THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PREVIEW
New York Jets (0-1) at Buffalo Bills (0-1)
The Jets travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills in a Primetime Thursday Night matchup. Lets break down this divisional dual to seek out the winning team. The Bills have won the last four meetings including their last one in week 17 of last season, knocking the Jets out of the playoffs. While the Jets seek revenge, the Bills hope to protect their homefield. You can expect these defenses to keep it a low scoring game, especially with both offenses struggling to find the endzone. The Jets scored 22 points in a 1 point loss to the Bengals, while the Bills only scored 7 points losing to the Ravens 13-7. Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick only threw for 189 yards but had 2 touchdowns against Cincinnati. However, Bills coach Rex Ryan has had his way with the Jets QB. That's not to forget Buffalo's struggle at their QB position with Tyrod Taylor who only threw for 111 yards and no touchdowns last week. A big key matchup to watch for is Bills WR Sammy Watkins, who should play after sustaining an ankle injury, when he goes head to head with Jets CB Darrelle Revis. Watkins only had 43 yards on 6 receptions, but Revis was torched against Bengals WR A.J. Green who had 13 receptions, 180 yards, and 1 touchdown. Look for both teams to try and get the running game going early and often.
The rushing attack will be the biggest key in this game when two elite rushers square off. Jets RB Matt Forte will dual with Bills RB LeSean McCoy in a true clash of tier 1 rushers. While the Jets will have more balance rushing and passing the ball, with Forte on the ground and receivers like Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall. The Bills will have a more dynamic and explosive approach on offense. With the speedy McCoy rushing and dual threat QB Tyrod Taylor, who can throw deep and sprint for big gains at anytime.
Defensively, the Jets gave up more points, passing yards, and total yards. While the Bills struggled to stop their opponent on third downs. Both teams fared well against the rush, but they didn't face elite running backs like they will in this game. The Jets have defensive stars like Sheldon Richardson and Darrelle Revis. The Bills have defensive stars like Kyle Williams and Brandon Spikes.
It should be a game with a little bit of everything and it will be a good one. New York will come in with a better offense, while Buffalo will have the better defense. So my analogy of this matchup comes down to one key X-Factor. That being homefield advantage in a primetime game on a short week. Therefore I assess that the Bills have the edge in this one. I predict the final score should be close and low scoring.
Bills 30 Jets 28 { upvote this article and tell me what you think }