Jets stiffen Allen, upset Bills at MetLife

EAST RUTHERFORD N.J. – In most sports, championship winning teams will inevitably face some form of adversity along their journey. 

For the Buffalo Bills and their – shall we say – eccentric fanbase, that’s exactly all they’ll be hoping their 20-17 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday is. 

In a game the Bills were favoured by 10 points to win in, Josh Allen had one of his poorer starts throwing for just 205 yards and two interceptions, with no passing touchdowns and a lowly completion rate of just 52%. 

“It’s a tough league to win in when your quarterback plays like s**t,” was how Allen explained the loss to the media post game. 

The Buffalo Bills came into this season as heavy Super Bowl favourites, with much of their play this season, reflecting the odds. A record of 6-2 may seem as if the reaction to yesterday’s loss is a bit overblown, but both their losses this season have come, not just within their conference, but within their division of the AFC East. 

To make matters worse, Allen’s status was officially changed to questionable following the loss. In the final plays of the game, the gunslinger could be seen favouring his throwing arm as the official prognosis is just some elbow discomfort. 

“There’s some slight pain,” he said. “I’ll get through it.”

It wasn’t just Buffalo’s inability to create plays that hurt them on Sunday though. The New York Jets defence came out ready to play. They forced Allen into two uncharacteristic interceptions. New York's defense stiffened, with Quinnen Williams sacking Allen and Gardner coming up with an interception to give the Jets the ball at the Bills 19. Wilson's 7-yard pass to Robinson put the Jets ahead 17-14 with 4:03 left in the third quarter.

Von Miller was quick to praise the young defensive core. 

"It's been a long time since they've had success like that," Miller told reporters after the Jets' 20-17 victory on Sunday. "Hats off to those guys, man. Taking a step back from [being a] player on the Buffalo Bills and this defense, the Jets did a great job today. Hats off to those guys. They've built up a great team. Sauce Gardner, he went crazy tonight. Quinnen Williams. That defensive line, as I'm watching on the sideline, they did a great job rushing the quarterback. When I'm sitting there and I'm watching, I'm always drawn to the defensive ends and tackles and they brought the pressure tonight, they really did."

The Bills will now head back home to Highmark Stadium where they’ll await the arrival of Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings next week.