ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Jets were the preseason favorites to win the AFC East.
But the real kings of the division swept the Jets for the first time since 2021.
Bills (13-3) embarrassed the Jets (4-12) 40-14, thanks to three defensive turnovers and five sacks. With the victory, the Bills clinched the AFC’s No. 2 seed in the playoffs.
“Give a lot of credit to Buffalo,” Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said. “They got after us in every way. They outcoached us, outplayed us from really the second half on.
“Not good enough.”
With the loss, the Jets will finish with five or fewer wins for the seventh time since 2010, the last time the team qualified for the playoffs.
In addition to being sacked four times, once for a safety, Aaron Rodgers completed 12-of-18 passes for 112 yards and two interceptions. In the fourth quarter, Tyrod Taylor — who eventually replaced him — finished 11-for-14 for 83 yards and two touchdowns.
Garrett Wilson finished with seven catches for 66 yards and a touchdown reception.
“The two times we played them this year, we moved the ball pretty well and just hurt ourselves,” Rodgers said about the Bills. “We scored more points in the first one obviously, but when you watch that first one back, we had chances to win the game.
“Today, we moved the ball well on our first two drives, no points. After that, the game got away from us.”
Bills quarterback Josh Allen continued his MVP campaign with another solid game. He completed 16-of-27 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns before Mitchell Trubisky replaced him with a significant lead.
Allen became the NFL’s first player with five consecutive 40-touchdown seasons. He also matched Thurman Thomas’ Bills record for career rushing touchdowns (65).
“Our defense, they played lights out today,” Allen said. “They had juice, they had energy. Offensively, I thought we ran the ball well and made a couple of really big plays, especially in the third quarter.
“Would have liked to get off to a faster start and sustain a couple more drives and a couple of penalties hurt us. A lot to learn from, but we will look at it tomorrow and keep moving forward.”
Sunday’s game against the Bills was a microcosm of the Jets’ season. Penalties, mistakes, and poor decisions plagued the Jets.
The Bills put the game away in the third quarter after scoring three touchdowns in five minutes.
Gang Green had two scoring opportunities before halftime. In the first quarter, Rodgers threw a poor incompletion to Kenny Yeboah instead of running for the first down on 3rd and 1. On the next play, Braelon Allen was stuffed for no gain on 4th and 1, and the Jets turned the ball over on downs.
Then, during the second quarter, the Jets reached the 12-yard line when Rodgers’ pass to Davante Adams on a screen was tipped by Greg Rousseau and intercepted by Jordan Phillips. It was Rodgers’ first interception since Dec. 1 against Seattle.
“I think he just looked my way and then tried to get a quick one to me and it got tipped up and picked,” Adams said about the play.
Gang Green committed six penalties for 42 yards in just the first half against the Bills. They finished with 16 penalties for 120 yards, which was the most the team has had since 2018, according to ESPN.
Penalties have been an issue for the Jets this season. Entering Sunday’s game, they ranked fourth (115) in infractions.
“The game is already tough enough and you add those self-inflicting wounds,” Adams said. “You can’t shoot yourself in the foot with pre-snap penalties especially.”
In addition to the first-half penalties, in the third quarter, the Jets were going for it on 4th and 5 at the Bills’ 37 but were called for a delay of game when Rodgers didn’t snap the ball in time. After the penalty, the Jets eventually had to punt on 4th and 10.
The hits just kept coming for the Jets during the second half. When they were on the Bills’ 29, Rodgers’ pass to Allen Lazard was intercepted by Christian Benford, which was his second of the day. As Benford ran out of bounds, Rodgers pushed him and received an unnecessary roughness penalty, putting the Bills on the Jets’ 37-yard-line.
It was Rodgers’ first unnecessary roughness flag of his career.
That eventually set up Allen’s 30-yard bomb to Amari Cooper, which put the Bills up 19-0.
“I don’t think I pushed him very hard,” Rodgers said. “Was just chasing down the play.”
The Bills got the ball and scored on their opening drive. Mack Hollins’ multiple catches and the Jets’ three defensive penalties helped set up Allen’s one-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown, which put the Bills up 7-0 early in the game.
The game remained 7-0 until 2:31 left in the second quarter. A.J. Epenesa sacked Rodgers in the end zone, resulting in a safety, increasing Buffalo’s lead to 9-0.
Tyler Bass’ 39-yard field goal as the clock expired put the Bills up 12-0 at halftime.
With 5:13 left in the third quarter, Buffalo scored their second touchdown of the day. Allen found Cooper for a 30-yard touchdown pass, which increased its lead to 19-0.
The Bills onslaught continued after James Cook scored a one-yard touchdown, putting them up 26-0. Then, on the next drive, Garrett Wilson fumbled the ball at the Jets’ 21 and Bills linebacker Matt Milano recovered the ball on the 15. That eventually led to an Allen 14-yard touchdown pass to Keon Coleman, which made the score 33-0.
The embarrassment continued after Allen left the game. Trubisky completed a 69-yard touchdown pass to Tyrell Shavers, extending the Bills lead to 40-0.
The Jets finally got on the board after Taylor found Wilson for a nine-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion made the score 40-8 late in the fourth quarter. Taylor also led the Jets to another garbage-time touchdown, making it 40-14.
“It’s disappointing,” Adams said. “On paper, it looked like it could be a shootout. But it’s about execution.”
Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner re-aggravated his hamstring injury in the first half and was eventually ruled out during the third quarter. Gardner practiced on a limited basis on Friday. He was evaluated pregame on Sunday and the Jets felt comfortable enough to make him active for the game.
“I felt pretty decent,” Gardner said about his hamstring injury entering the game. “I was just trying to give my all for the organization, for my teammates, for my coaches. Just trying to give my all.”
The Jets’ disappointing 2024 campaign will end in Week 18. They will host the Dolphins, who defeated them in overtime on Dec. 8 to eliminate them from playoff contention.
