1:00 pm
December 9

Jets @ Bills

Who will WIN this matchup?

New York Jets (3-9)

@ Buffalo Bills (4-8)

 

Current odds:

New York Jets: (+175)

Buffalo Bills: (-210)

 

•  The line for this game is Buffalo by 4 points.

• With little else for which to play in the standings, the New York Jets are seeking a measure of revenge when they travel to Buffalo on Sunday to meet the Bills. The Jets were 3-6 after suffering three straight losses but still hoping to turn things around heading into a Week 110 matchup with the struggling Bills at home, only to lay an egg in an embarrassing 41-10 loss to their AFC East foes. The Jets’ slide has reached six in a row and last week’s 26-22 setback at Tennessee was just about as painful, as they blew an early 16-0 lead and lost on a touchdown in the final minute.

• Buffalo followed up its 31-point win at MetLife Stadium on Nov. 11 with a victory over Jacksonville and a narrow loss at Miami as Sean McDermott’s team displays a more competitive streak. Josh Allen threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 135 more in the 21-17 loss to the Dolphins, and he figures to face off with New York’s Sam Darnold — who expects to return from a foot injury — in a matchup of rookie quarterbacks.

• Darnold, who still has a few hurdles to clear before being given Sunday’s start, has stood by for three straight weeks while backup Josh McCown completed 55 percent of his passes with one touchdown and four interceptions. “He has to stay healthy, he has to get the rust off and he has to get the game plan down,” coach Todd Bowles told reporters when asked what Darnold needs to do before being named the starter. A bright spot in last Sunday’s loss was a 156-yard team effort on the ground led by Isaiah Crowell, who had his best total in roughly two months with 98 yards but is hampered by a toe injury heading into this one.

• Allen’s completion percentage stands at an unattractive 52.9 but he’s making a name for himself with his legs, piling up 234 yards and a score on the ground over the last two weeks all while doing his best to avoid much physical abuse. “I’ve done a really good job on protecting myself, whether it’s getting down, sliding, or getting out of bounds,” Allen told reporters. “Obviously, sometimes hits are going to happen. That’s football, whether it’s in the pocket or outside the pocket. But I definitely don’t want to be the leading rusher. We’ve got to get (running back LeSean McCoy) going and guys in the backfield going, and we’re going to be looking forward to do doing that in the next four weeks.” McCoy had a season-high 113 yards and two TDs in the win at New York but has a total of 98 in the two games since.

• The Bills waived WR Kelvin Benjamin, the team’s second-leading receiver, on Tuesday.

• The Jets enter the week ranked 30th in the NFL in total offense (301 yards per game), while the Bills were 31st (285.7).

• Buffalo has taken five of the last six meetings at home.

5/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Buffalo Bills