Game Preview: Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets

What a week. A team that was considered Super Bowl contenders just 2 months ago made an unprecedented move for the type of team they aspire to be… They fired a coordinator in-season. Given how the offense looked under Ken Dorsey, the move was not a surprise. But if you look at it from the standpoint of the Bills being a model franchise from stability, “process”, and sustained success, the move is shocking and concerning. But, as I said this week, if you have one of the most gifted and talented quarterbacks in the league and you have seen him and the offense regress over the past few years, there was no other choice than to fire Ken Dorsey. With 5 losses already, every game from here on out looms large. So let’s dive into a must-win divisional game against the Jets.

The Last Five

Jets 22 Bills 16 OT (2023)
Bills 20 Jets 12 (2022)
Jets 20 Bills 17 (2022)
Bills 27 Jets 10 (2021)
Bills 45 Jets 17 (2021)

It is no secret that, as of late, the New York Jets have given the Bills trouble. The last three games between these two have all been one-score games, with the Jets winning two of them. All three of those games have included Robert Saleh’s defense puzzling Josh Allen and the Bills offense. Most recently, the Monday Night Football debacle to open the season, where Josh Allen tuned the ball over 4 times. The Bills lead the all-time series 68-58.

What To Watch For: Buffalo Bills

Savior Brady? – The Buffalo Bills are relying on a man named Brady to save their season. No… not THAT Brady. If fans can get past the last name, Joe Brady will take the reins and hit the ground running with an offense full of potential that is waiting to explode. All we keep hearing this week is “energy” and it is clear what the Bills’ brass and players expect Brady to bring to his unit. How much Brady changes the offense schematically over the final 7 weeks remains to be seen, but sometimes a fresh voice will yield better results. His audition for the full-time OC gig begins right now.

All Eyes on McDermott – With Leslie Frazier stepping away after last year, and now Ken Dorsey being removed from the staff, all eyes are on head coach Sean McDermott. While the notion of the Bills moving on from McDermott seems highly unlikely, if the regular season continues down the disastrous path that it is currently on, there might be no other changes to make.

Firing Dorsey was the right choice, but the timing of it left McDermott in the cross-hairs of many fans. Between the consecutive Cover 0 blitzes and the 12-men on the field penalty, many fans were calling for McDermott’s job, not Dorsey’s. However, the defensive and special team blunders from Monday night do not undo weeks of struggle from the offense. Sean McDermott has held his team together time and time again through difficult situations since arriving in 2017, and this might be one of his toughest tests yet.

Turnovers – An argument could be made that if the Bills turned the ball over fewer times this year, Ken Dorsey would still be employed by the team. That’s somewhat obvious, but is still worth stating. Josh Allen admitted as much this week, indicating that Dorsey would still have his job if he played better. Allen and his mistakes have been the talk of the national media this week, with many pundits blaming him alone for the Bills’ lackluster 5-5 season. It is no secret that Allen must limit the mistakes, especially in games where all he needs to do is not beat himself for the team to win (Jets, Patriots, Broncos). This week would fall into that category as well.

What To Watch For: New York Jets

Defense – The New York Jets are 4-5 and, for now, still residing “In The Hunt” for the AFC Playoff Picture. The reason why is their defense; a defense that Sean McDermott called “the best in the league” this week. The Jets defense is holding quarterbacks to the 4th-lowest rating (76.2) and the 2nd-fewest yards per attempt (5.8). The Buffalo Bills might be catching the Jets’ run defense at the right time, however. They are coming off of a game where they allowed 116 yards and 4.3 yards per carry to Josh Jacobs. Last week, the Bills finished with 192 yards on the ground and 7.4 yards per carry. The Jets run defense vs. the Bills running game will be a matchup to watch this week.

Wilson – Everyone knew that Zach Wilson would struggle when he came in for Aaron Rodgers after only 4 plays. And he has. Last week against the Raiders, Wilson and the Jets offense reached the red zone only once. This year, the Jets have scored 20+ points only twice, one of which came Week 1 against the Bills. Of course, the final 6 points in that game were from the special teams unit. Wilson has found a way to get the ball to his playmakers this year. Both Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall are padding their stats weekly, but it is not resulting in points and wins.

Prediction

Buffalo Bills 27 New York Jets 16. The Bills will not lose to the Jets twice in the same season. I do expect the change to Joe Brady will provide some life for the Bills. Regardless if it is by 1 or by 100, the Bills need a win to temporarily stop their season from spiraling out of control and give themselves some confidence as they head into a 2-game gauntlet against last year’s Super Bowl participants.

Featured Image Credit: AP Photo/Jeff Lewis