The New York Jets will host the Buffalo Bills in the teams second and final meeting this season. The matchup kicks off Week 9 of the NFL season, taking place Thursday night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The teams will both don their color rush uniforms, as they did in a similar Thursday night at MetLife setting a couple years back.
GAME DETAILS
Buffalo Bills (5-2) at New York Jets (3-5)
Line: Bills (-3.5)
Time: 8:25 PM ET
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
At a surprising 5-2, the Bills have a chance to force a tie with the New England Patriots, who are on a bye this week, for first place in the AFC East. Buffalo already leads the AFC Wildcard pack, so their 6th win of the season would bode very well for their playoff chances moving forward.
The Jets also started the season as a pleasant surprise at 3-2. But since then, they've dropped three straight games where they've held a lead and blew it in the second half. A loss on Thursday night would extend their slide and blow a huge hit to their playoff odds, while a win would put them right in the thick of the AFC Wildcard race.
Both teams want to win this game badly, and it should make for some entertaining football that the NFL probably didn't anticipate when they scheduled this game.
These teams met in Week 1, where the Bills prevailed 21-12.
As mentioned, the Jets have dropped their last three games, and had a great chance to win all of them:
- 24-17 loss to Patriots (led 14-0)
- 31-28 loss to Dolphins (led 28-14)
- 25-20 loss to Falcons (led 10-0)
You can take this trend in two different ways in terms of bearing on this game: the Jets are bound to blow any lead they have in this game, or they're finally due for a win. The 14-0 lead over the Patriots was impressive, and thought the Falcons have had a turbulent season, they are still more talented and the Jets hung in the game until the end.
Basically, my takeaway is: the New York Jets are not a bad team this year.
However, the Buffalo Bills are more than "not bad"
The Bills strength is easily their defense. The 16.4 points per game they give up are the second-fewest in the league, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers and behind only the Jacksonville Jaguars. Buffalo has only given up more than 20 points once this season, two weeks ago to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Offensively, the Bills are far from flashy. Their 21.9 points per game ranks 15th in the league, slightly higher than the Jets 19.6 points per game. Tyrod Taylor is Buffalo's quarterback, but hasn't been called upon to throw as frequently this season. He's averaging 17.9 completed passes per game, compared to Josh McCown's 22.4.
The Bills leading receivers are tight end Charles Clay (20 catches, 258 yards, 2 TD) and running back LeSean McCoy (38 catches, 242 yards). Jordan Matthews, their number one receiver, has only 15 catches in 6 games for the Bills.
This should be a testament to Buffalo relying on their defense to win games. It's not a bad strategy: obviously it got them to 5-2. But can they turn on the offensive gas if the Jets storm out to an early lead as they have for three straight weeks?
In an attempt to bolster their offense, the Bills traded for wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, but his status for the game is unclear as he was acquired on a Tuesday and the game takes place on Thursday night.
Game Prediction
Oddsmakers, records, and the team's Week 1 meeting all lead to the Bills walking out of MetLife Stadium with a win on Thursday night.
I say, the Jets have at least a fighting chance in this game.
First of all, many trends and statistics take a backseat when division rivals meet, especially with a lot on the line for each team. They also play very close games, as three of the last five games were decided by a touchdown or less and four of the five by single digits. When you have a close game, either team can win, even if they haven't played better the whole game.
The Jets have played three straight close games, two against the teams's that met in Super Bowl 51 in February. At the same time, while the Bills 5-2 record is impressive for sure, only one win was against a team that currently has a winning record (4-3 Atlanta Falcons)
I'm essentially hinting the Jets are a little better than the record shows, while the Bills are just a little worse than 5-2 suggests.
I also think the Jets are overdue for a win and haven't given up despite three straight losses. Yes, they need to figure out a way to close out games in the second half, but effort hasn't been the issue as much as execution.
The Jets have also won 5 of 7 meetings with the Bills in MetLife Stadium history.
I predict the Jets will jump out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter as they did against the Falcons. With Kelvin Benjamin not yet playing, the Bills will struggle to move the ball through the air, and their running game will be challenged by the Jets defensive line.
I expect the Jets offense to lag a little in the second half but put up at least one more touchdown. The biggest determining factor will likely be how well the Jets defense can play.
I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the Bills win, as long as it's a close win. But I really think Josh McCown and the Jets are due for a win, and will find a way to finally hold on to a lead this week.
FINAL SCORE: New York Jets 23 - Buffalo Bills 16
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