Bills Ground Jets to Wrap up 3rd Seed in AFC Playoffs

They prevail in an ugly defensive scrum to clinch the AFC East crown at home for the first time in nearly 30 years.

Nothing came easy for the Buffalo Bills in the final game of the regular season.

But they finally were able to squeeze past the New York Jets, 27-10, to wrap up the AFC East title at home for the first time since 1995.

As it turned out, the win wasn't necessary, because the second-place New England Patriots minutes earlier fell at Miami, making Bills the division champs. Nevertheless, the Bills Mafia had glory without having to travel.

Josh Allen was limited to 24-of-45 passing as the Bills (11-6) ran into stiff resistance from the Jets (4-13) for three-plus quarters.

They couldn't pull away until the fourth, when Devin Singletary finished off a 51-yard touchdown drive with a 1-yard plunge, then scored on a 4-yard touchdown pass with 3:53 left to set the final score.

The Bills' pass rush was relentless, thanks in part to a back end that plastered the mostly overmatched Jets receivers all day. As a result, Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson absorbed nine sacks, including 2.0 each by defensive end Mario Addison and safety Jordan Poyer, on his way to finishing with just seven completions in 20 attempts for 87 yards. After the sacks were applied, the Jets finished with just 5 net passing yards.

In the end, the Jets mustered just four first downs and 53 yards of offense as the Bills finished with a 37:00 to 23:00 advantage in time of possession.

This is the first time since 1991, when the Bills won the division for a fourth straight season, that any team other than the New England Patriots has won the AFC East two years in a row.

The Patriots (10-7) also are in the playoffs and will visit the third-seeded Bills in the wildcard round next weekend if the Las Vegas Raiders beat the Los Angeles Chargers tonight. The Chargers will come to Buffalo if they win.

Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.