Bills WATCH: Dawson Knox Leaps For Epic TD; Buffalo Leads 7-0 vs. Jets at Halftime
The Buffalo Bills had some revenge on their minds headed into Sunday's divisional matchup with the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium.
But Buffalo's explosive offense -- which was halted by New York's elite defense in a 20-17 loss in the first meeting -- had to fight both the Jets pass-rush and Mother Nature in what was a rainy, sloppy, punt-filled and nearly scoreless first half.
Luckily for entertainment purposes, Bills tight end Dawson Knox flipped his way into the end zone at the end of the second quarter for a 24-yard touchdown to save what would've been a brutal half of football for Buffalo, as the Bills led 7-0 headed into the locker room.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen went just 9 of 15 passing for 70 yards and the late touchdown in the first half while also being Buffalo's leading rusher with five carries for 36 yards,
The Bills missed on an easy opportunity to get moving on the game's first drive. But Allen missed on a short slant to star receiver Stefon Diggs, as Buffalo went three-and-out amid the unfavorable conditions. Fortunately, an impressive punt from Sam Martin pinned New York at their own two-yard line.
The Jets offense has been revitalized with quarterback Mike White and rookie receiver Garrett Wilson, who connected on a 10-yard gain to convert a third down from the four-yard line. But a false start killed momentum and resulted in an ensuing punt three plays later.
Former Bills receiver John Brown recently made his return to the team and nearly had a huge play in his second game back. Allen unloaded a deep ball toward the right pylon for Brown, but the speedster was unable to come away with possession as he fell to the ground.
This left Allen at the mercy of a Jets pass-rush that he's all too familiar with, as Quinnen Williams got home for the third-down sack.
Penalties quickly became a theme for both teams, but had an usually poor effect on the Bills at home. The Jets had their next drive halted by another false start before the Bills committed three penalties on four plays once they got the ball back, which included a holding call that put Buffalo into a third-and-long.
A scoreless first quarter was low-lighted by six punts on six combined drives. And even though Allen was able to connect on just his second and third completions at the end of the first quarter, a second sack from Williams made it 2nd and 19
But it seemed that enough was enough for Allen headed into the second.
Faced with a 3rd and 15, Allen scrambled and hurdled his way for a first down after a 16-yard run. The highlight didn't result in points on the drive, but the Bills seemed headed in the right direction in a game where offensive production was a rarity.
But this notion was short-lived. Even after a 23-yard punt return from Buffalo running back Nyheim Hines, Allen was sacked for the third time and the Bills committed two more penalties before going three-and-out.
The Jets seemed ready to finally take advantage after White found receiver Elijah Moore for a 24-yard gain. A hard hit on White from Ed Oliver forced the young quarterback out for two plays before he jumped back in for a 12-yard completion to Wilson again, though this merely served as a faint hope of some points on the board before New York punted ... again.
The Bills finally found their magic with the Allen and Knox connection, as they headed into the locker room with some much-needed points.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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