Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills overcame a Hail Mary touchdown throw by Aaron Rodgers as the first half ended to outlast the New York Jets 23-20 on Monday night and take control of the AFC East.

Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score and Tyler Bass made up for an earlier miss by kicking a go-ahead 22-yard field goal with 3:43 left to help the Bills (4-2) snap a two-game skid. They have never lost three straight with Allen starting at quarterback.

The loss was the third in a row for the Jets (2-4), who capped a tumultuous week during which coach Robert Saleh was fired, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich replaced him as the interim coach and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was demoted from play-calling duties in favor of Todd Downing.

Normally reliable kicker Greg Zuerlein missed two potential go-ahead field goals for the Jets, hitting the left upright on both.

The game was filled with yellow penalty flags all night — both teams had 11 penalties.

Allen finished 19-of-25 for 215 yards. Rookie Ray Davis, filling in for the injured James Cook, ran for 97 yards on 20 carries and caught three passes for 55 yards.

With the Jets trailing 23-20, Rodgers threw deep for Mike Williams but the pass was short and Taron Johnson — back after breaking his right forearm in the season opener — came up with the interception.

Allen and the Bills were able to then run out the clock and seal the win. They are the only team in the division with a winning record.

Rodgers was 23-of-35 for 294 yards with two touchdowns and the INT, and Breece Hall had 113 yards rushing and 56 receiving.

Rodgers’ deep throw on the final play of the opening half had the Jets, their fans — and social media — buzzing.

With the Jets at their own 48 and perhaps hoping to get into field goal range before halftime, Rodgers took a few steps back and danced around a bit before launching the ball toward the end zone. Allen Lazard reached up in front of two Bills defenders and fell on his back.

After a quick huddle, officials ruled it a touchdown.

The Jets got in an early rhythm on offense with Downing calling the plays as Rodgers got New York into the red zone. A drop by Hall on third down made the Jets settle for a 34-yard field goal by Zuerlein — New York’s first points on an opening drive this season.

Buffalo bounced back by running all over New York’s defense, gashing Ulbrich’s unit for 61 yards rushing — including 48 on six carries by Davis — and capping the Bills’ opening drive with a 1-yard keeper by Allen to make it 7-3.

Allen’s 56th career TD run put him one behind O.J. Simpson for second in franchise history.

Garrett Wilson gave the Jets back the lead on their next drive, capping things by catching a 5-yard pass from Rodgers in the back of the end zone and getting both feet down on a play that was initially ruled incomplete but reversed on video replay before Ulbrich needed to challenge.

Allen led the Bills on a 90-yard drive to give Buffalo back the lead, capped by an 8-yard TD pass to Mack Hollins. Quinnen Williams got his hand on Bass’ extra point try that sailed wide left.

Allen sparked the drive when he danced out of the end zone, scrambled to his right and threw across his body down the middle of the field where Davis got his hands on the ball, bobbled it and came down with it for a 42-yard catch.

Allen’s second touchdown pass was a 12-yard throw to Dawson Knox with 21 seconds remaining before halftime to put Buffalo up 20-10.

Bass missed another kick on Buffalo’s opening drive of the second half, pushing a 47-yarder wide right.

Zuerlein tied it at 20 with a 22-yarder midway through the third quarter.

The Jets appeared to take the lead late on their next possession when Braelon Allen ran up the middle from 4 yards out, but left tackle Tyron Smith was called for holding. Rodgers connected with Wilson in the back of the end zone on the next play, but the wide receiver couldn’t hold onto the ball after being walloped by Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp.

Zuerlein then hit the left upright on a 32-yard attempt to keep the game tied. He also missed a potential go-ahead 43-yarder with 9:44 left in the fourth quarter, hitting the upright again.

Injuries

Jets S Chuck Clark was ruled out in the second quarter with an ankle injury. … CB D.J. Reed left in the third quarter with an injured groin.

Up next

Bills: Host Tennessee on Sunday.

Jets: Play at Pittsburgh on Sunday night.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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In England, futsal is an amateur sport so players do not earn salaries for competing.

Across Europe, a futsal player’s earning potential varies greatly. In Spain and Portugal, clubs such as Barcelona, Sporting CP and Benfica are directly attached to their football counterparts and are able to pay lucrative salaries, with elite players thought to have had contracts upwards of £400,000 per year with Barcelona.

While not all clubs are professional, many other players in these leagues earn comfortable full-time salaries.

In England’s top flight, FA National Futsal Series Tier 1, only a couple of clubs have ever been professional – and for short periods. The current extent of financial support offered to players is through expenses.

Manchester Futsal Club covers costs such as travel, kit and overnight accommodation for its squad, but for the vast majority of players in England, futsal is a hobby and an expensive one.

Between kit, monthly subs and nationwide travel, players often look to commercial sponsorship for help covering the costs.

Patrick Everson

FOX Sports Betting Analyst

Casual bettors tend to bet on favorites and also love to include them in parlays. But the NFL is one of the most unpredictable professional sports leagues in the world, and this lends itself to several surprising results every week.

Not this week.

Entering the Sunday night matchup between the Bengals and Giants, bookmakers were begging for Giants wagers due to the amount of losses they’d already taken from the earlier games. Week 6 favorites entered that game 11-1 straight up (SU) and 9-2-1 against the spread (ATS), resulting in a massive day for the public.

Joe Brennan Jr., Prime Sports executive chair stated, “What a s— day today in the NFL. If you know anyone who likes the Giants tonight, we have an account ready and waiting for them.” He wasn’t the only one to have those sentiments. 

“It’s the worst day of the season so far. This could get really ugly if the Bengals win and cover,” said Zachary Lucas, director of retail sports for TwinSpires Sportsbook.

To his and many others dismay, the Giants did not win or cover, which meant two things: favorites were now 12-1 SU and 10-2-1 ATS, and sportsbooks desperately needed a Jets win against the Bills on Monday night. 

Jeff Benson, Circa Sports director of operations, posted this on X, summarizing Sunday/Monday in the NFL:

Enter Monday Night Football.

The Jets trailed 20-10 with just eight seconds left in the second quarter before Aaron Rodgers unloaded a 52-yard touchdown pass to make it 20-17 at the conclusion of the first half. 

New York would kick a field goal in the third quarter to tie it up 20-20 headed into the fourth. Field goals were ultimately a huge factor in the outcome of the game, as Greg Zuerlein went two-of-four. After his miss in the fourth quarter, the Bills drove 64 yards down the field in 11 plays and kicked a field goal to take a 23-20 lead. 

Rodgers had just under four minutes to get it done for the sportsbooks, but was intercepted on a deep throw after Mike Williams fell just before he was about to snag the ball. Favorites finished the week 13-1 SU and 11-2-1 ATS. BetMGM senior trader Tristan Davis stated, “Bettors got the entire sundae this week, and they deserved it. It had been a rough start to the season for them.” 

Buffalo’s win also completed several parlays for the public. BetMGM Nevada’s Scott Shelton is quoted saying, “There are some parlays as long as my arm that will cash on Bills -1.5.” 

For perspective, this is just the third time in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) that only one favorite lost SU in Week 6 of the season (1975 and 2005). I’ll leave you with a final quote from Lucas, who was dreading a Buffalo win as mentioned earlier:

“With the Bills’ win, it’s like we have PIN-less ATMs at our sportsbooks. Everyone is cashing out.” 

Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas.

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A host of former players would return, including defender Cedric Yambere and midfielder Younes Kaabouni. Such was the club’s desperate need to register names that former France international Rio Mavuba – a Bordeaux youth graduate who now coaches at the club – briefly came out of retirement to play for the reserves, as did ex-defender Paul Baysse.

Bordeaux were eventually able to field a team, albeit with just 14 players on the squad sheet. Played behind closed doors at the Stade Sainte-Germaine, a nondescript 3,000-seater in the outskirts of the city, the match ended with goalkeeper Lassana Diabate heading in a last-minute equaliser.

Another goalkeeper in Over Mandanda (the younger brother of former international keeper Steve) was brought on to play in midfield to see out a Coupe de France tie last month, which prompted an unsuccessful appeal against the 5-0 result from their ninth-tier opponents.

Endearingly eccentric as the Bordeaux story might be, the six-time French champions’ nosedive into amateur football has been a dramatic one.

A conflict between the two main groups of fans has meant many of the matches at lower-league grounds are played behind closed doors for security reasons.

The North Gate fans notably accuse the Ultramarines of being overly complacent with owner Gerard Lopez, the much-contested Spanish-Luxembourgish businessman who took over in 2021.

The 52-year-old would provide the funds to keep the club running, but has nevertheless overseen a three-tier drop all the while scarcely remedying what was already a critical financial situation.

Protests against his ownership have intensified, with fans gathering at the club’s old stadium last month for a day-long demonstration which was supported by former players and included mayor Pierre Hurmic among its speakers.

While many are relieved that the worst-case scenario was avoided this summer, the ire towards Lopez – who presided over financial debacles at Lille and the Lotus F1 team as well – does not look like letting up anytime soon.

One group of fans has sought to carve out some control in the club’s fate by setting up a Socios project – a fan ownership initiative inspired by Spanish and German football. With close to 3,000 members signing up and nearly a quarter of a million euros raised since August, the group hopes to act as a fan-led voice and a safeguard against future mismanagement.

“We want the club to be united,” explains Donatien Rodriguez, one of the co-founders. “But everything needs to go through a vote among the Socios. If I were one of the members, I don’t see why I’d be voting in favour of helping Lopez.”

The Girondins Socios have now turned their attention towards saving the women’s team, which has been left by the wayside.

The Girondines – who were playing in the Women’s Champions League only a few years ago – have paid the price for the mismanagement of the men’s team, and were excluded from the national-level leagues this summer.

LOS ANGELES — After the Dodgers intentionally walked Francisco Lindor in the second inning Monday afternoon, the 24-year-old hitting behind the Mets‘ MVP candidate looked perplexed. Mark Vientos raised his sunglasses and tipped his head to the side, almost in disbelief that they wanted to pitch to him. 

“I took it personal,” Vientos said after launching the second grand slam of the Mets’ postseason in a 7-3 win that evened the National League Championship Series at one game apiece. 

If the Dodgers didn’t know much earlier this year about the Mets third baseman, who was 10 games into his 2024 season the last time these teams faced off in the regular season, they do now.

“I mean, I want to be up there during that at-bat,” Vientos continued. “I want them to walk Lindor in that situation, put me up there.” 

Vientos, now a fixture hitting near the top of the Mets’ lineup, wasn’t even the likeliest 24-year-old to earn his team’s job at the hot corner this year. The 2017 second-round pick’s season began at Syracuse, and he sported a .610 OPS over parts of two big-league seasons entering this year. 

But this version of Vientos, who made the Dodgers pay for the free pass, is not like previous iterations. 

“My man’s got a lot of confidence in himself,” Sean Manaea said. “I love that.”

Why wouldn’t he? 

On Monday, Vientos’ blast gifted the Mets starter an early 6-0 lead that provided plenty of cushion during his five innings of work. 

“Ever since he got here,” Manaea continued, “he’s been doing some crazy things.” 

When the season began, Brett Baty was the Mets’ starting third baseman. But the former top prospect’s struggles out of the gate opened a door, and Vientos, who was recalled on May 15, stepped through with a giant leap. By the time Baty was optioned on May 31, it was clear the full-time third-base job belonged to Vientos, who never looked back. 

While his name might not hold the same weight or prestige as perennial third base sensations like Manny Machado or Alex Bregman, Vientos finished the season with a higher wRC+ than both of them. In fact, among MLB third basemen with at least 400 plate appearances this season, the only ones with a higher OPS than Vientos were José Ramírez and Rafael Devers. 

“The power is real,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. 

It is not a coincidence that his ascension coincided with his team’s. 

From Vientos’ call-up through the end of the year, New York was one of three teams to compile 70 wins. His steady rise both in production and the Mets’ lineup — he went from hitting in the bottom half of the order in June to behind Lindor in September — helped turn around a team that was 11 games under .500 in early June. 

In regular-season games Vientos started this year, the Mets were 61-44. In games he didn’t, they were 28-29. 

“He’s embracing every opportunity and enjoying the ride,” Lindor said. “There’s one thing that Mark doesn’t lack, that’s confidence.”

Lindor is the only Mets player worth more WAR than Vientos. They both had exactly 26 home runs from the time Vientos was promoted in mid-May through the end of the year.  

Now, they’ve both come up huge through the team’s magical October run. 

For Lindor, there was the game-winning ninth-inning homer he launched against the rival Braves to get them into the playoffs and the go-ahead grand slam in Philadelphia that would send the Mets through the NLDS to face the Dodgers. 

When the Mets seemed to forget who they were in Game 1 at Dodger Stadium, getting blanked for the first time this postseason and looking uncompetitive in the process, Lindor got them back on business hours in Monday’s matinee with a leadoff home run that ended the Dodgers’ postseason record-tying streak of consecutive scoreless innings at 33. 

So, you can’t blame them for giving Lindor a free base with two on, two out and a bullpen game threatening to get out of hand quickly. 

Unless, of course, you’re Vientos.

“They would rather take a chance on me than him,” Vientos said. “But I use it as motivation. I’m like, ‘All right, you want me up, I’m going to show you.’”

In a postseason field filled with decorated stars, that self-belief is helping a less-heralded Met stand out. 

In the Mets’ first game of the playoffs, it was Vientos’ single off Aaron Ashby in the fifth inning that broke a tie and ended up being the deciding hit. 

In their first game of the NLDS, Vientos’ game-tying single in the eighth inning sparked a five-run frame in a comeback win.

In Game 2 of the NLDS, Vientos became the third-youngest player to record 10 total bases in a playoff game. 

On Monday, he became the youngest player to hit a grand slam in LCS history. Vientos would add a single in his next at-bat for his sixth multi-hit game in nine postseason appearances. 

He now leads all players this October in hits and RBIs. 

“He’s very confident,” Lindor repeated. “He’s a player who believes in himself. He doesn’t back down.”

Despite the self-assuredness and swagger, Vientos has still demonstrated preternatural poise to consistently deliver when presented opportunities. 

On his grand slam, Vientos said he wasn’t thinking about going deep. But when Landon Knack lofted a four-seamer right down the middle on the ninth pitch of the at-bat? 

“Yeah,” Vientos said, “I wasn’t going to miss it.” 

As he has done to opponents so often this month, and throughout a 2024 season that has solidified his place as the third baseman of the future in New York, Vientos delivered. 

While his 391-foot drive would have been a flyout at Citi Field and 23 other major-league ballparks, all that mattered was at Dodger Stadium, it kept going, and going and going … until it dropped over the wall in right-center field, lifting a Mets team that had found its form again and dismantling the Dodgers’ hopes early in a bullpen game. 

“You didn’t see a big swing,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “It was, let me put it in play, let me stay in the big part of the ballpark, and he was able to drive that one. You see the next at-bat against a lefty, just going the other way with ease and just shoot the ball the other way. That’s a sign of not only a good hitter but someone that is mature and is under control.”

The Mets have demonstrated all year they’re not going to fold. 

In Game 2, after their worst loss of the postseason, they punched back behind their MVP candidate and the 24-year-old behind him who’s playing like one. 

“That’s who he is,” Lindor said. “I’m glad he took it personal. He’s got to continue to climb.” 

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

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