The Jets lost by 31-12 to the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. The Jets fell to 2-8, and the Bills improved to 8-1.
QB Geno Smith was evaluated for a concussion after taking a hit at the end of the first half, and was replaced by rookie QB Cade Klubnik who made his professional debut. While Smith (13-of-21 passing for 148 yards) cleared concussion protocol and briefly came back leading the Jets' fourth field-goal scoring drive, he left the game and headed into the locker room with an ankle injury late in the third quarter.
In defeat, Klubnik was 11-of-20 passing for 137 yards and 1 INT; WR Garrett Wilson led the team with 7 receptions for 106 yards and RB Breece Hall had over 100 scrimmage yards. Defensively, rookie edge David Bailey had 2 PDs, becoming the first rookie edge to have two in a game since 2017, and Azareye'h Thomas intercepted QB Josh Allen in the fourth quarter.
In his first drive under center, Klubnik orchestrated a 10-play, 61-yard drive, which resulted in K Jason Sanders' 22-yard field goal, his third of the game five minutes into the second half. In the sequence, he found Wilson for 29 yards and scrambled for two first downs.
Buffalo aired it out in the second half and scored two TDs, taking a 24-12 lead into the fourth quarter. Allen (11-of-21 passing for 196 yards and 1 INT) found TE Dalton Kincaid in stride for 54 yards down the right sideline before Allen rushed in his second score of the game, and on the following drive, Allen connected with WR DJ Moore for a 45-yard TD.
Klubnik re-entered the game on the Jets' third possession of the second half as Smith headed to the locker room. On the third play of the drive, Klubnik threw an interception, but CB Davidson Igbinosun fumbled the ball, and C Josh Myers fell on it at the 23-yard line to regain possession for the Jets. However, the drive resulted in a punt.
Allen continued to look deep, but on third-and-12 from the Bills' 38-yard line, his pass intended for WR Greg Dortch was intercepted by Thomas at the Jets' 17-yard line with 13 minutes left in the game. But the Jets ultimately punted after Klubnik was sacked twice.
See the best photos from the Jets game against the Bills in Week 10.
Klubnik re-entered the game on the Jets' third possession of the second half as Smith headed to the locker room. On the third play of the drive, Klubnik threw an interception, but CB Davidson Igbinosun fumbled the ball, and C Josh Myers fell on it at the 23-yard line to regain possession for the Jets. However, the drive resulted in a punt.
Allen continued to look deep, but on third-and-12 from the Bills' 38-yard line, his pass intended for WR Greg Dortch was intercepted by Thomas at the Jets' 17-yard line with 13 minutes left in the game. But the Jets ultimately punted after Klubnik was sacked twice.
Will McDonald IV sacked Allen with 8:22 left in the game, forcing the Bills' third punt of the afternoon. The Jets got down to Buffalo's 23-yard line and Klubnik completed a pass to Wilson, but when he tried to pitch it backward to TE Kenyon Sadiq but fumbled and the Bills recovered possession.
On the next play, RB James Cook rushed down the right side of the field for a 74-yard TD to put the Bills up by 31-12.
After the first half, the Jets trailed by 10-6. They had the ball just outside of the 2-minute warning after forcing the Bills to punt, and they moved down the field efficiently with Smith finding Wilson twice for gains of 33 and 15 yards on back-to-back plays.
The Jets got down to the Bills' 9-yard line but on third-and-4, Smith took a late hit while scrambling as his pass went incomplete. Sanders and the kicking unit took the field and he made a 27-yarder to cut into the Bills' lead.
Sanders converted a 41-yard field goal with 12:20 left in the second quarter. FB Andrew Beck had kept the unit's second possession alive with a direct snap on fourth-and-1 but a few plays later LB Dorian Williams sacked Smith for a loss of 6 yards, forcing third-and-long.
LG Dylan Parham was injured on the series and was replaced by Jordan Meredith for the rest of the game.
But the Bills maintained their lead they earned with Allen rushing in a 1-yard TD with 2:49 left in the first quarter. Buffalo didn't have a play longer than 13 yards on that drive, but DB Malachi Moore was called for defensive pass interference which cost the Jets 17 yards and put the Bills in position to score.
Buffalo answered the Jets' second-quarter field-goal score with one of their own, running a 10-play drive resulting in a 37-yard field goal made by K Tyler Bass with under seven minutes before halftime.
Up next, the Jets have two road games against, the Chargers and the Dolphins, before their Week 13 bye week.
