middling offense got here up with the essential performs it had appeared incapable of producing in the three earlier quarters.
Wilson discovered receiver Allen Lazard with a brief toss on a third-and-5 play that Lazard legged out for a 24-yard acquire. The Jets pounded the ball ahead on working performs, together with a Wilson scamper in the pink zone, as Buffalo’s protection tightened. On second-and-goal, he focused receiver Garrett Wilson, who was matched up with Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White one on one. White prevented Garrett Wilson from getting to the again nook of the finish zone, the place the go was headed, however Wilson reached throughout White, batted the ball again to himself along with his proper hand, and picked up it after a brief juggle to tie the rating at 13.
Wilson mentioned coaches referred to as for a run play with a passing possibility and that he determined to throw when he noticed Wilson in single protection.
“I just looked out there and saw G and was like, ‘I’m throwing this one up,’” Zach Wilson mentioned.
Facing Williams’s go rush once more, Allen fumbled on the Bills’ first play from scrimmage on the subsequent collection, and the Jets recovered the ball at Buffalo’s 27-yard line with slightly below 5 minutes left in regulation, sending the crowd right into a frenzy.
It was the final turnover of a deplorable evening from Allen, who was sacked 5 occasions and hurried on a number of passes. He completed with 236 yards passing on a 29-of-41 efficiency.
“It’s not like I’m, going out there and trying to throw interceptions,” Allen mentioned in a postgame information convention. He completed tied for second in the league in interceptions final season (14). “We’ll find out on tape and try to correct and got to correct it fast.”
The Jets managed a clock-eating discipline objective drive punctuated with Zuerlein’s 30-yard conversion to take a 16-13 lead with 1:48 left.
Allen responded with a drive wherein he related with Diggs thrice for 40 yards on a 43-yard march to get into discipline objective vary. With two seconds remaining, the Bills’ Tyler Bass related on a 50-yard kick that crashed into the left upright however bounced by means of to power time beyond regulation.
The Bills received possession in the coin toss, leaving the Jets’ protection, the energy of the crew in the 2022 season and on Monday evening, to provide you with one more essential stand. A false begin penalty on Bills offensive sort out Spencer Brown backed Buffalo up to its personal 20-yard line and a go rush led by Williams held the Bills to simply 3 yards from there.
Allen had to take his closing snap from the shotgun earlier than the Bills have been pressured to punt to Gipson, an undrafted rookie out of Stephen F. Austin. He acquired stellar blocking from teammates as he strode 65 yards to the finish zone, the place he was surrounded by Jets coaches and gamers who rushed in from the sidelines as time expired.
Rodgers was nowhere in sight.
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