A weather warning was issued around the Meadowlands on Monday afternoon. Fans were told to expect strong winds. They were advised to guard their grills and hold onto their tents. They should have been warned: hold onto your hats too.
But who could have foreseen this? Who could have predicted how tonight would unfold? Who would have thought that two stuttering offenses would produce such an electric first half that exploded back and forth?
Who would have thought – at half-time, with the game so brilliantly set up – that this would turn into a tedious flag-fest?
Who would have guessed that a game in which two shots bounced off the post (and two more missed completely) would ultimately be decided by a field goal?
At the end of it all, the Bills condemned the Jets to a 20-17 loss and began a new era in New York with even more frustration.
Aaron Rodgers threw a late interception as the Jets were defeated by the Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen led the Bills to a crucial victory at MetLife Stadium on Monday night.
In the first game under interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich and new playmaker Todd Downing, the Jets had little trouble moving the ball.
Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles tendon survived more than four plays and he threw for 294 yards, more than any other game this season. He threw for two touchdowns, including a remarkable 52-yard Hail Mary to Allen Lazard that prevented New York from slipping away before halftime tonight.
Rodgers has denied suggestions that he had a hand in Robert Saleh’s firing. What those accusations they always ignored? Other quarterbacks can also weigh in on the Jets’ future. And when this game came down to it, Josh Allen succeeded where Rodgers failed.
With less than four minutes on the clock, when the Jets trailed by three points, Rodgers took the ball. He advanced to New York 10 yards downfield. And then he threw an interception.
Moments later, with the game in his hands and the Bills on third-and-four, Allen ran for the first down that settled this game. Six yards that could prove pivotal in both teams’ seasons.
By then, MetLife Stadium was virtually empty and much of the optimism that greeted this new beginning had also dissipated. The Jets are now 2-4; The Bills have a two-win cushion atop the AFC East.
Rodgers arrived at this game in a navy suit and dark sunglasses, shortly before clouds enveloped the Meadowlands and bitter winds whipped the MetLife parking lots.
Early risers bundled up against the cold to watch the Mets on screens large and small. Flagpoles bent in the breeze and smoke billowed from grills. It began to rain, and for a time the swirling debris gave the impression that snow was also falling.
Things are not so bleak yet. But it’s been another stormy week in New York. Saleh was fired just a couple of days after the loss to Minnesota in London, and division soon spilled out of the locker room when one player criticized his “selfish teammates… embarrassing.”
Compare that to the last time Beerus was in town. That night, the 2023 MNF opener, Rodgers walked onto the field carrying the American flag and carrying the hopes of a franchise.
Even after the unthinkable happened a few plays later, that night ended with a dramatic overtime victory. It turned out to be the highlight of a dismal season. This year was supposed to be different. Instead, after five games, the Jets had scored the same number of points as in 2023, when Zach Wilson was under center.
Not surprisingly, Rodgers’ entrance was more low-key on Monday. No wonder Saleh paid with his work.
The first series of this new era ended with Rodgers hitting the bench in frustration. This year, however, his Achilles tendon was intact and the quarterback had marched the Jets down the field more fluidly than he had for most of this season.
They had to settle for a field goal but the fuse had been lit. Buffalo responded with a brutal attack when Ray Davis, replacing the absent James Cook, went for 48 yards on six carries before Josh Allen scored from the one-yard line.
The visitors had traveled 70 yards in nine plays and 4m 54s. Then the Jets went 70 yards in nine plays and 4m 11s. Rodgers found Garrett Wilson in the end zone and New York was back in front.
It was something brilliant and breathless. Unfortunately for the Jets, it didn’t last. They accumulated 124 yards on their first two drives. The next two produced two punts, two sacks on Rodgers and just 26 yards.
However, Allen wasn’t done. The Bills’ offense had stagnated as their season struggled in recent weeks. But before long, he found Mack Hollins in the end zone. Before long, boos rang out at MetLife as penalties piled up against the Jets and the Bills entered the red zone once again. This time Allen escaped another sack and chose Dawson Knox.
Suddenly, with just 21 seconds left on the clock, the Jets were trailing by 10 and staring down the barrel. Somehow there was still time for another twist. On the last play of the half, Rodgers stood at the 52-yard line and threw a Hail Mary into the swirling winds.
In the end zone, Lazard went higher. Landing. Suddenly, the stage was set for a shootout.
Unfortunately, officials began to take control. The third quarter ended with three points and nine penalties. There was another one at half-time. Just in case
By then, the game had become almost unwatchable. Braelon Allen thought he had put the Jets ahead, but his touchdown was called back. Of course it was.
The Jets missed the field goal that would have given them the lead. And then they blew another one early in the fourth quarter. Both of Greg Zuerlein’s attempts hit the left post. Earlier that night, Tyler Bass had missed with a field goal and a conversion.
With just under four minutes left, Bass finally found his range from 22 yards out. Rodgers had no response.