You truly can’t script it any better. The Jets won what became an absolute roller coaster and emotional game as Xavier Gipson returned a punt 65 yards for the game-winning touchdown as the Jets knocked off the Bills 22-16 in overtime to get the early jump in the AFC East.
The night began early as quarterback Aaron Rodgers injured his ankle on the fourth offensive play and did not return, putting Zach Wilson back into the lineup after everything that happened.
Buy Jets TicketsThe offense couldn’t get moving but the defense held the Bills’ offense in check, led by safety Jordan Whitehead with three interceptions of quarterback Josh Allen to go with 11 tackles and linebacker Quincy Williams added 10 tackles of his own.
The offense finally saved the defense when Zach Wilson took advantage of one of Whitehead’s interceptions and finished the drive with a touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson (five catches, 34 yards), who made an insane catch against Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White for what became the game-tying score after the extra point was good by Greg Zuerlein (3/3 on field goals).
Buffalo tied the game late with a 50-yard field goal by Tyler Bass to send the game into overtime. There, the Jets’ defense forced a three-and-out and then Gipson etched his name in Jets’ lore with the 65-yard punt return.
Zach Wilson went 14/21 for 140 yards, one touchdown and an interception with a QB rating of 81.4. His rating was below 40 at halftime. He was far from perfect and made some throws that led the Jets to trade for Rodgers in the first place, but he made some key plays when the Jets needed them most, topped by the Garrett Wilson touchdown.
The running game was fantastic, especially Breece Hall, who is definitely back from his knee injury. Hall carried 10 times for 127 yards, including an 83-yard run. Dalvin Cook had 33 yards on 13 attempts. In total, the Jets had 28 attempts for 172 yards.
The defense was huge. They sacked Allen five times — Quinton Jefferson had two while Jermaine Johnson, John Franklin-Myers and Al Woods each had one. Then there were the three interceptions for Whitehead. New York held Buffalo to under 100 yards rushing as a team.
Overall, an incredible and emotional win given everything that happened. New York loses their prized quarterback in just four plays yet rallies to beat the reigning division champions in overtime. Up next is a trip to Dallas to face a Cowboys team that just embarrassed the Giants on Sunday night 40-0.
