The Jets fell to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday by a 20–12 margin, which dealt yet-another blow to their playoff hopes.
This marks this second-straight game that the team has lost, after they fell to the Minnesota Vikings in a nail-biter last week.
Now sitting at 7-6 on the season, the Jets are out of playoff position, and will need to play better down the stretch if they have hope of seeing the postseason this year.
So, what happened on Sunday? Who played well, and who didn’t? Time for another edition of Studs and Duds.
Like each week, this column will only look at the performance in the most recent game, identifying who stepped up and who struggled — and what fans can expect from the New York roster in the weeks to come.
DUDS
Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way.
The running game battle
The Jets have been solid on the ground this year, and very good at stopping opposing running backs, but Sunday’s performance was not great.
The team managed a total of just 76 yards rushing on 22 attempts. Yet again, Bam Knight, the undrafted rookie, took the lead in the running game with 17 rushes for 71 yards and a score. Michael Carter followed him with five attempts — including one run for five yards, and four others for a net-loss of yardage.
Beyond the numbers, the team couldn’t convert on crucial rushing attempts down the stretch, and were forced to rely on quarterback Mike White to throw 44 times through four quarters.
On the other side of the ball, the Jets gave up 102 yards on 24 attempts.
Troublingly, the Bills’ leading rusher was quarterback Josh Allen, who ran for 47 yards. The team simply couldn’t contain him when the play broke down, and he was able to pick up crucial first downs when they would have otherwise needed to punt.
Other than Allen, Devin Singletary added 39 yards on the ground over eight attempts.
The Jets lost the running game battle on Sunday, and it played a major role in their loss.
Joe Flacco
I know what you’re thinking: wasn’t Mike White playing quarterback? Well, yes. For the most part.
White suffered an injury to his rib cage in the second quarter, and was forced to miss two plays. He then missed another play after absorbing a different hit in the third quarter.
Flacco was under center for just a few plays, and managed to fumble one of them, giving Buffalo the ball in good field position. They ultimately kick a field goal.
He was 1-for-3 on passing plays.
It’s hard to make the “Duds” category while playing so little, but Flacco has done it.
The offensive line
In Flacco’s defense, the offensive line wasn’t great.
The two Jets quarterbacks were sacked a combined four times, and were hit eight other times. The signal callers were also pressured on 36 plays.
The offensive line has been trouble for the Jets all year, as they’ve dealt with injuries and have been forced to rotate players to spots they’re not comfortable with.
So it’s no surprise that, when playing against a team as fierce as Buffalo, they were exposed as a major flaw for Gang Green.
Between the pressure on White and Flacco, and the lack of space for the running backs, the Jets offensive line ends up in the “Duds” category.
STUDS
Okay, now for some highlights.
Garrett Wilson
At this point, we should just pencil-in Wilson in the “Studs” category.
The rookie wide receiver, who came to the Jets as the 10th overall pick in the most recent NFL Draft, has been stellar all season long — and he showed up yet again against Buffalo on Sunday.
Wilson finished the game with six catches on seven targets for 78 yards (13 yards per reception).
Sunday saw Wilson showing off his incredible footwork, his superb route-running skills, and his glue-like hands.
He also managed to break the Jets’ single-season rookie receiving record after accumulating 868 yards — though just 14 games.
C.J. Mosley
Yet again, Mosley has was the centerpiece of the Jets defense.
While they may have lost, the team only surrendered 20 points, and held the Bills to a total of 232 yards.
A large part of that was Mosley, who was a dominating presence at the linebacker position throughout four quarters.
He finished the contest with nine total tackles and a pass deflection, and was seemingly everywhere on the field to stop the running game and short-yardage passes that have made the Bills such a scary offense.
