Jeff Ulbrich loses Jets coaching debut in painful fashion

New coach. Same old result.

The debut of Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich had some promising signs but it ended in familiar fashion. The Jets dropped their third straight game, a 23-20 flag-filled loss to the division rival Bills.

The loss drops the Jets to 2-4 and two games behind the 4-2 Bills in the AFC East.

“We need to get going,” Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “This was a golden opportunity. Some games you win in the NFL and some games you give away. This was a giveaway.”

The Jets offense showed more signs of life than it has recently, rolling up 393 yards. Rodgers threw for 294 yards and two touchdowns, one on a Hail Mary before halftime.

In the end, though, Rodgers could not pull the game out, throwing an interception in the final two minutes, and he was not helped by kicker Greg Zuerlein’s missing two second-half field goal attempts.

Some of the same things that plagued the Robert Saleh Jets continued to be an issue for Ulbrich’s Jets. They were penalized 11 times for 110 yards, showing the discipline issues did not leave the building with Saleh.

“That is not winning football,” Ulbrich said. “It puts us behind the sticks and destroys drives on offense and extends drives on defense. It can’t happen.”

On offense, the Jets went 1-for-4 in the red zone, leaving points on the board in what ended up being a three-point loss. Zuerlein’s two misses — from 43 and 32 yards — could have made the difference. They were the fourth misses from Zuerlein in the last four games.

“When we’ve got scoring [opportunities], we’ve got to score,” Ulbrich said. “This entire locker room, this entire organization and I hope this entire fan base has great belief in Greg. We’re going to have winning moments in this season where he’ll win games for us. We know that and I believe that 100 percent.”

Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns and made some spectacular throws. The Bills also ran for 149 yards.

The game ended a tumultuous week for the Jets that began with owner Woody Johnson firing Saleh on Tuesday, two days after the Jets lost to the Vikings in London.

Ulbrich, the team’s defensive coordinator, was named interim coach and his first move was to take away play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and give them to passing game coordinator Todd Downing.

The Jets had a chance at a game-winning drive but penalties pushed them backward and then Rodgers’ third-down heave for Mike Williams was intercepted by Taron Johnson with 1:52 remaining.

This is the third straight week the offense had the ball in the fourth quarter with a chance to win the game and failed.

“It’s frustrating,” Rodgers said. “I’m here to win those games, but we’ve got to be on our details. It’s little things every single time.”

The Bills took a 23-20 lead on a 22-yard field goal by Tyler Bass with 3:43 left in the game. The field goal was set up by a roughing the passer penalty on Jets defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw that put the ball on the Buffalo 9-yard line.

Kinlaw was flagged three times on the series. The roughing the passer, he jumped into the neutral zone once and was given a personal foul for saying something to the officials after the field goal.

The Bills sealed the game with a 6-yard run by Allen to close it out.

The Jets head to Pittsburgh to face the 4-2 Steelers on Sunday Night Football. It is only October, but it is already starting to feel late for the Jets.

“I think there’s always a sense of urgency,” Ulbrich said. “There has to be. That’s just the nature of this league. But at the same time, 2-4, we are by no means out of this thing, by no means. I know the character of that locker room. I know the way we will respond.”

The Jets opened the game with one of their best drives in weeks, but could not turn it into a touchdown, something that became a theme. They went 54 yards on eight plays but Breece Hall dropped a third down pass from Rodgers and they had to settle for a 34-yard field goal from Zuerlein.

“I thought we were going to have a big night on offense,” Rodgers said. “This should have been a 30-plus point game on offense and this shouldn’t even be a conversation.”

The Bills cut through the Jets defense with ease on their first possession. They went 70 yards on nine plays, eight of them runs. The Bills did not even have a third down on the drive. Allen plunged in from the 1-yard line for the touchdown and the early 7-3 lead.

The fourth Hail Mary of Rodgers’ career made it 20-17 just before halftime.

The Jets were able to tie the game at 20-20 with 6:17 left in the third quarter on a Zuerlein 22-yard field goal. While the Jets got points, it was disappointing for them not to reach the end zone after a 42-yard rush by Hall set them up at the Bills’ 3-yard line. But Rodgers threw an incompletion on first down, Hall was stuffed on second down and Rodgers and Wilson could not connect on third down.

That was not the last blown red zone chance. The next one was worse. The Jets again drove to the Bills’ 4-yard line and Braelon Allen appeared to score a touchdown but it was called back on a holding call against left tackle Tyron Smith. That set up a third-and-12 from the 14. Rodgers tried to hit Wilson in the back of the end zone again but safeties Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin sandwiched him as the ball got to him and it popped free.