Buffalo Bills Week 18 Opponent Preview: New York Jets

In Week 17, the Buffalo Bills punched their ticket to the 2021-22 playoffs with a 29-15 win over the Atlanta Falcons (and a Baltimore Ravens loss). This week, the Bills will host the 4-12 New York Jets. They will be looking to win their second consecutive AFC East title, and clinch the division at home for the first time since 1995.

Buffalo Bills’ All Time Record vs The Jets:

The Buffalo Bills are 66-56 all-time against the Jets. The Bills have won the last three meetings between the AFC East rivals, and six of nine matchups in Sean McDermott’s tenure. In their 122 all-time meetings, the average margin of victory is within a point, currently sitting at 0.82.

Last Meeting

The Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets last met eight weeks ago in East Rutherford. The Jets were 2-5 and coming off a loss to the Colts in which the Jets offense posted a shocking 486 total yards of offense.

The Bills were also coming off of a loss, perhaps the most embarrassing one of the season against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bills were firmly in control at halftime with a 17-3 lead, but the third quarter is where things really got ugly.

The Buffalo offense scored 21 points in nine minutes to extend the lead to 38-3. The final score would end up being a 45-17 Bills rout and seemed like a get-right game for the Bills (it was not).

Last Week’s Result

In Week 17, the Jets snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in a brutal 28-24 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Jets did not trail the entire day, even leading by 14 in the dying seconds of the third quarter.

Tampa Bay scored ten unanswered points to make it a 24-20 game, however, the Jets had driven all the way down to Tampa’s seven yard line, and could have extended their lead to seven had they chosen to kick the chip shot field goal. They opted against it and were denied on fourth down and gave the Bucs the ball back with a chance to win.

That chance to win was low though, as Tampa had to drive 93 yards in just over two minutes in order to win. The Jets still had an 89.3% win probability according to ESPN. That probability went up to 99.9% as the drive went on, and it seemed as if the Jets were going to beat their third division winner in 2021.

That would not happen, however, as Tom Brady and Cyril Grayson connected for a 33-yard touchdown with 15 seconds left to give the Bucs the lead and the win. There are some teams who just find inexplicable ways to lose, and the Jets are certainly one of those teams.

Final Thoughts

The Buffalo Bills are a win against a bad team away from getting at least one home playoff game in front of a sellout crowd. Nothing is ever certain in the Bills-Jets rivalry, however, as each team is capable of beating the other every time they play. Most recently, the Bills beat the Jets in Week 17 of the 2015 season to keep the Jets out of the playoffs. The Bills must come into this game ready and focused.

This is also the first time that the Bills will face rookie quarterback Zach Wilson. Buffalo is 6-3 against rookie quarterbacks under Sean McDermott, and currently have the third best scoring defense. Despite the gap in talent between the two teams, this should still be considered a “gotta have it” game for the Bills.