Former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez metaphorically shook hands with Bills' Josh Allen after Monday's game.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen ended up on his rear in a lot of ways after Monday's loss to the Jets. His three-pick performance suggests Allen still needs some time to shake off the rust, but for a bit of comic relief, there was one instance when Allen paid homage to former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez.
Sanchez became known for his notorious butt fumble in a 2012 game against the New England Patriots. The Jets quarterback ran into his own lineman's behind, fumbled the ball, and watched in horror as a Patriots defender returned the fumble for a touchdown.
Perhaps it's only fitting that the Butt Fumble strikes again in a Jets' divisional matchup, one that New York won against all odds.
With less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Josh Allen collected a bad snap and rushed forward on a 1st-and-10 for a few yards. He then crashed into his own lineman -- more of a shoulder-on-shoulder than head-on-butt -- and lost the football, which was recovered by the Jets.
Of course, Mark Sanchez had to say something about Allen's goof. He must have felt pretty good that it finally happened to someone else.
Mark Sanchez welcomes Josh Allen to the Butt Fumble club
Whereas Sanchez's fumble led to a scoop-and-score, Allen's fumble didn't immediately give the Jets a touchdown. On a much shorter field, New York didn't require any heroics from quarterback Zach Wilson and was able to convert a 30-yard field goal for the go-ahead score.
The Jets ended up taking full advantage of Josh Allen's terrible night and clinched a Week 1 victory thanks to Xavier Gipson's superb walk-off punt return.
The Bills will be looking at what went wrong in Week 1, and the onus of blame will probably fall on Allen, who took way too many deep shots for a game that was his to lose. After Aaron Rodgers was ruled out of the game due to injury, all the Bills had to do was play a clean game and stay stout on defense. Allen's four turnovers were an anomaly as much as they were a blessing for a Jets team that desperately needed a stroke of good luck.
Until the two teams meet again.
