Studs and duds from Bills' 23-20 primetime win over Jets

Here are our studs and duds from the Buffalo Bills' Week 6 win over the New York Jets.

Anthony Miller | 5 Hours Ago

Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

In this story:

Buffalo Bills | News, Scores, Schedules & Standings

The Buffalo Bills got a much-needed win against an AFC East foe in their Week 6 Monday Night Football clash, defeating the New York Jets 23-20. The win moves Buffalo to 4-2 on the season, and it has a few players on each side of the ball to thank. There's also one particular player that needs to be mentioned in a less flattering light following the win.

With that, are the studs and duds from the Bills' win over the Jets.

Stud: RB Ray Davis

Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

With star running back James Cook out with a toe injury, it looked as though the original plan was for veteran Ty Johnson and rookie running back Ray Davis to split reps. It was the first-year player who was the focal point of the ground game, however, and he delivered, making several splash plays as both a rusher and pass-catcher. He finished with 18 carries for 91 yards and three receptions for 55 yards, including an incredible juggling 42-yard reception from Josh Allen in the second quarter. It was a breakout outing for the 24-year-old, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft as a complementary back to Cook; his performance in Week 6 suggested that he could potentially be something more.

Stud: S Taylor Rapp

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Aaron Rodgers attacked the middle of the Bills' defense multiple times throughout the game and had success. Safety Taylor Rapp was often there to make major plays when needed, excelling in coverage and run support as he had team-highs in tackles with eight and pass deflections with three. Buffalo needed a big play toward the end of the game, and Rapp came up big with some big pass breakups.

Stud: DE A.J. Epenesa

Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

As Von Miller continues to serve his suspension, A.J. Epenesa took a big step, impacting Monday night with a two-sack performance. Epenesa also had three tackles, two quarterback hits, and one tackle for loss. He was Buffalo's best pass rusher and got pressure on Rodgers when needed, his egregious roughing the passer penalty aside (more on that later).

Dud: Tyler Bass

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

It was not a smooth night for either of the kickers, but Tyler Bass has been under fire from fans dating back to last season for his inconsistent play. Monday night didn't do him any favors, as he had the ugliest missed extra point of the season in the first half (it was tipped at the line, but it looked like it was going wide regardless). He also missed a critical 47-yard field goal in the third quarter, which would have made it a six-point lead. To his credit, he did make a 22-yard field goal with 3:43 left in the game. The wind was gusting at MetLife Stadium, which may give Bass another pass, but his seat gets a lot hotter going into the rest of the season.

Dud: Referees

Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

There were 22 accepted penalties in this game for 204 yards, a large portion of which were, at best, head-scratching, and at worst, flat-out egregious and tide-turning. There were several questionable defensive pass interference penalties, and Epenesa’s aforementioned roughing the passer call was putrid. Poor officiating not only makes for a lesser product, but it has a discernible impact on games, which shouldn’t happen in any contest, but especially not in a clash that determines the momentary leader of a division and has far-reaching impacts on both teams’ seasons.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Bills from Buffalo Bills on SI —