ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Here are my five takes from the Buffalo Bills’ 20-12 victory against the New York Jets Sunday at Highmark Stadium:
1. For most of the first half, this game was every bit as ugly as the cold, damp weather that brought a mix of rain and snow.
The teams were locked in a defensive standoff. It had similarities to the Bills’ 20-17 loss to the Jets Nov. 6 at MetLife Stadium.
Eventually, the Bills took control of the line of scrimmage in this one, something the Jets did throughout the teams’ previous meeting. Buffalo’s defensive front increasingly won its battle against the Jets’ offensive line, generating pressure and sacking Mike White (who temporarily left the game with injured ribs and left the stadium in an ambulance afterwards to address possible internal injuries) and keeping running lanes to a minimum.
Greg Rousseau stepped up magnificently to fill the void created by Von Miller’s season-ending knee injury. He had two sacks for minus-15 yards and knocked down a pass at the line. A.J. Epenesa and Shaq Lawson also contributed sacks and helped put consistent pressure on the quarterback.
Despite a knee injury that had him questionable for the game, Matt Milano was his typically effective self, covering plenty of ground and causing disruption.
"He's tough as nails," Sean McDermott said. "Guys love him for it."
Ed Oliver did a nice job plugging the middle in place of Jordan Phillips, who sat out with a shoulder injury. The Bills also forced two fumbles, including one late in the fourth quarter as the Jets were showing signs of life after blocking a punt that resulted in a safety.
2. Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense were nothing special. Thanks to the Bills’ defense, they didn’t have to be much more.
Allen threw for 147 yards and a touchdown and had a passer rating of 86.5. The most critical stat for him was zero interceptions. The two atrocious picks he threw against the Jets last month were the deciding factors in the outcome.
The Bills were back to ineffective running beyond Allen, who led them on the ground with 47 yards and a touchdown. Devin Singletary was the only Bills back heard from with 39 yards.
3. How much concern should there be over the fact the Bills’ offense hasn’t, for the most part, looked anywhere near as explosive as it was the past two seasons?
When Allen was asked about the offense’s shortcomings after the game, he quickly pointed out the team has a 10-3 record. That was the right response, because the Bills took an important step toward taking control of the AFC East with the win and maintained their hold on the top seed in the AFC playoffs.
That doesn’t mean the lack of offensive firepower should be ignored. Besides Allen’s paltry passing numbers, Stefon Diggs wasn’t a huge factor, catching three passes on five targets for 37 yards (with 32 coming on one catch). The Bills need to be better, though the Jets’ solid defense had something to do with that.
Asked if the weather had something to do with the Bills’ numerous dropped passes, McDermott said, “That wasn’t about the weather. We have to play better fundamentally.”
At some point, going the distance on the path to the Super Bowl is going to require more games where the offense shows more of the dominance it had early in the season and in 2021 and ’20.
“I don’t think there’s an issue when we’re 10-3,” said Dawson Knox, who did a head-over-heels flip into the end zone to score on a 24-yard pass from Allen at the end of the first half.
Another cool Knox moment came earlier in the scoring drive when he suddenly moved behind center on fourth down and drew an encroachment penalty when C.J. Mosley hurdled into the backfield before the snap and landed on Knox.
4. The Bills’ physicality on defense merits tremendous credit, especially coming days after Von Miller was shut down for the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL.
The young corps of players on the defensive line showed they’re more than capable of picking up the slack. The Bills are still in a good place on defense, and arguably could be even better off because Rousseau, Epenesa and Boogie Basham have more experience and are also feeding off of Oliver, Lawson and (when healthy) Phillips.
“(The defensive line was) playing hard, coming off the ball, establishing the line of scrimmage,” McDermott said. “I could feel that defensive line.”
5. The short week before the Bills face the Miami Dolphins on Saturday night at Highmark would figure to benefit the Bills.
The Dolphins did the smart thing by remaining on the West Coast after last Sunday's loss against the 49ers at Santa Clara and traveling from there to Los Angeles to play against the Chargers on Sunday night. Still, having a long return flight Sunday night followed by travel to Buffalo on Friday would undoubtedly impede on recovery and preparation time.
The Bills need to make amends for their 21-19 Week 3 loss at Miami in which a bevy of mistakes cost them the game. A more polished, efficient performance should be more than enough to produce a victory. And a win would go a long way toward enhancing Buffalo’s chances of capturing a third consecutive AFC East crown.