The Buffalo Bills will be looking to get off to a 2-0 start after squeaking by the Ravens last Sunday night. In an epic comeback fashion, the Bills showed why they have the best quarterback in the league in Josh Allen. However, the Bills should not be dependent on Allen to be a superhero every single game. Others have to step up.
Heading to New Jersey this Sunday, the Bills get their first chance at making a statement in the AFC East going up against the New York Jets. Buffalo is the only 1-0 team in the division and they will be looking to give the Jets their second consecutive loss.
These two teams don’t like each other very much and it wouldn’t be surprising to see a physical matchup. Division games are always intense, especially given the fact that the Bills have dominated the Jets in most of their matchups since overtaking the AFC East.
Buffalo set to face off against two former Bills in Week 2
DT Harrison Phillips
The Bills’ third-round pick in 2018 was beloved in Buffalo by the fans and the community as a whole. Harrison Phillips was a big fan-favorite because of his service to the community. His career with the Bills wasn’t the worst, but it certainly wasn’t the best.
After a promising rookie season where we saw flashes of what he could bring, he tore his ACL early in 2019 and missed the rest of the season. He dealt with injuries from there on and it just really came down to availability and consistency. The Bills opted to move on Phillips and he signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2022.
Phillips didn’t miss a single start for the Vikings in his three seasons and he became a great player for that defense. He had career highs in sacks and total tackles, and really became a solid player for that defense. However, in a shocking move, the Vikings traded Phillips to the Jets prior to the start of the season and now he will see the Bills for the first time since 2022.
QB Tyrod Taylor
Bills fans have high respect for Tyrod Taylor from his time in Buffalo from 2015-2017. He was the one starting under center when the Bills broke their playoff drought, and he brought a little bit of excitement to the Bills. In his first season with the Bills, he became a Pro Bowl player where he went 7-6 as the starter and had 20 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions, per Pro Football Reference.
However, he was never the long-term answer at quarterback for the Bills. After the 2017 season, Buffalo traded Taylor to the Cleveland Browns and struck gold in the 2018 NFL draft with Josh Allen. Since leaving Buffalo, Taylor has spent time with the Browns, Chargers, Texans, Giants, and now he is backing up Justin Fields with the Jets.