The Jets overcame two consecutive drives going three-and-out, but their success in gaining a fresh set of downs wasn’t sustained.
After picking up eight yards and bringing up another third down following that conversion, running back Khalil Herbert only picked up one of the two yards necessary for a fresh set of downs. Going for it on fourth-and-one, quarterback Brady Cook chucked the ball to the left in hopes of a receiver being able to haul it in.
The unsuccessful attempt put Buffalo in prime field position near midfield.
Wide receiver Gabe Davis had his first grab of the game, picking up 18 yards and sparking an already-hot offense. Fullback Reggie Gilliam also had his time to shine as a pass catcher. Despite defensive tackle Quincy Williams on his back and nearing the edge of the field, Gilliam hauled in the pass in bounds for 22 yards.
Trubisky sent a pass over to Gabe Davis again with the ball just sweeping by a lineman’s helmet and arm from the Jet’s eight-yard-line. Gabe Davis completed the catch for six yards and Ray Davis ended the drive with a two-yard touchdown. He had 21 carries for 151 yards and two catches for 23 yards and one receiving touchdown by the end of Sunday’s matchup.
Out of halftime, the Jets still couldn’t overcome the Bills’ defense. Cornerback Maxwell Hairston stopped wide receiver Isaiah Williams at the line of scrimmage, bringing up third-and-five. Though Williams advanced on his next catch, he was stopped inches short of the line of gain. Opting to go for it on fourth down, Buffalo’s defense put up a wall and forced a turnover on downs. Defensive end A.J. Epenesa was credited with the tackle.
The Bills’ offense capitalized on this turnover. Ray Davis overcame the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty Epenesa picked up in between downs with a 14-yard run on the first play of the drive. Trubisky handled the next snap, scrambling for nine yards and giving the ball to fullback Reggie Gilliam to get the first down on the following play. Trubisky was nearly picked off on second-and-six on the next set of downs, and quickly redeemed himself with a nine-yard completion to Gabe Davis. He then connected with wide receiver Keon Coleman, who logged his first catch of the day. Coleman caught the ball just in front of the end zone, picking up 12 yards.
On fourth-and-goal, Gabe Davis leaped and turned his body toward the right, grabbing the ball over a defender’s head and completing the touchdown pass. The Bills added another two points to their score as Trubisky targeted Coleman, who hugged the ball into his shoulder and tapped his feet inside the end zone before falling forward and out of bounds.