Tyler Bass kicked a 22-yard field goal with 3:43 left and Taron Johnson made a game-clinching interception as the Buffalo Bills notched a 23-20 victory over the New York Jets on Monday night at East Rutherford, N.J.
Josh Allen was 19-of-25 passing for 215 yards and two touchdown passes and also tacked on a rushing score for Buffalo (4-2), which halted a two-game losing streak. Ray Davis rushed for 97 yards for the Bills while playing in place of James Cook (toe).
Aaron Rodgers completed 23 of 35 passes for 294 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for New York (2-4). One of Rodgers’ touchdowns was a 52-yard ‘Hail Mary’ score to Allen Lazard to end the first half.
The contest was the first for the Jets under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich. New York dismissed Robert Saleh on Tuesday.
Breece Hall totaled a season-high 169 scrimmage yards (113 rushing, 56 receiving) for the Jets. Garrett Wilson had eight receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown and Lazard made six catches for 114 yards.
Buffalo drove 64 yards on 11 plays to set up Bass’ tiebreaking field goal. Johnson then intercepted Rodgers’ third-down throw at the Bills’ 18-yard line with 1:52 to play.
Allen ran for a key first down to help the Bills run out the clock.
New York’s Greg Zuerlein twice missed field goals in the second half by hitting the left upright.
Buffalo led 20-10 near the end of the first half when Rodgers dropped back and tossed a long throw toward the end zone. A pack of Bills were nearby, but Lazard was able to make the 52-yard scoring catch with no time remaining.
The Jets later tied the score at 20 on Zuerlein’s 22-yard field goal with 6:13 left in the third quarter.
But Zuerlein clanked a 32-yard field goal off the left upright with 55 seconds remaining in the period. Then he hit the left upright from 43 yards out with 9:44 left in the contest.
Zuerlein started the game’s scoring with a 34-yard field goal on New York’s initial drive.
Less than five minutes later, Allen scored from the 1 for Buffalo with 6:12 left in the quarter. Rodgers hit Wilson on a 5-yard score four-plus minutes later as the Jets took a 10-7 edge.
Allen threw second-quarter touchdown passes of 8 yards to Mack Hollins and 12 yards to Dawson Knox. Bass was way wide to the left while missing the extra point after the first of those scores.