The Buffalo Bills are out of contention for the #1 seed in the AFC. The #2 seed, however, is all but secured. With so little left to play for, the Buffalo Bills enter this matchup with the New York Jets with eyes on the horizon. It doesn't have the appeal of their early-season bout, when the Jets were preparing for a turnaround and going 'all-in', but it's another Sunday and another game to be played.
Buffalo has its fair share of injuries, particularly on defense, with both starting safeties missing the last few games, as well as outside cornerback Rasul Douglas and LB Matt Milano missing time. Still, the Bills are getting slightly healthier at the right time. The Jets may err on the side of caution with their injuries as Buffalo has, with CBs Sauce Gardner and Michael Carter II limited in practice on Friday and questionable for gameday. Same goes for WR Davante Adams, who was not yet a Jet when Buffalo came to town in October. The Jets, sitting at 4-11 and long since eliminated from playoff contention, have nothing left to play for.
Prediction #1 - Grounded In Reality
The Buffalo Bills have no reason to go all-out this weekend. The only reason to keep Josh Allen working at full speed before the Wild Card round is to stay atop the MVP race. That's not something Josh has prioritized at any point in his career, and the Bills gameplan will be to keep him out of harm's way as the team cruises to the playoffs. Maybe he goes into hero mode, if the need arises, but that certainly won't be the gameplan. The Jets have a top passing defense, even with their injuries, and Buffalo doesn't need to test it.
Instead, expect a double or even triple-serving of James Cook, Ray Davis, and Ty Johnson. The Bills power-run has been remarkably effective this season and, coupled with the newly-developed breakaway speed from all three of the Buffalo RBs, the gameplan becomes very simple. James Cook in the open field, Ray Davis in short-yardage scenarios, and Ty Johnson on passing downs. All of this, with the potential for a poor weather game, adds to one conclusion. Josh can have the kind of game we get to forget; A quiet one.
Prediction #2 - Dalton Kincaid Impactful
The Bills have the luxury of an unorthodox set of weapons. Dalton Kincaid is one such player. When the Bills went up against the New York Jets in Week 6, he played 80% of the total snaps on offense, leading all skill position players. It's his highest total on the season, well-above his 58.6% average. To keep the defense honest, and to stop them selling out to defend the run game, Kincaid will be on the field a lot. Expect the same from Mack Hollins, but good blockers with downfield ability will be key to the Bills offensive success this weekend.
Prediction #3 - Final Score
Talks of the Buffalo Bills blowing the New York Jets away may be well-founded. The Bills are a substantially more fearsome team than their opponents, but are these the circumstances under which the Jets get dismantled? Buffalo has no reason to risk anything this weekend, nor do the gameday conditions help them. It'll be a closer game than anticipate, much like last week's snooze-fest against the New England Patriots. It's the privilege of a great team, to get to phone it in; There are bigger fish to fry. Still, until the Bills actually lock up the #2 seed, they'll keep the starters in and win this game.