EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Josh Allen destroyed the New York Jets’ defense with first-down, play-action passes Sunday.
Allen completed 8 of 11 attempts for 228 yards on first-down throws when he faked a run, according to Buffalo News charting.
The Jets don’t have a potent four-man pass rush, and they were playing with safeties who were backups to start the season. That was a prescription for deep-ball success for the Buffalo Bills. The Jets lost their best defensive back for the season last week when Marcus Maye tore knee ligaments. The Bills took advantage.
Seven of those eight completions went for 15 yards or more, including passes of 57, 49 and 43 yards. The Bills didn't see a lot of two-deep coverages on those downs, either.
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Overall, Allen completed 11 of 15 for 255 yards on first-down passes.
Here’s a closer look at some of the key plays that shaped the Bills’ 45-17 triumph:
Stutter and go. A 57-yard pass from Allen to Stefon Diggs on a stutter-and-go route set up a touchdown late in the first half that broke the game open.
It was a hard play-action run fake to Zack Moss, and Allen pump faked to sell a hitch route to Diggs. Jets rookie cornerback Brandin Echols bit hard and Diggs was wide open down the left sideline.
Diggs caught the ball at the Jets’ 48 and was pushed out of bounds at the New York 23. It was a Cover 3 look by the defense with second-year safety Ashtyn Davis in the deep middle.
Echols was a sixth-round pick who ran a blazing 4.36 time in the 40-yard dash. But he lasted too late in the draft because he has a small body and shortish arms.
The weakest link. Two plays after the long pass to Diggs, Echols went out of the game with a leg injury and was replaced by inexperienced, second-year man Javelin Guidry. Credit offensive coordinator Brian Daboll with going after the young Guidry, who, like Echols, is fast but small. Guidry ran 4.29 in the 40 before the 2020 draft, but he went unpicked because he’s just 5-foot-9, 190 pounds.
On a second-and-10 play from the Jets’ 12, Allen threw a fade for Diggs, but the Bills’ receiver couldn’t get both feet down in the end zone. The Bills ran the same play on third and 10. Guidry was all alone against Diggs as the Jets blitzed seven men. Allen’s pass was precise, and Diggs outplayed Guidry for the ball. It put Buffalo up 17-3.
Deep over I: Safety Jarrod Wilson has been up and down off the Jets’ practice squad and is New York’s fourth or fifth option at safety at this point of the season. He was exploited on a 49-yard deep over pass to Gabriel Davis early in the third quarter.
The Bills had two tight ends on the field and faked a first-down handoff to Zack Moss. Cornerback Bryce Hall had outside leverage on Davis and funneled him to the middle. But Davis simply blew past Wilson and ran across the width of the field for a gain to the Jets’ 15.
Deep over II. The Bills used big personnel and a first-down run fake to get a mismatch for Diggs on his 43-yard deep ball in the fourth quarter.
The Jets brought in their base defense, with three linebackers, to counter the Bills’ run formation.
Sharrod Neasman was the single safety in the deep middle. He has started only three games in six NFL seasons. He wasn’t even close to covering Diggs, who ran a deep crossing pattern from the right slot.
The Jets might have screwed up the coverage. It looked like it might have been a three-deep zone. But the cornerback on the left side of the field, Guidry, looked confused and never got deep to help Neasman.
Wheel route. Weak-side linebacker has been a problem position for the Jets all season. Jarrad Davis, who missed the first six games with an ankle injury, has held down the position the past three weeks, and he has looked rusty.
The Bills exploited him on the first touchdown of the game, a 15-yard pass from Allen to running back Matt Breida.
Diggs ran a short pivot route on the left side of the formation, with Echols covering him. Breida, lined up in the backfield, flared off wide left and down the sideline. Davis flew into coverage toward Breida, but decided to collide with Diggs briefly on his way toward the Bills’ running back.
That delayed Davis, and Breida got behind him for an easy score. Credit Allen with stepping up nicely in the pocket to avoid defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd, who had gotten pressure against guard Ike Boettger.
Speed to the pylon. Isaiah McKenzie showed off his 4.42 speed in the 40-yard dash on his 8-yard touchdown run, which capped the opening drive of the third quarter and gave the Bills a 24-3 lead. It doesn’t take many big blocks to get McKenzie free on a jet-sweep play.
McKenzie came flying around right end. Tight end Dawson Knox got a good block on the defensive end to the right side, Shaq Lawson. Davis got a block on the safety on the right side, Wilson.
Jets middle linebacker C.J. Mosley was unblocked, but he simply wasn’t fast enough to catch McKenzie. Hall, the cornerback on that side of the field, was backing up into the end zone as part of what looked like a Cover 3 defense.
