In the New York Jets’ 10th game of the 2026 season, on a breezy, chilly November day in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Buffalo Bills blew out the Jets, 31 – 12.
The game opened with the Jets on defense. The Bills advanced past midfield before they were forced to punt. The Jets then went nowhere and were forced to punt out of their own end zone.
The Bills then went on a long, grinding drive ending in a Josh Allen quarterback sneak for a touchdown and a 7 – 0 Bills lead late in the first quarter.
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first quarter ended with the score still Bills 7, Jets 0. The Jets had the ball in Bills territory. On third down and 14 the Jets did a Jets thing, throwing well short of the sticks to Mason Taylor. They settled for a short field goal to make the score 7 – 3 in favor of the Bills. Shades of last week against the Chiefs when the Jets constantly settled for field goals against a team they knew would score often against them. Trying to make the score respectable rather than trying to win.
The Bills came right back with a scoring drive of their own. They narrowly missed a touchdown when James Cook dropped a perfect pass that likely would have ended in Cook scoring. Instead the Bills settled for a field goal and a 10 – 3 lead midway through the second quarter.
Neither team got anything going again on offense until the Jets put together a drive featuring some nice Geno Smith to Garrett Wilson connections late in the quarter. The drive stalled inside the Bills 20 yard line and the Jets settled for another field goal with less than 20 seconds left in the half. The Jets went into the locker room trailing the Bills 10 – 6.
The Jets opened the third quarter on offense. Geno Smith was on the sideline with an injury he incurred at he end of the first half. Cade Klubnik made his NFL debut at quarterback for the Jets. Klubnik put together a nice drive to open the second half, using his legs to run for a couple of first downs and finding Garrett Wilson for a long completion. Unfortunately, the drive stalled deep in Bills territory. The Jets had to again settle for a field goal, making the score Bills 10, Jets 9.
The Jets momentum was fleeting. The Bills answered with a quick touchdown drive highlighted by a long catch and run by Dalton Kincaid. Josh Allen finished the drive by running it into the end zone and the Bills led 17 – 9.
On the ensuing Jets drive Cade Klubnik exited and Geno Smith returned. Smith led the Jets on another drive that stalled deep in Bills territory. Jason Sanders hit his fourth field goal of the game, making the score 17 – 12 in favor of the Bills late in the third quarter.
Again, the Jets momentum was fleeting. The Bills quickly struck back. James Cook ripped a 22 yard run, then Josh Allen hit D.J. Moore on a 45 yard bomb for a touchdown. Two plays, less than a minute and the Bills were in the end zone. The Bills were pulling away at 24 – 12 late in the third quarter.
Cade Klubnik re-entered the game at this point, replacing an injured Geno Smith. Klubnik quickly threw his first NFL interception, but on a wild play the Jets got the ball back as Jeremy Ruckert forced a fumble and the Jets recovered the ball. The drive then went nowhere and the Jets were forced to punt.
The fourth quarter opened with the Bills on offense deep in their own territory. Josh Allen threw a long pass that was intercepted by Azareye’h Thomas and the Jets had some life with 13 minutes remaining in the game. Unfortunately, Thomas was injured on the play. It would take a big comeback by the rookie Cade Klubnik and company, but the Jets had a little life.
It didn’t last. The two teams exchanged drives going nowhere. Then the Jets put together a nice drive, getting deep in Bills territory before a hook and ladder play went awry. Garrett Wilson fumbled the lateral as he was getting tackled and the Bills recovered. On the next play James Cook broke a run for a 74 yard touchdown as the Bills put the final nail in the Jets coffin. The Bills led 31 – 12 with just under five minutes left in the game. The game ended a few minutes later without another score.
Final score: Bills 31, Jets 12.
The loss brought the Jets’ record to 2-8. One more loss and the Jets will have their 11th straight losing season to go along with their 16th straight season without the playoffs. Aaron Glenn is now 0-9 in the AFC East and 5-22 overall.
The Jets are on the road the next two weeks against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Miami Dolphins. The weaker opponents give the Jets a shot at a victory or two before they get their bye week in Week 13. However, the Jets are in no position to take anything for granted against any opponent. We’ll see what kind of fight the team still has in them over the next couple of weeks.
