AFC Game Of The Week
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills
Jets: See what happens when you don’t capitalize in the red zone? You get beat and sometimes, it’s tough to recover. They kicked a total of five field goals at one point in this game and just imagine if they turned all those field goals into touchdowns, we’re probably talking about a different result of this game in Minnesota. I’ll say this. I don’t think they would’ve come back how they did if Zach Wilson were under center. I’ve watched enough of this team throughout the year and their identity is simple. Run the football and play physical, yet effective defense and they’ve been able to accomplish that throughout the year, expect for Sunday against the Vikings and I understand why they leaned heavily on the passing game so much because they got themselves into a hole early on and you can’t run the football when you’re down by several scores and the Jets threw the football a total of 57 times and ran the ball only 24 times. My question is where’s the balance at? What’s more insane is they did everything correctly in the second half to win that football game, the only thing that hurt them were the inconsistent drives in the red zone. This group has grown so much this year and Robert Saleh has done a terrific job with them and should be proud. I guess keeping those receipts paid off, right? Continue to build this team up and the success will continue to follow. This is a young team and the trajectory with them is pointing up as far as I’m concerned. On Sunday, they will travel for a showdown with the leaders of the AFC East.
Bills: I’ve had a very complex relationship with them throughout this year as you all know. I’m either singing their praises and giving them credit when they’re doing well or, I’m criticizing them for not playing up to their standards. It’s either or if I’m being honest. Since last year, I’ve been too vocal of how this team relies too much on Josh Allen. I’m mentioning it on this site or on the radio. However, I love what I saw from them last Thursday night in Foxboro against the New England Patriots and next to their win against the Rams back in week one, this was another one of those quality performances. The offense finally had someone not wearing the number 17 as the leading rusher! They made it a point of emphasis to run the football. This will make life so much easier for the Buffalo Bills moving forward because everything shouldn’t be on the Quarterback. Their defense was also very punishing last week and after they gave up that early touchdown to the Patriots, they settled in and didn’t allow another score for the remainder of the game. On Wednesday, the team took a huge hit when it was announced that Von Miller will miss the remainder of the year after having surgery to repair a torn ACL. He was signed to Buffalo to help elevate them and get them to a Lombardi Trophy. His impact was already being felt amongst that entire defense. With Miami losing last week, that put the Bills in first place in the AFC East and with the Chiefs losing, they are also in control of the top seed in the AFC which they need more than any other team in the league. This Sunday, they will play at home for the first time since week ten.
Jets X-Factor: C.J. Mosley– He’s the man in the middle for this Jets defense. C.J is a tackling machine in the open field. He’s so quick in space and has the speed to get to the football. C.J. is such a physical football player and he’s that enforcer that can lay a hit on anyone coming in his direction. If you leave him unblocked, he will either force a fumble, make that key tackle and he can also rush the passer up the middle when given the opportunity.
Bills X-Factor: Ed Oliver– I loved him in college when he was at Houston, and he’s been a nice fit for this Bills defense. Ed attacks from the shoulders up which allows him to get wherever. Stopping the run is his strength and when it comes to rushing the passer, he does just enough to collapse the Quarterback’s pocket and make him hesitate. When he first came into the league, he used his speed to his advantage. Now, he solely depends on leverage and power. Ed handles much of the dirty work underneath so those linebackers can roam freely.
Final Thoughts: When these two last met, the Jets stunned the world and upset the Bills. This was when I noticed that Buffalo had issues closing games out and I labeled them a first half team. The first major key for the Jets here is to score when the opportunity presents itself! They can’t have these red zone inefficiencies in consecutive weeks. The Vikings defense isn’t all that great, but the Bills have the third-ranked red zone defense in the league. When these two first met, the Jets defense was absolutely smothering against Buffalo as they picked off Josh twice and sacked him a total of five times. Josh must be better here on Sunday than he was in the first game. Also, how will this pass rush be in getting to Mike White? For the Bills to force turnovers, that pressure up front is needed.
Prediction: Bills 27, Jets 19
