TD-challenged Jets travel to face sputtering Bills offense in matchup of AFC East rivals
NEW YORK JETS (4-5) at BUFFALO (5-5)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, CBS
OPENING LINE: Bills by 6 1/2 according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Jets 4-4-1; Buffalo 3-7.
SERIES RECORD: Bills lead 68-58.
LAST MEETING: Jets beat Bills 22-16 in OT at East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sept. 11.
LAST WEEK: Jets lost to Raiders 16-12; Bills lost to Broncos 24-22.
JETS OFFENSE: OVERALL (29), RUSH (18), PASS (30), SCORING (30).
JETS DEFENSE: OVERALL (6), RUSH (31), PASS (3), SCORING (7).
BILLS OFFENSE: OVERALL (7), RUSH (13), PASS (7), SCORING (8).
BILLS DEFENSE: OVERALL (17), RUSH (19), PASS (12), SCORING (5).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Jets plus-1; Bills minus-3.
JETS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Zach Wilson. The embattled third-year quarterback hasn’t been bad, but he also hasn’t been good as the Jets continue to struggle mightily on offense. Wilson has just five touchdown passes, with only one in his past five games, and six interceptions. Many fans are calling for Wilson to be replaced by either Tim Boyle or Trevor Siemian and those cries could get even louder if he struggles in Buffalo.
BILLS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Gabe Davis. The fourth-year player’s production has yo-yoed all season, going from a career-best nine catches for 87 yards and a score in a 24-18 win over Tampa Bay three weeks ago to combining for two catches for 56 yards in his past two outings. A change in coordinator after Ken Dorsey was fired Tuesday and replaced by quarterbacks coach Joe Brady might get Davis more consistently involved.
KEY MATCHUP: Bills QB Josh Allen vs. Jets S Jordan Whitehead. Allen leads the NFL with 11 interceptions and has been picked off at least once in a career-worst stretch of six consecutive games. Whitehead’s four interceptions are tied for third in the NFL, with three of them thrown by Allen in the season opener. He also intercepted Allen in the Jets’ 20-17 win a year ago.
KEY INJURIES: Jets WR Garrett Wilson was listed as questionable after being limited all week with an elbow injury, but said he would play. … Rookie DL Will McDonald was also questionable after missing the game against the Raiders with an ankle injury. … OT Duane Brown is still working his way back from a hip injury, but won’t be activated from injured reserve this week.. … Allen was added to the injury report Friday with a right shoulder issue, but fully practiced and had no game status — meaning he’ll play. … Bills starters S Micah Hyde (neck/stinger) and CB Christian Benford (hamstring) were removed from the injury report and should play after each missing one game.
SERIES NOTES: The Bills have won three straight at home against their AFC East rivals since a mean-nothing 13-6 loss to close the 2019 season in which Buffalo had already secured its playoff seeding. … Buffalo is 14-8 in its past 22 meetings since snapping a six-game skid spanning the 2009-12 seasons.
STATS AND STUFF: The Jets enter the game looking to avoid a third straight loss. New York had a three-game winning streak after a three-game skid followed their season-opening overtime win over Buffalo. … The Jets have gone 36 possessions without scoring a touchdown, a stretch spanning 11 quarters and an overtime period. It’s the NFL’s longest active TD drought. … New York ranks last in the NFL in third down conversion rate (25%) and red zone conversion rate (22.7%). … One positive in an otherwise dismal season for Wilson: He became the first QB in Jets history to pass for at least 250 yards and run for at least 50 in the same game, accomplishing the feat in Las Vegas. … RB Michael Carter was waived earlier in the week and claimed by Arizona. Coach Robert Saleh said the move was made in part to create an opportunity for rookie Israel Abanikanda, who was inactive for the first nine games. … New York has 34 penalties in its past four games. … Since running for a career-high 177 yards at Denver, RB Breece Hall has just 134 yards rushing total in his past four games. … New York hasn’t allowed a 300-yard passer in 27 games, the second-longest active streak behind New Orleans (36). … The Bills haven’t had a sub-.500 record 11 or more games into a season since sitting 4-7 in 2018, the only time in coach Sean McDermott’s previous six seasons they’ve missed the playoffs. … Buffalo also hasn’t lost three straight since a four-game skid in 2018. … The Bills have failed to score 26 or more points in six consecutive games, matching their longest stretch since 2018. … Each of Buffalo’s five losses have been decided six or fewer points, with two on the final play. Broncos K Wil Lutz hit a 36-yard field goal last week, and Xavier Gipson scored on a 65-yard punt return in overtime to clinch the Jets’ win in the opener. …. McDermott has a 67-40 record, leaving him one win from matching Lou Saban for second on the franchise list. Hall of Famer Marv Levy is first with 112 victories … Allen has thrown a TD pass in 18 consecutive outings, matching the team record set by Jim Kelly spanning the 1986-87 seasons. He has also scored a TD rushing in four straight outings, and leads the team with seven. … Allen’s career record dropped to 33-25 overall, and 3-5 this season, when committing at least one turnover. He’s also lost three fumbles. … WR Stefon Diggs had his nine-game streak of six or more catches end with just three receptions against Denver. … In its first four games, Buffalo combined for 19 drives inside an opponents 20 and came away with 13 touchdowns and five field goals while turning the ball over on downs. In its past six, Buffalo has managed just 18 red zone drives, with 13 ending in touchdowns, three in field goals, a missed field goal and downs. … The Bills have no interceptions and forced just four fumbles in their past six.
FANTASY TIP: Don’t be fooled by the Bills switching coordinators. The Jets’ defense is a solid play against a Bills offense that turned the ball over four times against Denver and 13 times in its past six. New York’s defense has also had Buffalo’s number over the past three outings in limiting the Bills to a combined 43 points, with 13 sacks and forcing six turnovers.
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