Buffalo Bills Week 10 Opponent Preview: New York Jets

In Week 9, the Buffalo Bills suffered what could be deemed the worst loss of the Sean McDermott era in a 9-6 defeat against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bills could not get anything going in Jacksonville last week, and with the New England Patriots suddenly breathing right down their necks, they are hoping that a game against the 2-6 New York Jets is the wake up call they desperately need.

Buffalo Bills’ All Time Record vs The Jets

The Buffalo Bills are 65-56 all-time against the Jets. The Bills are 4-3 against the Jets under Sean McDermott, and have won each of their last three trips to MetLife Stadium, and are 3-1 in East Rutherford during McDermott’s tenure. The average margin between the Bills and Jets since 2017 is just 4.3 points, meaning that these biannual matchups are usually competitive affairs.

Last Meeting

The Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets last met in Week 7 of the 2020 season. The Bills were coming off a 42-16 thrashing at the hands of the Tennessee Titans, and the Jets came into the game at 0-7, and looking like they were well on their way to the third 0-16 season in NFL history.

The Jets scared the Bills in the first half, going up 10-0 in the second quarter. Tyler Bass responded and drilled six unanswered field goals for the Bills, while the defense shut out the Jets en route to an 18-10 victory. Josh Allen threw for 307 yards and ran for 61 more on the afternoon.

Last Week’s Result

In Week 9, the Jets were defeated by the Indianapolis Colts 45-30, dropping their record to 2-6. The Colts ran all over the Jets, rushing for 260 yards. The passing attack of the Colts was good as well; Carson Wentz totaled 272 passing yards, three touchdowns, and a 134.3 passer rating.

What was a rough night for the Jets defense got even worse when safety Marcus Maye tore his achilles, and will miss the remainder of the 2021 season. The unit is dead last in the NFL in both points allowed and yards allowed, and losing their best defensive player will only make things worse.

The Jets struggled offensively under rookie quarterback Zach Wilson, but they seem to have found a bit of a spark under backup Mike White. In White’s two starts, the Jets have put up 414 and 398 passing yards. That is over 110 more yards than they had totaled in any game that Wilson started. White will be starting for the Jets in Week 10.

Final Thoughts:

The Buffalo Bills desperately need to win this game, something that has become a rarity for them in the regular season as of late. The Bills are still first in the NFL in points allowed at just 14.8 per game, however, they have fallen to fourth in points scored after their six point dud against the Jaguars.

Many would hope that Josh Allen will have a field day against one of the league’s worst defenses, but that is not a given anymore considering his struggles against two bad units in Weeks 8 and 9.

The Jets are coming off a game in which they were dominated by a pedestrian Colts team, but both of their wins this year have come against teams with winning records. The Bills on the other hand, need to make a statement in East Rutherford this week, but given the bizarro world that has been the AFC this season, they may not get that statement win.

As bizarre as some of the results in the AFC have been this season, one has to think that Sean McDermott will have the Bills focused and ready to play against the Jets in Week 10.