NFL Week 9 Preview NY Jets at Buffalo
In a critical AFC East contest, the New York Jets travel upstate to Buffalo this Sunday to take on the Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Jets sit 1/2 game behind Buffalo and New England, who are tied for first place in the division at 5-2. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM, and the early NFL betting lines favors Buffalo by 1 1/2 points, keep up with the live football results online.
Coming off their bye week and hoping to extend a two-game winning streak, Head coach Rex Ryan’s Jets gave his team practically the entire week off, a most unorthodox approach, but then Ryan is anything but orthodox. New York’s last game, two weeks ago versus San Diego, was an impressive 27-21 victory, highlighted by WR Plaxico Burress’ 3 touchdowns as the Jets rallied from a halftime deficit to improve to 4-3 on the year. QB Mark Sanchez hit on 18 of 33 for 173 yards and the 3 TDs, and suffered just one turnover. RB Shonn Greene handled most of the heavy lifting on offense, picking up 112 yards on 20 carries, while Burress, finally looking like the former All-Pro receiver the Jets hoped he would return to, grabbed only 4 passes for 25 yards, but 3 of them were in the end zone.
New York’s sometimes stellar secondary gave Chargers QB Philip Rivers headaches, at least in the second half, intercepting him twice, the most costly being Darelle Revis’ 64-yard return of a tipped pass that stopped San Diego’s seemingly go-ahead drive. The Jets run defense was also stout, limiting San Diego to just 96 yards on 25 carries. On the year, New York’s pass defense is ranked 7th in yards allowed, while the run defense, still very much a work-in-progress, ranks 25th. The back seven is the Jets defensive strength, with LBs Bart Scott and David Harris providing plenty of experience and savvy, while the secondary, led by Revis, Antonio Cromartie and safety Jim Leonhard, can be exploited, but almost always is in position to make plays.
Buffalo improved to 5-2 and a first-place tie with New England with a 23-0 shutout over Washington in Toronto this past Sunday. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, just signed to a new contract, started paying off dividends, completing 21 of 27 passes for 262 yards and 2 TDs as the Bills finally tasted victory in Canada. The Bills had been 0-3 previously in their trips north of the border. RB Fred Jackson also came up big, gaining 120 yards on 26 carries, while also hauling in 3 passes for 74 yards. WR Steve Johnson also sparkled, grabbing 6 passes for 57 yards. For the year, Jackson has piled up 721 yards and 6 touchdowns for the league’s 5th ranked ground attack. Johnson and David Nelson have surpassed all expectations, combining for 70 receptions, good for 805 yards and also 6 scores.
The scrappy Bills defense showed Washington no mercy, erupting for an NFL-season high 9 sacks and 2 interceptions. Buffalo entered the contest with only 4 sacks on the season. Rookie DT Marcel Dareus harassed Redskins QB John Beck all afternoon, recording 2 1/2 sacks to go with 4 tackles. Overall, the Bills collected 14 QB hits, and handcuffed Washington almost completely, holding them to 26 yards rushing and 178 yards of total offense. LB Nick Barnett, the former Green Bay Packer, continues to provide much-needed leadership for this unit, which is young, aggressive and extremely well-schooled in their responsibilities, with the results showing up every Sunday.
These two long-time in-state rivals almost always present an entertaining contest, and this one should follow suit. The stakes are high enough to ensure high concentration, and both teams are playing extremely well, especially defensively. It will be interesting to see how Rex Ryan’s unusual bye-week tactics will pan out, and also how Buffalo’s efficient passing game fares going up against the Jets secondary, which is probably performing as well as any in the NFL.