The Buffalo Bills held on for a crucial win over the New York Jets on Monday night, 23-20, but it was the officiating that irked fans who tuned in to watch the drama unfold.

There were four penalties, including offsetting fouls, on the Jets’ final drive. Aaron Rodgers eventually threw an interception to Bills cornerback Taron Johnson while he tried to target Mike Williams. 

Penalties like that crushed both teams and the NFL world took notice. Each team had 11 penalties called on them during the game. The Bills committed 11 games for 94 yards and the Jets committed 11 penalties for 110 yards.

At the end of the day, Josh Allen ran for a first down to keep their final drive going. Buffalo knelt the ball to play out the rest of the clock and the game was over.

The Bills had the lead 20-17 at halftime but each team only scored three points each in the final two quarters.

EAGLES HEAD COACH NICK SIRIANNI APOLOGIZES TO FANS FOR TAUNTING THEM AFTER WIN: ‘I’M SORRY AND DISAPPOINTED’

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) reacts after converting a first down next to New York Jets defensive tackle Leki Fotu, right, and cornerback Brandin Echols, bottom, during the second half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Monday, Oct. 14, 2024.  (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Allen was 19-of-25 with 215 passing yards and two touchdown passes – one to Dawson Knox and the other to Mack Hollins. He ran for 18 yards and scored a touchdown on the ground.

Bills running back Ray Davis led the team with 97 rushing yards on 20 carries. He also had three catches for 55 yards. Knox and Hollins’ touchdown catches were their lone receptions in the game.

Rodgers kept the Jets in the game with an improbable Hail Mary touchdown pass right before halftime. But the razzle dazzle fizzled out in the second half.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers walks on the field during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in East Rutherford, N.J., Monday, Oct. 14, 2024.  (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

He was 23-of-35 with 294 passing yards and touchdown passes to Allen Lazard and Garrett Wilson. Each wide receiver was over 100 yards receiving.

Lazard had six catches for 114 yards and Wilson had eight catches for 107 yards.

New York was trying to get a victory in the wake of the Robert Saleh firing and may have had the edge in the game but kicker Greg Zuerlein missed two field goals.

New York Jets place kicker Greg Zuerlein (9) reacts after missing a field goal attempt with Thomas Morstead during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in East Rutherford, N.J., Monday, Oct. 14, 2024.  (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Buffalo is now in first place in AFC East with a 4-2 record. New York fell to 2-4.

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The quality of pitches and the results this season have not been vintage Walker Bueher, not after a second Tommy John surgery sapped him of some velocity and a pesky right-hip injury hindered the return of the erstwhile ace after a 23-month absence.

Yet the Dodgers have seen glimpses of the old Buehler in both performance and demeanor in recent weeks, the 30-year-old right-hander rediscovering some of the swagger that made him one of baseball’s best big-game pitchers from 2018 to 2021.

And now, after a bullpen game blew up in their face in Monday’s 7-3 loss to the New York Mets, evening the National League Championship Series at one game apiece, the Dodgers will turn to Buehler to prevent this best-of-seven series from going sideways on them in Game 3 in New York on Wednesday night.

“I mean, every time Walker pitches for us in a big situation, I feel really good about it,” utility man Kiké Hernández said after Monday’s loss. “The good thing about the playoffs is that when you’re on the road, you get to punch first, as [the Mets] did today.

“We did that twice in San Diego” in last week’s division series, “so hopefully we can do that again on Wednesday, keep adding on and give Walker a lead so he can just cruise through the game.”

Buehler went 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA during 16 regular-season starts in which he constantly tinkered with his mechanics and pitch mix in an effort to find a comfortable delivery and more effective sequences with which to attack hitters.

But he found a decent groove in his last three starts, giving up six earned runs and 13 hits, striking out 15 and walking seven in 16 ⅓ innings for a 3.31 ERA.

Included in that stretch was a 7-2 division-clinching win over the Padres on Sept. 26. Buehler was not overpowering, inducing swinging strikes on three of his 71 pitches, but he seemed to will his way to victory by giving up one run and five hits in five innings.

The performance fueled a belief among the Dodgers that they could count on Buehler, who has a 3-4 record and 3.40 ERA in 16 career postseason starts, to boost their injury-ravaged rotation in October.

“I don’t care what Walker’s numbers are — I will always bet on that guy in these types of situations,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “He’s the guy you want on the mound in a big situation. You just know that his heartbeat, when he gets out there, is not going to waver at all. I’ve seen him in multiple big games for us, and every time, he delivers.”

Buehler did not deliver in his Oct. 8 playoff start, giving up six runs and five hits in the second inning of a 6-5 loss in Game 3 of the NL Division Series at San Diego.

Yet the inning might have been different had first baseman Freddie Freeman’s throw to second on a potential fielder’s choice grounder not hit Manny Machado in the helmet and caromed into left field, and had shortstop Miguel Rojas flipped to second on a Xander Bogaerts grounder instead of trying to turn an unassisted double play.

Buehler gave up a two-run double to David Peralta and grooved an 0-and-2 fastball to Fernando Tatis Jr., who crushed a rally-capping two-run homer to left-center field.

An angry Buehler rearranged some items in the Dodgers dugout after the inning, but he did not fold under duress, blanking the Padres on two hits over the next three innings to preserve some bullpen arms and keep his team within striking distance. Roberts said he noticed a change in Buehler after he gave up the six-spot.

“Certainly, it’s about results, and we didn’t play good defense behind him, but I was very pleased to see him come out of that knowing that he was throwing the baseball really well,” Roberts said Monday. “He kept us in the game. Gave us three huge innings.”

Buehler will be facing an explosive Mets lineup in a hostile environment at Citi Field on Wednesday night, but he won’t be intimidated. He does not scare easily.

This is the guy who threw seven shutout innings in Game 3 of the 2018 World Series against the Boston Red Sox, who gave up one run in 11 innings of two starts in the 2020 NLCS against the Atlanta Braves, who threw six innings of one-run, three-hit ball with 10 strikeouts to win Game 3 of the 2020 World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Buehler is not fazed by big-game pressure. He thrives on it.

“The energy of the fans is something that all of us kind of live for in some way,” Buehler said. “Having done this playoff thing a few times, I think I’ve learned how to channel that a little bit and make it productive for yourself instead of detrimental.

“Each game [in the playoffs] is its own kind of war. The way we play and manage it is different from the regular season. You’re out there trying to throw punches as long as you can and trying to keep the momentum, which is such a huge part of the playoffs.”

NEW YORK — Betnijah Laney-Hamilton couldn’t immediately pick her favorite moment from the New York Liberty’s WNBA Finals Game 2 win over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday. So here are some possibilities.

Perhaps she will reflect on her first made 3-pointer just over five minutes into New York’s eventual 80-66 win. That’s when Courtney Vandersloot knew it would be Laney-Hamilton’s night. “She looked different tonight,” Vandersloot said. “When she’s playing like that we’re a different team.”

Or maybe Laney-Hamilton will look back on her final 3-pointer with 3:21 remaining in the contest — a triple that stretched the Liberty’s lead from two points to five and halted another furious fourth-quarter Lynx rally — with the most fondness. “A corner 3 for (Laney-Hamilton) is a layup,” guard Sabrina Ionescu said.

Or will it be Laney-Hamilton’s postgame hugs with Ionescu and Kayla Thornton as a Barclays Center record 18,040 fans basked in the joy of a New York victory? Or her receiving the game ball in New York’s locker room that will be the most meaningful?

The options are numerous because Laney-Hamilton’s impact was immense. She tied her season high with 20 points and played stifling defense on Minnesota’s Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride.

“She plays at both ends of the floor, and plays hard,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “She’s a winner, so happy that she got this success tonight and (can) keep building on it.”

Bucket 🐝 was ACTIVATED 👑@BetnijahLaney is our @Withings Player of the Game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/C82OIprXaI

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) October 13, 2024

If Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals will be remembered because of New York’s historic collapse, the second game will be remembered because of contributions made up and down the Liberty roster. An X-factor was the key factor.

“You need players beyond your starters, and for two games they’ve done that,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “And we’re having trouble getting that consistently. We’ve got to have that.”

Laney-Hamilton’s starring role was especially welcomed for New York after her relatively minimal impact in Game 1. Her 26 minutes in that loss were the fewest among New York’s starters. On the eve of Game 2, Brondello was tempered while assessing Laney-Hamilton’s performance. “I think everyone sees that she’s trying. It’s not the same ‘B’ that we’ve seen all season long, but it is what it is,” Brondello said on Saturday.

Yet, Brondello noticed Laney-Hamilton knocking down 3-pointers consistently at the Liberty’s off-day practice and during Sunday’s pregame warmups.

Then the ball tipped, and Laney-Hamilton made an instant impact. Minnesota had been consistently going under screens she was involved in. Aggressive and open, she sunk her first 2-point jumper and her first 3-pointer two possessions later.

That was all part of the plan. New York has preached for her not to be passive.

“We know she can do this,” Liberty star Breanna Stewart said.

But Laney-Hamilton didn’t always show it because of injury. She played in only 28 games during the regular season, missing 12 games between July 6 to Aug. 26 because of a knee procedure. Brondello said New York missed Laney-Hamilton’s playmaking and grittiness. “How she’s the ultimate competitor,” Brondello said.

Players other than Stewart, Ionescu and Jones emerged in her absence, which was paramount to the Liberty’s league-best 32 regular-season wins. It has also been key throughout the postseason as they stormed past the Atlanta Dream in the first round and overpowered the Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals. Laney-Hamilton had scored double-digits only one other time this postseason, and she hadn’t scored 20 points since early July.

It’s a credit to New York’s roster that different players can play a key role on any given night. In Game 1, for instance, Leonie Fiebich shined, making five 3-pointers and tallying 17 points. Fiebich had only one basket Sunday, and it didn’t matter.

“(General manager Jonathan Kolb) built this team to be able to withstand anything that any of the opponents in the W are going to be able to throw at us, and so it’s really good to see everybody stepping up,” Jonquel Jones said. “That’s what it’s going to take.”

The Lynx have X-factors who have emerged as well throughout their postseason run. Their two All-Stars, Napheesa Collier and McBride have been effective throughout the playoffs. But offensive bursts from Williams or Bridget Carleton, or rim-protection and timely 3-point shooting from Alanna Smith have often been the difference in Minnesota’s journey.

But through two games, the Lynx haven’t shown who will consistently step up. Williams was held in check with 15 points on Sunday. “(It’s) a huge difference,” Reeve said. “Both games (New York has) gotten help.”

Perhaps a return to Target Center will lift Carleton in particular. She has made only six of her last 30 3-point attempts. Perhaps a Minnesota reserve will provide a spark off the bench (it received just five bench points in Game 2).

After Sunday’s win, Laney-Hamilton wouldn’t go into specifics on her health. She chose to instead dwell on her accomplishments.

“To see a glimpse of what I’m capable of, it felt really good,” she said. And it was meaningful too. Her final 3-pointer especially changed the game’s momentum as the Lynx had slashed a 17-point New York lead to two.

History will show if that shot, and Laney-Hamilton’s overall play, changed the series when the finals resume on Wednesday night.

“She played a huge role in the game ending up in the way that it did and she’s gonna continue to do it for these next two games,” Ionescu said. “We believe in her. She knows that.”

 (Photo: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)