It’s one of the biggest rematches in this 2022 NFL season and it’s a battle so key, that it’s getting the Nantz/Romo treatment. In fact, CBS protected this game to prevent NBC from taking it for themselves for Sunday Night Football.
We’re talking, of course, about the AFC East showdown between the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills.
The stumbled last week, as too many field goals and not enough touchdowns cost them a chance to come away from Minnesota with a victory in Week 13. That loss also dropped them to two games behind the Bills in the division with five weeks left.
However, a win today for the Jets would give them a season sweep of the Bills and give them legitimate hopes in the division with four games left. A loss would all but end those dreams and it would boil down to holding off the Patriots and Chargers in the AFC Wild Card race.
Can the Jets do it? Well, they know they have the tools to slow down Buffalo’s potent offense. For one, the Jets sacked Bills quarterback Josh Allen five times in the 20-17 victory in Week 9. However, he did rush for 86 yards and two touchdowns on nine attempts.
The Jets will hope to continue that formula of rattling Allen today, but they will likely do so with rookie defensive end Micheal Clemons, who has been battling the flu all week. The rest of the crew is good to go, including all the players that helped get Allen to the ground in Week 9 (C.J Mosley, Jamien Sherwood, Kwon Alexander, Quinnen Williams, Bryce Huff and Jermaine Johnson).
The other key matchup, as it was in Week 9, is Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner against Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs. In the first meeting, Gardner allowed the early 42-yard reception from Diggs. That would be the only reception Gardner ended up allowing in that game on just three targets. Will Allen go after Gardner more today?
The Bills are a bit healthier than they were in Week 9. For example, linebacker Matt Milano and safety Jordan Poyer are back. But there is one huge loss for the Bills and that is Von Miller. He was found to have a torn ACL and his season is over.
Miller had one of the two sacks of Zach Wilson in the first meeting (Damar Hamlin had the other). Players like Greg Rousseau and Boogie Basham, among others, will need to step up to try and compensate for the loss.
Of course, it’s not Wilson the Bills will be facing this time. It’s Mike White, who has two straight 300-yard passing games. All the talk has been about his four-interception game last season against the Bills, but this is a completely different offense from last season. White has plenty of weapons to throw to, including Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate Garrett Wilson, who has 257 yards and two touchdowns in those two games.
If White can stay away from those mistakes this time around, the Jets could have a chance to hang in there and make this game competitive.
But the Jets will almost have to play a perfect game today and can’t settle for field goals like they did last week. New York will keep it close, but Buffalo will thrive in their element at home.
Prediction: Bills 27, Jets 20
