The New York Jets are the second-place team in the AFC East behind the Buffalo Bills after their 5-3 start, which is the same record as the Miami Dolphins but they have the tiebreaker over Miami after beating them back in Week 5.
The reason the Jets have gotten to this point is because of the improvement and high level of play from some of their top draft picks over the years. When looking at this Jets’ roster, these are four players that the Buffalo Bills should spend a little extra time this week preparing for.
4 New York Jets that the Buffalo Bills have to game plan for in Week 9
Quinnen Williams
Without question, the player on the New York Jets who is playing the best right now is defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. The former Top 5 draft pick has been a disruptive force this season and even earned AFC Defensive Player of the Month honors after 4.5 sacks and 12 QB hits in October.
It is rare for teams to have to plan for defensive tackles but the Bills have already shown they can create effective game plans when these situations arise. In Week 1, the Buffalo Bills played the Los Angeles Rams who have one of the best to ever play the position in Aaron Donald.
While Donald did get a sack in that game, he was pretty much not a factor for the majority of the game. The Buffalo Bills should utilize a similar plan ahead of their game against Quinnen Williams and that will mean a lot of teamwork between Mitch Morse and his two guards, Rodger Saffold and Ryan Bates.
Carl Lawson
Quinnen Williams isn’t the only defensive lineman the Buffalo Bills have to prepare for this week as defensive end Carl Lawson is off to a great start to the year. He was a big free agent signing for the Jets last offseason but suffered a season-ending knee injury before the season began.
Lawson has returned this year and is showing why he was a priority for the New York Jets. He has four sacks and 16 QB hits already this season and has 1.5 sacks just in the last two weeks.
This creates a challenge for the offensive line because as the Bills will likely dedicate two offensive linemen to Quinnen Williams, it could leave the offensive tackle alone to try and stop Lawson. The Bills will need to account for this by keeping a tight end in line or having a running back chip the Jets’ defensive end as they run out for their route.
If the Buffalo Bills hope to secure their first division win of the season, they are going to need to keep Josh Allen clean in the pocket and these are the two players that they need to focus on to make sure that happens.
Sauce Gardner
The New York Jets used their first of three first round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft on cornerback Sauce Gardner. He was one of the best cornerback prospects in this year’s draft class and he certainly has met those high standards early in his rookie season.
So far this season he has 37 total tackles, one interception, and 12 passes defended (which currently leads the league). When quarterbacks throw in his direction he is allowing a completion rate of 52.2% and a QB rating of 61.6, according to Pro Football Reference.
While Gardner has had success this season, he really hasn’t been tested by great wide receivers outside of Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals. This week, he should line up a lot against Stefon Diggs and this should give an idea of just how good he is at this point in his rookie season.
Garrett Wilson
Another rookie that has started to produce is wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who the New York Jets selected 10th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. On the season, he has 34 receptions, 429 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. This past week against the New England Patriots was one of the best games in the early part of his career where he had six receptions and 115 receiving yards.
The New York Jets are likely going to try and test the Buffalo Bills secondary deep with safety Jordan Poyer ruled out and the team likely turning to Damar Hamlin and Jaquan Johnson. If Zach Wilson is able to throw some deep passes, they will likely be in the direction of the rookie wide receiver.
This is a game that the Buffalo Bills should win but a couple of big plays through the passing game could significantly change the flow and make this game a lot closer than it should be. Garrett Wilson is a wide receiver that certainly has the talent to make those plays and take over a game.
6 Buffalo Bills to watch in Week 9 against the New York Jets
These are the players to watch for the Buffalo Bills in Week 9 that will be key to a victory against the New York Jets on Sunday.