EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – No James Cook?

At least on Monday night that wasn't a problem for the Buffalo Bills.

Cook, the Bills' third-year running back, was unable to play against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium because of a toe injury he suffered in last week's loss at Houston, the first game he has played in missed his career.

In his absence, the Bills still did a good job on the ground with a wild, ugly 23-20 win marred by errors and penalties galore, but still improved Buffalo to 4-2 on the season and held on the Bills at the top of the AFC East.

The Bills dominated the ground on their first offensive possession, rushing eight times for 56 yards. Veteran Ty Johnson got the start and scored 12 yards on the Bills' first offensive play from scrimmage. But rookie Ray Davis carried much of the load on the drive — and for the rest of the night.

Davis led the Bills in rushing and receiving and finished with 152 yards from scrimmage.

During that first drive, he gained 48 yards on six carries, including 14 and 15 yards. On the first score from the Jets' 6-yard line, Davis gained 5 yards. Quarterback Josh Allen capped the drive with a 1-yard keeper for his third rushing touchdown of the season, capping a nine-play, 70-yard drive with 4:54 remaining.

Davis finished the game with 97 yards on 20 carries, Johnson added 34 yards on just four carries and Allen finished the game with 18 yards on nine carries.

It was Allen's 6-yard run on third-and-4 with 1:45 left that allowed the Bills to run out the clock and claim a wild victory, fueled in part by Taron Johnson's interception on a deep, hanging ball The ball was thrown by Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers with 1:52 left.

The Bills defense started slow. The Jets drove 54 yards in eight plays on their first possession, reaching the Buffalo 16-yard line. The big gain came on a 24-yard completion from Rodgers to Garrett Wilson. The Jets had to settle for a 34-yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein to open the scoring after a third-down pass from Rodgers to running back Breece Hall was dropped.

The Jets reached the end zone on their second possession and marched 70 yards in nine plays, capped by Rodgers' 5-yard touchdown pass to Wilson, which was initially ruled out by the field official before the replay assistant reversed the decision. Hall did a lot of damage on the drive, gaining 21 yards on a completion to Rodgers and 24 yards on a run. New York gained 124 yards in its first 16 games, an average of 7.8 per game in the first quarter.

The Bills got a three-and-out on their second drive, but took a 13-10 lead with 6:54 left in the second quarter when Allen connected with receiver Mack Hollins for an 8-yard score on third-and-goal .

Each team took turns trying to win the game. Ultimately, the Bills managed just enough to end a two-game losing streak.

1. Nickel cornerback Taron Johnson returned. Johnson, one of the Bills' best defensive players, was active for the first time since the season opener against Arizona. He left the game with a forearm injury. Johnson finished the game with eight tackles, tying him for the team lead along with safety Taylor Rapp. He also had that huge interception with 1:52 left in the game when he lunged in front of Jets receiver Mike Williams to take down Rodgers.

2. Rapp made three big plays. The Bills' safety, who missed last week's loss to Houston due to a concussion, had three touchdown-saving plays for the Bills. Rapp pursued Hall at the end of a 42-yard run and caught him at the Buffalo 3-yard line. Three plays later, Rapp helped strip the ball from Wilson in the end zone, forcing New York to kick a tying field goal instead of taking the lead.

On the Jets' final offensive possession, Rapp had good coverage on Jets tight end Jeremy Ruckert, which resulted in an incompletion error on third down.

3. Tyler Bass' struggles continued. The Bills' kicker had the go-ahead shot from 22 yards with 3:43 left – but before that he missed an attempt at an extra point after Buffalo led 13:10 with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Allen to receiver Mack Hollins took the lead with 6:54 left in the second quarter. Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams was initially credited with a block on the extra point, but Bass' kick appeared to be a strike that was on track to miss even if it wasn't touched. The NFL's official statistics website later removed Williams' credit for a block. It was Bass' second blocked extra point of the season.

In the third quarter, Bass was wide right on a 47-yard field goal attempt. Luckily for the Bills, he wasn't the only kicker who struggled. The Jets' Greg Zuerlein achieved the rare “double doink” by missing field goals from 32 and 43 yards, each hitting the left upright.

4. Penalties played a big role. Nobody likes it when officiating has such a clear influence on the outcome of the game, but that was clearly the case on Monday night. Both sides had legitimate complaints about the calls made by referee Adrian Hill's team. In the first half, Jets cornerback DJ Reed was called for defensive pass interference on a deep pass intended for Hollins that appeared to be uncatchable.

In the third quarter, Bills defensive end AJ Epenesa appeared to make a clean sack on Rodgers, but was whistled for roughing the passer. Later in the quarter, Bills right tackle Spencer Brown was called for unnecessary roughness while completing his block on a Jets defender.

It went on and on. The Jets had a potential Braelon Allen touchdown run that was negated by a holding penalty.

In the fourth quarter, New York's Javon Kinlaw was cited for roughing the passer, Allen. After Bass' go-ahead field goal, Kinlaw was charged with unsportsmanlike conduct for saying something to the referees.

Between the third and fourth quarters, Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins was charged with unsportsmanlike conduct. The flag was flown even when the lights in the stadium were turned off.

The teams received a combined 22 penalties – 11 against each team.

5. O'Cyrus Torrence's turn came. The Bills' second-year right guard was in the right place at the right time late in the second quarter, recovering a fumble by Allen that preserved possession at the Jets' 12-yard line. On the next play, Allen found tight end Dawson Knox for a touchdown. Jets defensive end Will McDonald IV knocked the ball away from Allen on the play.

6. Khalil Shakir was limited. The Bills receiver was active after one game with an ankle injury, but it's clear he was on a snap count. Shakir made a 9-yard reception to convert a third-and-6 play in the first half, but it was clear the Bills were closely watching his snap count, which unofficially stood at 22 at the end of the game. He finished the game with two catches for 19 yards.