The Jets’ historic defeat on Sunday gave the Bills Mafia cause for celebration on Monday!
The Buffalo Bills handily defeated the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon, giving fans something to truly celebrate for the first time in almost a month. The excitement, however, isn’t just for the 32–6 victory; it’s also for the fresh start that the 2023 season has received and everything that could be.
Despite the six-week trip that featured more curves, twists, and bumps than a country road, the Bills have been incredibly good, as seen by a few noteworthy achievements (some of which are worth monitoring over the coming month).
The Buffalo Bills’ defense was excellent.
The Bills were able to frequently send the Jets offense back to the bench even though they were without three of their starters from Week 1. Not a single third down was converted by the Jets. Yes, they had a 0 for 11 record on third down. The last time a Buffalo Bills team held its opponent without a third-down convert came on December 13, 1987, which was just under 36 years ago, as stated in the franchise’s tweet, which is shown below. Folks, that’s more than a generation.
Josh Allen, the quarterback, set a new record for all time.
Allen surpassed all other players in terms of the most offensive touchdowns in a rookie season with his three touchdowns on Sunday. Having passed quarterback Patrick Mahomes (204 touchdowns) since entering the league in 2018, Allen now has 206 touchdowns (160 passing, 45 rushing, and 1 receiving). There are plenty of reasons to be excited about how far out of reach he can move that bar with six games remaining in the season—after all, the guy in third, at 199, is Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino.
Josh Allen broke a record for the Bills as well.
Jim Kelly, the hall of fame quarterback, and Allen had both thrown touchdowns in 18 straight games going into the game. After Allen threw three on Sunday, he passed Kelly and took sole possession of the team record, extending his game-streak to 19.
And this season, Josh Allen leads the NFL in touchdown passes.
This season, Buffalo’s offense has appeared to be misfiring more times than we would like to recall. Despite this, Allen continues to lead the NFL in touchdown passes (22). This season, the Bills have not dropped a game by a margin greater than six points.
Sean McDermott, the head coach, advanced the Bills on the all-time win list.
Sean McDermott, the team’s head coach, moved into a tie for second place on the all-time win list with the victory. Although McDermott and Lou Saban are now tied, he is still 44 behind Marv Levy. Will McDermott attempt to break Levy’s record by remaining in Buffalo for an additional four or five years?
narrow end Ascending the Bills record book ranks was Dalton Kincaid.
With six receptions on Sunday afternoon, the rookie tight end now has 51 for the season (and his career). In the Bills record books for passes caught by a rookie, Kincaid currently holds the third spot. Kincaid is behind wide receiver Sammy Watkins (65 in 2014) and running back Joe Cribbs (60 in 1980). Kincaid could tie Watkins if he averaged two receptions per game the remainder of the season. Still, who enjoys ties?
In addition, he has the 12th-highest reception total ever for a rookie tight end. He is now thirty yards behind Keith Jackson in receptions, and if he continues to average five receptions per game for the rest of the season, he could break this record as well.
In 2023, wide receiver Khalil Shakir leads the NFL in the longest touchdown catch.
Khalil Shakir has the longest touchdown catch in the league this season with his 81-yarder (yes, a significant portion of that was in yards after catch, something Buffalo has been lacking the last two seasons). In addition, Shakir, who is in his second season in the NFL, caught three passes for 115 yards to record his first-ever 100-yard game. Additionally, he was just the second Jets receiver to score a touchdown this year. Initially, who was it? Of course, wide receiver Stefon Diggs in Week 1.
Ed Oliver, a defensive tackle, sets a new personal best.
Ed Oliver is still acting as though he has a contract to earn even though he signed a contract extension before the regular season. Oliver extended his record for the most sacks in a single season to six with another sack last night.
Leonard Floyd, an edge rusher, merited a place in the team’s record books.
Even in his first season with the Buffalo Bills, Floyd is leaving his mark on the franchise’s annals of history. Floyd surpassed defensive tackle Jordan Phillips on the list of “most sacks by a Buffalo Bills player in a season since 2017” with 2.5 sacks on Sunday, bringing his season total to 9.5.
Rasul Douglas (cornerback) settled in.
Douglas became the first Bills defender to record two interceptions and a fumble recovery in the same game since safety Kurt Schultz in 1998 in just his third game with the team.
The Bills’ defense established itself as a highly reputable group.
The Bills have maintained a strong defense even after losing two All-Pros, linebacker Matt Milano and cornerback Tre’Davious White, as well as DaQuan Jones, before Week 6 of this season. Out of all the teams this season, Buffalo’s defense has the second-most sacks.
The Buffalo Bills’ offense also demonstrated its legitimacy.
Josh Allen and company managed to score 32 points against a top-tier defense despite facing a lot of criticism over the last month and having a new offensive coordinator appointed just six days prior to the Week 11 game. Since Week 13 of the 2021 season, no team has scored as many points against the New York Jets as the Bills did on Sunday (32).
This season still has a lot of football left to play, which simply means One Bills Drive will have plenty of chances to give Bills Mafia something to smile about.
