The Jets can blame plenty for their "Monday Night Football" loss to the Bills — penalties, missed kicks, red-zone troubles — but for the second consecutive week, it all came down to a mistake by Mike Williams.
The Jets' final offensive play, which saw Williams fall down on a third-and-16 the Jets effectively needed to convert, ended in an interception by Taron Johnson. The moment mimicked the Jets' final offensive play eight days earlier when an interception ended New York's hopes because Williams wasn't in sync with Aaron Rodgers.
The problem with Williams is even greater than just the occasional slip-up. The Jets brought him in to be an upgrade next to Garrett Wilson, but the former Chargers standout now appears destined for a short stint in New York.
Here's a look at Williams' ugly game against the Bills on Monday night.
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Mike Williams drops vs. Bills
Williams was held without a catch on three targets in the Jets' 23-20 loss to the Bills on Monday. He let New York's offense down with a drop early in the fourth quarter, though the play was erased from most memories when Rodgers found Lazard for the first down anyway. On the final play, however, there was no hiding from the moment.
Jets fans saw Rodgers launch the ball downfield on third-and-16 and quickly noticed a wide-open receiver waiting for the pass — Williams had a window to catch it, but he inexplicably slipped. Bills CB Taron Johnson dove in for the interception, which was a remarkable play in itself.
The Jets' defense allowed a first down on the ensuing drive, so it was the final play of the night for the offense.
Rodgers seemed to blame Williams for running the wrong route on the play, telling reporters the play calls for the veteran receiver to be closer to the sideline. "He's got to be down the red line," Rodgers said.
Just eight days earlier, Stephon Gilmore recorded a game-ending interception of Rodgers when Williams seemingly ran through his route. Williams' back was turned to the ball as it was approaching him, presumably due to some kind of miscommunication, and Gilmore was able to easily scoop up the pass in what would be the final nail in the coffin for Robert Saleh's tenure.
While some things change, others stay the same. The Jets entered Week 6 with a new head coach and offensive play-caller, but execution and self-inflicted mistakes cost them. Williams' drops were self-inflicted mistakes that, considering his age and experience, no coach is responsible for.
Williams had a small role at the start of the season as he worked his way back from an ACL tear, but he has just two catches in his past two games even as he gets healthier. Here's a look at his disappointing stats through six games with the Jets.
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Mike Williams stats 2024
| Games | Targets | Rec. | Yards | TD | Y/R |
| 6 | 17 | 10 | 145 | 0 | 14.5 |
Williams was brought in to upgrade the No. 2 receiver role next to Wilson and win some 50-50 balls from Rodgers. While he did bring in a couple of those throws from Rodgers in the Jets' otherwise lifeless loss to the Broncos, the former Chargers star just hasn't lived up to expectations to this point.
With just 145 yards through six games, Williams is on a 17-game pace of 411 yards. He's been held out of the end zone to this point, and his catch rate dropped from 71.4 percent to 58.8 percent with Monday's catch-less game.
The re-emergence of Lazard, who had 114 yards and scored his fifth touchdown of the season against the Bills, has made Williams even less of a factor for the Jets, but he still had enough of a role to doom New York when it mattered most in back-to-back weeks.
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