Tag: Jets vs. Bills

Bob Wischusen’s radio call makes Xavier Gipson’s touchdown that much better

Hear the great Bob Wischusen call Xavier Gipson’s game-winning touchdown.

The Jets found a way to rally past the Buffalo Bills without quarterback Aaron Rodgers after Xavier Gipson returned a punt 65 yards for the game-winning score in overtime to give the Jets a 22-16 Week 1 win. It was an epic finish to an incredible and emotional game which saw the Jets lose their prized quarterback acquisition just four plays into the game on offense.

Gipson sent MetLife Stadium into a state of amazement and jubilation. The play itself was incredible. It was made that much better thanks to the radio call from Jets play-by-play announcer Bob Wischusen, who truly helped bring the play and the game to life.

Check out the moment and the call in all its glory.

Studs and duds from Jets’ emotional Week 1 win over Bills

Studs and duds from Jets’ emotional Week 1 win over Bills

The Jets somehow defeated the Buffalo Bills 22-16 in overtime thanks to Xavier Gipson’s 65-yard punt return to win. The big news of course is the injury to quarterback Aaron Rodgers that is believed to be a torn Achilles. That would obviously end his season very prematurely.

But for now, we’ll stay positive here for the most part and look at some studs and duds from the roller coaster night on Monday at MetLife.

Xavier Gipson’s OT punt return secures emotional Week 1 win for Jets over Bills

An emotional Week 1 win for the Jets in overtime.

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.

The 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.

Garrett Wilson makes insane catch for Jets’ first touchdown of 2023

Garrett Wilson is him.

Garrett Wilson is him. That’s what the cool kids say, right?

In any event, the second-year receiver and reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year made an absolutely incredible catch in the corner of the end zone against Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White and helped tie the game at 13-13 after the extra point by Greg Zuerlein.

The drive was set up by Jordan Whitehead’s third interception of the game. It took the Jets eight plays and 4:48 of game time to go 57 yards, culminating in Wilson’s amazing reception. The offense finally broke through with Zach Wilson after a sluggish run following the ankle injury to Aaron Rodgers. The Jets are doing all they can to grab what would be an emotional win given all the circumstances.

Jordan Whitehead completes hat trick of interceptions

No. 3 for No. 3.

No. 3 for No. 3.

Jordan Whitehead entered the 2023 season having never recorded three interceptions in a season let alone in a game. He just accomplished that feat in the first game of the 2023 season. Whitehead picked off Bills quarterback Josh Allen for a third time in the fourth quarter as Allen’s run of turnovers continued.

Allen now has 83 turnovers since the start of the 2018 season, the most by a quarterback in that stretch. Whitehead is doing all he can to keep the Jets alive as the defense has held the Bills offense in check thanks to those turnovers.

Jordan Whitehead records pair of interceptions vs. Bills

Jordan Whitehead times two.

Monday night has been mostly a nightmare for the Jets with the injury to quarterback Aaron Rodgers. But there have been some shining moments and you can thank safety Jordan Whitehead for some of those moments.

Whitehead has recorded two interceptions through 2.5 quarters of play, both on a pair of passes that were almost seemingly chucked into the air by Bills quarterback Josh Allen trying to go deep but overshooting his target. Without Whitehead, this game could be a lot worse than the 13-6 score at the time of Whitehead’s second interception.

 

Halftime thoughts as Jets trail Bills 13-3 without Aaron Rodgers

Halftime thoughts as Jets trail Bills 13-3 without Aaron Rodgers

Let’s face it, there’s only one big story at this point with the New York Jets as they trail the Buffalo Bills 13-3 at halftime and that is the status of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers suffered an ankle injury early in the first quarter following a sack by Leonard Floyd and was taken to the locker room for X-rays which were negative. He is out for the rest of the game and it remains to be seen how much time he will miss.

Zach Wilson came on in relief of Rodgers and so far, overall, it’s the same old Zach Wilson. The Jets had a golden opportunity to score a touchdown after Breece Hall scampered for an 83-yard run, but the drive stalled inside the 10-yard line and the Jets had to settle for a 26-yard field goal. Wilson also threw an interception in the second quarter that led to a Bills field goal and put New York in a 13-3 deficit.

Wilson is 5/8 for 41 yards with an interception and he has been sacked once. He has a QB rating of 35.9.

Hall is back and that is great to see. Thanks to that 83-yard run, Hall has 109 yards on just two carries. Dalvin Cook has 16 yards on five carries.

The defense is playing very well outside of a few spots, especially Quincy Williams. The linebacker has eight total tackles, a tackle for a loss and broke up a pass intended for Bills running back James Cook that would have been a touchdown.

It’s amazing how the air in the balloon let out so quickly. The anticipation of the season is now hanging in the balance, depending on the results of Rodgers’ MRI, which will be Tuesday. The Jets get the ball first in the second half.

Jets vs. Bills final prediction for Week 1

Drop your score predictions.

This is it. All the talking, all the waiting, all the anticipation all comes to a head Monday night. The games finally start to count and it starts with a huge divisional showdown against the Buffalo Bills.

For the Jets, it’s all about No. 8. The hype that came with acquiring quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been astronomical. Now is the time to show the Jets are not just hype but that they truly can contend in the AFC and hang with the big boys. We caught a glimpse of the offense during the preseason against the Giants and Rodgers threw a touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson, a connection we expect to see very often this season.

On defense, it’s about maintaining the level of greatness the group reached last season and perhaps even surpassing it. Cornerback Sauce Gardner enters his second season after winning All-Pro honors as a rookie and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams became the second-highest-paid defensive tackle following his 12-sack season in 2022. How great can this unit become? Can they become historic like D.J. Reed believes they can be? They get a chance to come right out of the gate with a big test against Bills quarterback Josh Allen and the great Bills offense that was No. 2 in the league last season.

There is a lot of pressure on the Jets this season, there is no doubt. But who is a player in the NFL that thrives under pressure? Aaron Rodgers. The pick here is that Rodgers gets the offense going and the raucous Jets home crowd will make MetLife Stadium shake.

Prediction: Jets 23, Bills 20

One thing to watch for in each Jets offensive position group against Bills

One thing to watch for in each Jets offensive position group against Bills

The wait is almost over. The Jets kick off the 2023 regular season Monday against the Buffalo Bills and there will be a lot of eyes watching their every move in this one to see how improved they truly are, especially on the offensive side of the football where Aaron Rodgers makes his big debut.

Here, we’ll quickly run through each position group on offense and highlight something to watch for each. Let’s start with the big man behind center.