--CB Dwight Lowery was benched in the third quarter against Buffalo after several completions against him, and was replaced by veteran David Barrett. Lowery, a rookie, has been picked on quite frequently by opponents recently.

--DE Shaun Ellis had one sack against Buffalo and has seven for the season, the most for him since he recorded 11 in 2004.

--LB Vernon Gholston recently reached out to Hall of Fame pass rusher Lawrence Taylor for some special tutoring, and the two of them had a productive meeting. Gholston, the sixth overall pick in last April's draft, is still seeking his first NFL sack but is seeing limited action on defense. He missed a tackle on Leodis McKelvin's 44-yard kickoff return in the first quarter at Buffalo.

--TE Chris Baker returned to action at Buffalo after he sat out against Kansas City because of a hip injury. However, he had no receptions.

--P Reggie Hodges only had one boot, but it was a 46-yarder that backed up the Bills at their own 15, which lead to Darrelle Revis' strip sack and turnover on the next play. That set up Jay Feely's second field goal, from 26 yards. Hodges also corralled several high snaps from James Dearth on field goals by Feely.

REPORT CARD VS. BILLS

PASSING OFFENSE: C-minus -- Brett Favre morphed into Chad Pennington for most of the day, directing a conservative, mistake-free aerial game until his one misstep, a floater that was picked off by Jabari Greer for a 42-yard TD. Favre took only one shot downfield, but Leon Washington's 40-yard catch-and-run on a screen set up a field goal and Jerricho Cotchery's 35-yard gain on a short slant led to a TD.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B-minus -- The production was spotty through much of the game, but was there when the Jets needed it most, after Buffalo had cut its deficit to six. The Jets' game-clinching 65-yard drive featured a 23-yard run by Thomas Jones that was blocked exquisitely, plus FB Tony Richardson's first carry of the season, a 3-yard run on third-and-1 from the Buffalo 23.

PASS DEFENSE: B-plus -- The five sacks of Trent Edwards, SS Abram Elam's 92-yard interception for a TD and LCB Darrelle Revis' exceptional game were the high points. Pressure from Jenkins set up Elam's game-changing pick. Revis had a strip sack, which he recovered, and an interception. He also had tight coverage most of the time on dangerous Lee Evans. RCB Dwight Lowery was yanked in the second half after being picked on several times.

RUSH DEFENSE: A-plus -- Buffalo RB Marshawn Lynch missed the second quarter because of nausea, and surely C Duke Preston could've empathized, as that's how he must have felt trying to block NT Kris Jenkins. The Bills were limited to 30 yards rushing and pretty much abandoned this phase of their offense after halftime. Jenkins and FS Kerry Rhodes stuffed Fred Jackson on fourth-and-1 at the Jets' 8 in the second period.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B -- Leon Washington's heads-up play, when he fielded a kickoff return with one foot out of bounds, gave the Jets 32 important yards of field positions. Jay Feely was 4-for-5 on FG attempts, but missed from 37 yards. Reggie Hodges had one punt for a net of 45 yards and did an outstanding job corralling several high snaps on FGs from an uncharacteristically wild James Dearth.

COACHING: A-minus -- Dick Jauron & Co. had outcoached the Jets in the last three meetings, but were schooled by Eric Mangini and his staff. The Jets used screens and slants to neutralize the Bills' pass rush, and took away the deep balls to WRs Lee Evans and Roscoe Parrish on defense. The one blemish was Mangini's inexplicable decision to accept a 5-yard penalty, giving the Bills another chance at a first down, which they converted. But Elam's big play saved Mangini from the second-guessers.