Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets: Three Keys to the Game

Nov 12, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA;The New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills line up in the second half at MetLife Stadium. The Bills defeated the Jets 22-17 Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA;The New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills line up in the second half at MetLife Stadium. The Bills defeated the Jets 22-17 Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports
3 of 5
Sep 11, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) his hit by Baltimore Ravens nose tackle Brandon Williams (98) at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens won 13-7. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 11, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) his hit by Baltimore Ravens nose tackle Brandon Williams (98) at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens won 13-7. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Better Offensive Line Play

The offensive line must improve Thursday night.

You can rag on LeSean McCoy and Tyrod Taylor all you want, but the offensive line is much to blame for their ineffectiveness.

Believe it or not, but Taylor was pretty successful Sunday when he had a clean pocket to throw from, unlike when he was under pressure.

"“Taylor was efficient when the Bills’ offensive line kept him clean, completing 92.9 percent of his passes. That number dropped significantly when that wasn’t the case, and he completed just 25.0 percent of the passes he attempted while under pressure.” – Pro Football Focus"

Not to mention, the Bills run game finished with just 65 yards, good for a three-way tie for 24th. For a team that led the league in rushing in 2015, that’s extremely disappointing. This is the exact same offensive line from a year ago, and considering all the success they had in 2015, they should be able to pick right back up from where they left off.

With left tackle Cordy Glenn possibly being out this week, the Bills will need swing tackle Cyrus Kouandjio to step up his game once again. He filled in nicely when Glenn went down with an ankle injury against the Ravens.

The Bills will be facing a much tougher task up front with the Jets than they did against the Ravens.

The Jets were able to reel off seven sacks against the Cincinnati Bengals this past Sunday, and that was without Sheldon Richardson, who returns from his one-game suspension Thursday.

"“We have a lot of work to do and we’ve got to look at what we’re doing and asking our guys and come up with something,” Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan said, via BuffaloBills.com. “This defense that we’re getting ready to play is as talented as there is in the league. You’ve got Sheldon Richardson coming back and Big ‘Mo’ (Muhammad Wilkerson) coming back. So it’s a talented team, there’s no doubt about that.”"

The offensive line will need to step it up if Buffalo has any hopes of finding success offensively this week.

Next: Limit the Penalties

Schedule