Don't miss Katherine Fitzgerald's quarter-by-quarter analysis of the Buffalo Bills' 27-10 victory over the New York Jets.
The Bills held the Jets to just four first downs, setting a franchise record. It was also the fewest allowed by any NFL team since 1998. The Bills also allowed just 53 net yards, which is the second fewest in franchise history.
First quarter
Lineup: Wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Marquez Stevenson were both inactive Sunday. Sanders has been dealing with a knee injury, while Stevenson was a healthy scratch. Wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie and safety Micah Hyde handled returns on another windy Sunday.
Opening act: The Bills scored early, going 75 yards in seven plays. Running back Devin Singletary had the longest play of the drive by far, a 40-yard run to get the Bills in the red zone. Quarterback Josh Allen did Josh Allen things to extend a play, hitting Stefon Diggs with a 10-yard touchdown.
Almost ran it back: On the Bills' next drive, a second would-be touchdown from Allen to Diggs was called back after review, bringing up third-and-10. Two plays later, kicker Tyler Bass was good from 41 yards to extend the lead.
Chaos: The Bills made the end of the quarter interesting. Cam Lewis blocked a punt – the first blocked punt for the Bills since 2016 – and Jaquan Johnson recovered it. On the next play, the Bills had a direct snap to Singletary, with Allen out wide, picking up three yards on their last play of the quarter.
The Bills clinched their second consecutive AFC East championship and their first back-to-back division titles since the 1990 and ’91 seasons. It was the first time they clinched the division at home since 1995.
Second quarter
Franchise mark: A five-yard catch on second-and-9 was Diggs’ 100th catch of the season, making him the first player in team history to tally 100 catches in back-to-back seasons. Diggs had 127 receptions last year.
Fight: Things got a little heated midway through the second quarter, with a fight breaking out after a punt. There were offsetting penalties: unnecessary roughness called on both Bills long snapper Reid Ferguson and on Jets fullback Nick Bawden. Matt Haack’s ensuing punt was 21 yards.
Jets score: The Jets took advantage of the short punt. They needed just four plays to score. Quarterback Zach Wilson hit wide receiver Keelan Cole with a 40-yard touchdown to get the Jets on the scoreboard and pull within three points.
End of half: The Bills got the ball back with 1:39 left in the half. Allen had a smart lateral to Dawson Knox on a play where the two combined for a 12-yard pickup. Buffalo couldn’t reach the end zone, but Bass added a 21-yard field goal at the end of the half.
The bottom line is, if you’re good enough to get to the Super Bowl, you take on all comers and beat whoever is in your path, writes Mark Gaughan.
Third quarter
Poyer sack: The Jets got the ball to start the second half, but couldn’t do anything with it. On the first play of the drive, safety Jordan Poyer sacked Wilson for a loss of 13 yards. At that point, it was the fourth sack of the game for the Bills, and Poyer’s second. The Jets went three and out.
Rough stretch: That three and out was in a streak of four such drives for the Jets. Those four drives totaled a loss of two yards.
Oh no: A botched snap had Haack scrambling to even manage to get the punt off. It was only a seven-yard punt, giving the Jets the ball on the Buffalo 22-yard line. The Jets got a field goal out of it, pulling within three points again.
Bills struggling: The Bills didn’t score in the third quarter, punting on all four drives. Two of those four drives were three and outs, as they failed to sustain drives going into the wind.
Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs did their best superhero impersonations on the first touchdown in Sunday’s victory over the New York Jets.
Fourth quarter
Allen: Allen picked up 32 yards on the ground to start the Bills’ first drive of the fourth quarter. Singletary finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. He’s had a rushing touchdown in four straight games.
More sacks: When Ed Oliver and Jerry Hughes combined for a sack, it was the eighth of the game, marking the most under Sean McDermott. The Bills passed that. A.J. Epenesa got the ninth sack of the game, the nine totaling a loss of 82 yards for the Jets.
Singletary again: Singletary scored again, this time with a five-yard catch. It was the second touchdown drive in a row for the Bills, after they punted seven of the previous eight.
Trubisky time: Backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky came in with 3:12 left in the game. Two plays in, he connected with wide receiver Jake Kumerow for a 15-yard catch as the Bills ran out the clock. After that, it was all victory formation, as the Bills took the AFC East title at home.
