The Bills made life much easier for themselves in Week 2.
A week after needing a remarkable 16-point comeback in the fourth quarter to beat the Ravens, the Bills jumped out to a 7-0 lead over the Jets and were never in any trouble on their way to a 30-10 win.
Running back James Cook staked the team to a 7-0 lead on their opening possession and added a 44-yard score later in the first half. Cook finished the day with 21 carries for 132 yards and the Bills ran for 224 yards overall.
Quarterback Josh Allen had 59 yards on the ground, which offset a quiet day through the air. He also gave the Bills a scare when he went to the sideline with a bloody nose on a hit in the first quarter, but only missed a couple of plays before getting back on the field. He was 14-of-25 for 148 yards, but the Bills didn’t need a big show through the air this week.
A major turnaround for the defense had a hand in that. They allowed 154 yards a week after allowing the Ravens to roll up 432 yards and limited the Jets to 100 rushing yards on the afternoon. They sacked Justin Fields three times and forced him to fumble on a day that ended when Fields went to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion.
Fields was 3-of-11 for 27 yards before giving way to Tyrod Taylor and the performance raises questions about whether last week’s strong outing had more to do with a shaky Steelers defense than anything the Jets are doing. Next Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers will bring some answers to that question.
The 2-0 Bills will return home to host the 0-2 Dolphins.