EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – No James Cook?

At least that wasn’t a problem for the Buffalo Bills on Monday night.

Cook, the Bills’ third-year running back, was unable to play against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium due to a toe injury he suffered in last week’s loss to Houston – making this the first game he has missed in his career .

In his absence, the Bills were still able to do some good work on the field in a wild, ugly 23-20 victory that was marred by fouls and penalties, but nevertheless Buffalo improved to 4-2 on the season and kept the Bills at the top. the AFC East.

The Bills dominated on the ground on their first offensive possession, rushing eight times for 56 yards. Veteran Ty Johnson got the start and picked up a 12-yard gain on the Bills’ first offensive play from scrimmage. But rookie Ray Davis shouldered much of the load during the drive – and the rest of the night.

Davis led the Bills in rushing and receiving, finishing with 152 yards from scrimmage.

He gained 48 yards on six carries on that first drive, including gains of 14 and 15 yards. On first and goal from the Jets’ 6-yard line, Davis gained 5 yards. Quarterback Josh Allen capped the drive with a 1-yard keeper for his third rushing touchdown of the season, capping a nine-play, 70-yard drive that took 4:54 off the clock.

Davis finished with 97 yards on 20 carries, Johnson added 34 yards on just four carries and Allen finished with 18 yards on nine carries.

It was Allen’s 6-yard run on third-and-4 with 1:45 remaining that allowed the Bills to run out the clock in what was a wild victory, made possible in part by Taron Johnson’s diving interception on a deep, hanging water. thrown by Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers with 1:52 left.

The Bills defense started slowly. The Jets drove 54 yards on eight plays on their opening possession, reaching the Buffalo 16-yard line. The big gain came on a 24-yard completion from Rodgers to Garrett Wilson. The Jets had to settle for a 34-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein to open the scoring after a third-down pass from Rodgers fell to running back Breece Hall.

The Jets reached the end zone on their second possession and marched 70 yards on nine plays, capped by Rodgers’ 5-yard touchdown pass to Wilson, who was initially ruled out by the field official before the replay assistant overturned the call. Hall wreaked havoc on the drive, gaining 21 yards on a Rodgers completion and 24 yards on a run. New York gained 124 yards on its first 16 plays, an average of 7.8 per play in the first quarter.

The Bills went three-and-out on their second drive, but they took a 13-10 lead with 6:54 left in the second quarter when Allen connected with receiver Mack Hollins for an 8-yard score on third-and-goal .

Each team took turns trying to give the game away. In the end, the Bills did just enough to end a two-game losing streak.

1. Nickel cornerback Taron Johnson made his return. Johnson, one of the Bills’ best defensive players, was active for the first time since the season opener against Arizona. He left the match with an injured forearm. Johnson finished with eight tackles, tied for the team lead with safety Taylor Rapp. He also had that huge interception with 1:52 left in the game, diving in front of Jets receiver Mike Williams to take away Rodgers.

2. Rapp made three big plays. The Bills safety, who missed last week’s loss to Houston due to a concussion, made three touchdown saving plays for the Bills. Rapp chased Hall at the end of a 42-yard run and caught him at the Buffalo 3-yard line. Three plays later, Rapp helped loosen the ball from Wilson in the end zone, forcing New York to tie the game instead of advancing.

On the Jets’ final offensive possession, Rapp had good coverage on Jets tight end Jeremy Ruckert, leading to an incompletion on third down.

3. Tyler Bass’ battle continued. The Bills’ kicker had the go-ahead goal from 22 yards with 3:43 to go — but earlier he missed an extra-point attempt after Buffalo took a 13-10 lead on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Allen to receiver Mack Hollins with 6:54 left in the second quarter. Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams was initially credited with a block of the extra point, but Bass’ kick looked like a shaft that was on its way to miss even if it wasn’t touched. The NFL’s official statistics website later removed Williams’ credit for a block. It was Bass’ second blocked extra point of the season.

In the third quarter, Bass went wide on a 47-yard field goal attempt. Fortunately for the Bills, he wasn’t the only kicker to struggle. The Jets’ Greg Zuerlein scored the rare double doink, missing field goals from 32 and 43 yards, all hitting the left upright.

4. Penalties played a big role. Nobody likes it when the referee has such a clear influence on the outcome of the match, but that was clearly the case on Monday evening. Both sides had legitimate complaints about the calls made by referee Adrian Hill’s team. In the first half, Jets cornerback DJ Reed was called for defensive pass interference on a deep pass intended for Hollins that seemed elusive.

In the third quarter, Bills defensive end AJ Epenesa made what looked like a clean sack of Rodgers but was whistled for roughing the passer. Later in the quarter, Bills right tackle Spencer Brown was called for unnecessary roughness as he finished his block of a Jets defender.

It went on and on. The Jets got a potential go-ahead goal from Braelon Allen, who was wiped out by a holding penalty.

In the fourth quarter, New York’s Javon Kinlaw was called for roughing Allen. After Bass’ go-ahead field goal, Kinlaw was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for saying something to the officials.

Between the third and fourth quarters, Bills abandoned the tackle. Dion Dawkins was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. The flag even went out while the lights in the stadium were off.

The teams combined for 22 accepted penalties – 11 against each team.

5. O’Cyrus Torrence came into the clutch. The Bills’ second-year right guard was in the right place at the right time late in the second quarter, recovering an Allen fumble that retained possession at the Jets’ 12-yard line. On the next play, Allen found tight end Dawson Knox for a touchdown. Jets defensive end Will McDonald IV had knocked the ball away from Allen on the play.

6. Khalil Shakir was limited. The Bills receiver was active after a one-game absence due to an ankle injury, but it’s clear he was on short notice. Shakir did make a 9-yard reception in the first half to convert a third-and-6 play, but it was clear the Bills were keeping a close eye on his snap count, which was unofficially set at 22 at the end of the game stood. He finished with two catches for 19 yards.