The Buffalo Bills went from playoff contenders to pretenders in a span of just five days as their postseason hopes took a huge hit with a 13-point defeat to the Miami Dolphins last Thursday, their second loss in a row.
With their playoff dreams just hanging by a thread, they will look for a morale-boosting victory over the New York Jets this coming Sunday. The Jets are back on the winning trail following their shocking upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers and they will be dead set on recording their first back-to-back wins of the season.
Who will emerge victorious in this pivotal AFC East showdown? Read on for a complete preview of this matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Packers vs. Vikings and Dolphins vs. Broncos.
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New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills Betting Preview
When: Monday, November 24, 8:30 PM ET
Where: Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo
Line: New York Jets (+5) at Buffalo Bills (-5); total: 40.0 – view all NFL lines
Betting on the New York Jets
The New York Jets headed into their bye week with a huge sigh of relief after they finally ended their eight-game losing skid with a stunning upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. They will look to carry the momentum of that big win when they face the Buffalo Bills this coming Sunday in a critical division showdown.
[sc:NFL240banner ]They will fancy their chances of making it back-to-back victories after their virtuoso performance against the Steelers. The Jets were brilliant on both sides of the field as they led wire-to-wire against a Steelers team that was in the midst of a three-game winning run.
The Jets’ defense was instrumental in breaking that streak as they managed to stop a Pittsburgh offense that was on beast mode prior to their clash. The Steelers averaged 41.3 points per game during their recent three-game home stand but were limited to just 13 points by the Jets as Rex Ryan’s men put the clamps on the sizzling Ben Roethlisberger.
Roethlisberger was playing like a man possessed as he threw for 862 yards and 12 touchdowns in Pittsburgh’s last two starts. While he still threw for 343 yards, he found it difficult to breach the end zone. He was picked off twice (once in the red zone) and his only touchdown came from an 80-yard bomb inside two minutes left in the game.
In fact, the Steelers committed a total of four turnovers in the game, a surprising fact considering that the Jets have gained just three takeaways in their first nine games – a key reason why they started 1-8 this season.
What made this a great victory for the Jets is that they excelled on the offensive end as well, particularly with their ground game. The Jets outgained the Steelers on the ground 150-36 as they took advantage of the Steelers’ feeble defensive line. Even Michael Vick joined in the act as he rushed for 39 yards to become the first quarterback to record 6,000 yards rushing in a career.
They won’t have it that easy against Buffalo’s defensive line, though, as the Bills are ninth in rushing defense allowing just 99.0 YPG this season.
Buffalo’s late-game woes resurfaced on Thursday night as they lost 22-9 to the Miami Dolphins to leave their dwindling playoff hopes hanging in the balance. After allowing the Chiefs to come back from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to win 17-13, the Bills watched the Dolphins unleash a crippling 19-0 run in the final 18 minutes of the game to send Buffalo crashing to its second consecutive defeat.
Much of the blame should go to Buffalo’s offense which was non-existent for the second game running. In their last two defeats, the Bills have managed to put up a total of just 22 points. In fact, the Bills have now gone 21 consecutive possessions without scoring a single touchdown.
It won’t get any easier for them this coming Sunday as the Jets are seventh in the league in total defense with a 323.7 YPG clip this season. The onus then is on Kyle Orton to get the Bills’ offense going once again.
In their game against Miami, Kyle Orton completed just 22 of 39 passes for 193 yards and no touchdowns as his offensive malaise just keeps on going. His total quarterback rating of 38.7 is the fourth-lowest among qualifying quarterbacks next only to Austin Davis, Geno Smith and Blake Bortles.
With the Jets having the fourth-best rushing defense in the league, it is important for the Bills to attack them via the aerial route. If that is the case, they will need the old Sammy Watkins back. Watkins was a shell of his former self in the loss to Miami as he caught just 3 of 7 targets for a measly 32 yards.
Some have alluded to the fact that he is still suffering from the effects of a recent groin injury. Still, a not-so-fit Watkins (649 yards, five touchdowns) is still good enough for the Bills who are averaging just 226.0 YPG on the air this season. They will look to punish a Jets secondary that has already allowed 25 touchdowns this campaign, the worst in the NFL.
The Bills are 1-4 ATS at home this season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Jets (+5) stun the Bills to record back-to-back victories for the first time this season.
