What We Saw: Week 9

The What We Saw team recaps everything you missed from a wild Week 9 in the NFL.

QB List Staff
What We Saw A Year Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Chargers @ Falcons
Dolphins @ Bears
Panthers @ Bengals
Packers @ Lions
Raiders @ Jaguars
Colts @ Patriots
Bills @ Jets
Vikings @ Commanders
Seahawks @ Cardinals
Rams @ Buccaneers
Titans @ Chiefs

Bills @ Jets

Final Score: Jets 20, Bills 17

Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)

 

Robert Saleh‘s New York Jets shook off a disappointing loss to the New England Patriots in Week 8 to upset the Super Bowl-calibre Buffalo Bills in front of their own fans thanks to a monumental performance from their defense. The Jets got huge contributions from their two 2022 NFL Draft first-round picks, Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and Jermaine Johnson, whilst also taking advantage of some uncharacteristic errors from Bills quarterback Josh Allen in the red zone. Allen turned the ball over on the Bills’ first drive of each half, the second swinging the momentum back in favor of the Jets, who overturned a 14-3 deficit to take out an unlikely win.

It was a phenomenal display from the Jets’ defense, who announced themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the league this season. Winning in the trenches thanks to Quinnen Williams and Sheldon Rankins, covering the underneath expertly due to C.J. Mosley‘s experience, and flat-out making plays in the secondary thanks to Sauce and the terrific D.J. Reed. A match-winning performance all around.

 

 

Buffalo Bills

 

Quarterback

 

Josh Allen: 18/34, 205 Yards, 2 INT | 9 Carries, 86 Yards, 2 TD, 1 Fumble (Recovered)

 

It is unfathomable to think that Josh Allen did not throw for a touchdown in this game. But that is what happened. After starting the game with an excellent deep ball to Stefon Diggs, Allen fell flat in part to his own mistakes and in part due to a formidable display from the Jets’ secondary. A promising opening drive was halted in the red zone by a terrible throw in which Allen failed to spot Jets safety Jordan Whitehead come off tight end Dawson Knox to snag the poor pass.

 

 

Allen nearly coughed up the ball on the next drive – Rankins forcing the fumble as Allen looked downfield holding onto the ball with one hand. Luckily, Allen jumped on the loose ball and finished up a 14-play, 64-yard drive with a QB sneak after his previous run for a score was overturned on replay.

 

 

As Allen settled into a rhythm, he orchestrated a go-ahead 9-play, 93-yard touchdown drive thanks to a heavy mix of short-to-intermediate throws to Diggs and some nice rushing from Devin Singletary on the ground. A designed run worked beautifully to the left side and Allen did the rest with his elite run speed. The Bills looked to have finally put their stamp on the game.

 

 

However, a turnover at the start of the third quarter was punished by the Jets and the Bills only had the ball another three times – a long field goal possession, a three-and-out, and a turnover on downs. Yikes. Not the Bills offense we are used to seeing. Allen looked to be way off with this throw inside to Gabe Davis, who had broken to the sideline, allowing Gardner to nab the ball for a game-changing interception.

 

 

Allen still amassed a healthy 24.80 fantasy points thanks to his work on the ground. A slight worry looking forward was Allen grimacing and holding his throwing elbow on the final drive of the game. In a post-match press conference, Allen said “there was some slight pain, but I’ll get through it.” We’ll keep an eye on that this week.

 

Running Back

 

Devin Singletary: 8 Carries, 24 Yards | 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 24 Yards

James Cook: 4 Carries, 15 Yards | 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 18 Yards

Nyheim Hines: 1 Target

 

After the Bills went up 11 points with minutes remaining in the first half, it looked like another opportunity for Devin Singletary to amass carries and move the chains with a healthy lead. However, the Jets produced a defensive masterclass to stunt the Bills on the ground and through the air. Singletary was once again held out of the end zone and is still waiting for a rushing touchdown this season. Singletary’s volume is contingent on the Bills playing from in front, and even then it is not guaranteed with Allen the lead back in red zone opportunities. His longest run was just five yards. Not great.

Singletary saw 13 touches in comparison to James Cook, who saw four carries and was targeted just four times too. New recruit Nyheim Hines played just three offensive snaps but you would think he would be integrated into this offense in the coming weeks to also take touches away from Singletary. It’s not an attractive fantasy situation.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Stefon Diggs: 10 Targets, 5 Receptions, 93 Yards

Gabe Davis: 5 Targets, 2 Receptions, 33 Yards

Dawson Knox: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 25 Yards

Jake Kumerow: 1 Target

 

Stefon Diggs continued his productive season, falling just short of the 100-yard mark. Diggs connected with Allen for a huge 42-yard gain on the opening drive of the game to set up a red zone opportunity. It was the only time in the game that Diggs managed to out-smart the Jets secondary, who otherwise dominated their matchup, holding the former Vikings superstar to four catches for 47 yards for the remainder of the contest. Diggs saw plenty of attention from Reed after that early completion and it was Reed who broke up the final deep ball to settle the contest.

 

 

Only Gabe Davis and Dawson Knox played any relevant part in this game through the air but suffered from Allen being slightly off his game. Davis had little chance to catch three of his five targets, two were under-thrown whilst in heavy coverage on third-and-long situations. Davis and Knox both had their longest receptions of the game in the failed final drive of the first half, as the Jets were playing soft coverage over the middle, and in which Tyler Bass missed a long field goal. A rough day at the office.

 

New York Jets

 

Quarterback

 

Zach Wilson: 18/25, 154 Yards, TD | 5 Carries, 24 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost)

 

After the Week 8 debacle against the Patriots, Offensive Coordinator Mike LaFleur, and Head Coach Robert Saleh dialed back Zach Wilson into game-management mode. And it worked. Wilson was efficient, and smart and survived a costly strip-sack fumble early in the second half after Allen threw an interception just a few plays later.

 

 

The most impressive spell from Wilson came in the 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive just prior to the half that brought the game back within the reach of the Jets at a time when it looked to be slipping away from them. Wilson threw a dart to Garrett Wilson that moved the Jets into the Bills’ territory and gave them belief at a crucial stage of the game.

 

https://gfycat.com/gracefulagonizinghypsilophodon

 

As the second half chewed away, Wilson spent more time handing the ball off as the Jets were finding plenty of space in the run game to hurt the Bills and keep the chains moving. Wilson was happy to take a back seat and rely on his defense and run game. His passing score was a check down to James Robinson, who did all the work in hitting pay dirt.

 

 

Running Back

 

Michael Carter: 12 Carries, 76 Yards, TD | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 10 Yards

James Robinson: 13 Carries, 48 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 5 Yards, TD

Ty Johnson: 2 Carries, 17 Yards

 

Despite the loss of Breece Hall to a season-ending knee injury, this rushing attack has proven to be effective in making up for the limitations of the team’s quarterback. Michael Carter has taken over lead duties and his dynamic running style has made sure the Jets continue to get plus yardage on early downs. Carter ran for 6.3 yards per carry and cut the Bills’ lead to four points prior to the half with a nice run up the middle.

 

 

Despite being out-touched 15-13 by James Robinson, Carter’s 12 rushing attempts were the second-most on the season, and with the way the offense is set up he will likely continue to see plenty of opportunities.

It was a fairytale day for Robinson, however, who was added to the injury report on Friday but managed to suit up for his new team and make an instant impact. Robinson scored on the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter and then backed it up with consecutive runs of nine, seven, and 16 yards to begin the 13-play, 86-yard drive that ate up over six minutes of the clock and all three of Buffalo’s timeouts in the fourth quarter. The drive resulted in what turned out to be the game-winning 28-yard field goal with just one minute and 43 seconds left on the clock. Like Carter, Robinson will be a productive fantasy asset in the second half of the season.

 

https://gfycat.com/barrenafraidbigmouthbass

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Garrett Wilson: 1 Carry, 7 Yards | 9 Targets, 8 Receptions, 92 Yards | 1 Fumble (Recovered)

C.J. Uzomah: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 16 Yards

Denzel Mims: 4 Targets, 1 Reception, 12 Yards

Tyler Conklin: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 7 Yards

Braxton Berrios: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 6 Yards

Jeff Smith: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards

 

Garrett Wilson is the sure-fire WR1 in this offense and he was Wilson’s only read for much of the first half in passing situations. The first-round receiver was integral in both Jets’ touchdown drives, catching passes to move the sticks and proving he is an elusive route runner against even the best secondary units. He caught his first eight targets for 92 yards. This grab on a slant route was a beautiful route, catch and run.

 

https://gfycat.com/unawareordinarygraywolf

 

C.J. Uzomah does not stand out on the stat sheet but he made a crucial play during the third quarter – Wilson made a risky throw over the middle into double coverage and the ball was batted up in the air, Uzomah did a great job in fighting for the ball as it came down, just about managing to make the officials decide it was a Jets ball. Phew!

With Corey Davis out, Elijah Moore was expected to see more opportunities but instead proved to be once again, invisible. Moore was not targeted for some inexplicable reason and instead Denzel Mims, who has spent most of his time in the coaches’ naughty corner during his NFL career, saw more looks. Mims’ only catch was vital – a nice grab on third down to move the sticks prior to the two-minute warning at the end of the game.

 

Series Navigation
Introduction
Chargers @ Falcons
Dolphins @ Bears
Panthers @ Bengals
Packers @ Lions
Raiders @ Jaguars
Colts @ Patriots
Bills @ Jets
Vikings @ Commanders
Seahawks @ Cardinals
Rams @ Buccaneers
Titans @ Chiefs

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