'Not the Same Old Jets': NY 6-3 after win vs. Bills

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Jets overcame a dilatory start, a double-digit shortage and a bizarre sky-cam hold to present their biggest triumph successful 7 years, a 20-17 upset of the Buffalo Bills connected Sunday astatine MetLife Stadium.

The Jets continued their improbable play with a dominating show connected defence (five sacks and 2 interceptions) and a bounce-back crippled by backmost Zach Wilson, providing a large connection to their galore doubters.

One twelvemonth aft a 4-13 finish, the Jets (6-3) are tied with the Miami Dolphins for 2nd spot successful the AFC East, lone a half-game down the Bills (6-2).

"Everybody extracurricular of this locker country didn't deliberation we had a chance, but it's been the aforesaid communicative each play for us," choky extremity Tyler Conklin said. "Everybody benignant of thinks it's going to beryllium the Same Old Jets, right? Last week was, 'Oh, the Same Old Jets.' ... Guess what? We're not the Same Old Jets."

The Jets went disconnected arsenic a 10.5-point underdog, making them the biggest location underdog with a winning grounds since 2007. On cue, they fell behind, 14-3, connected 2 touchdown runs by Bills backmost Josh Allen. Their hopes were fading aft a third-quarter fumble by Wilson successful the reddish zone, ruining a imaginable scoring thrust that was disrupted by an antithetic delay.

The crippled was stopped for 11 minutes due to the fact that of a breached cablegram connected CBS' entity cam, which caused it to descend adjacent to tract level. Asked what helium was reasoning during the delay, Jets manager Robert Saleh said, "It lone happens to the Jets."

When play resumed, the Jets committed a mendacious start. Then, 2 plays later, Wilson coughed it up connected a sack by Von Miller.

As it turned out, the entity cam fell connected the Jets, but the entity didn't. Moments later, rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner made an interception astatine the Bills' 19, mounting up Wilson's 7-yard touchdown walk to moving backmost James Robinson to springiness the Jets a 17-14 lead.

After the Bills tied it, the Jets turned to their crushed game, rushing 10 retired of 12 plays connected an 86-yard thrust that culminated with a 28-yard tract extremity by Greg Zuerlein with 1:43 near successful the 4th quarter. They finished with 174 rushing yards, including a 6-yard touchdown by Michael Carter. The defense, with a sack by antiaircraft extremity Bryce Huff connected the last possession, slammed the doorway for the win.

"I cognize a batch of radical are going to beryllium surprised, right?" Saleh said. "I don't deliberation there's a idiosyncratic amazed successful the locker room."

The Jets person won 3 games aft trailing by treble digits, compared to 4-30 successful the erstwhile 4 seasons. Under Saleh, they're 5-14 successful those situations aft going 0-20 successful 2 seasons nether Adam Gase.

"We don't flinch," Saleh said. "We're excessively young to flinch."

So overmuch of the pre-game absorption was connected the Bills' defense, ranked archetypal successful constituent allowed and 2nd successful yards allowed. The Jets took it personally, aiming to beryllium their defence is connected the aforesaid level.

They did. Rarely blitzing, they utilized their four-man unreserved to rattle Allen (18-for-34, 205 yards) into 1 of his worst games. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who had 5 catches for 93 yards successful archetypal half, was blanked successful the last 2 quarters: No catches, 3 targets.

"If we're not No. 1, that's the extremity is to beryllium No. 1," antiaircraft extremity John Franklin-Myers said of the Jets' defense. "We're going to support playing and support dominating teams and, hopefully, it plays out."

Perhaps the astir encouraging improvement was Wilson (18-for-25, 154 yards), who acceptable a vocation precocious for completion percent (72%). He was nether aggravated scrutiny aft past week's three-interception catastrophe successful a 22-17 nonaccomplishment to the New England Patriots, but helium managed the crippled nicely and had lone 1 turnover.

"I don't truly attraction what anybody says," Wilson said. "Of course, I've been dealing with (criticism) my full life. But that's a immense squad win."