|
|
 |
Game 8: Bills vs. Jets
The Bills and Jets meet in a divisional matchup for the second time this year. The Bills are looking to avenge a 16-14 last minute loss at the Meadowlands last month. Chad Pennington picked apart an inexperienced Bills secondary in that one but the Bills are healthier for this meeting. The Jets are rolling and tied a top the AFC East while the Bills have one two of their last three games.
FACTS AND FIGURES
| Matchup: |
Buffalo (2-5) vs. N.Y. Jets (6-1) |
| Place: |
Ralph Wilson Stadium |
| Television: |
CBS |
| Announcers: |
Dick Enberg & Dan Diedorf |
| Spread: |
Jets by 3 |
| Series: |
Bills lead 48-40 (Bills 1-0 in playoffs) |
| Last Meeting: |
Jets 16-14 in NJ (2004) |
| Jets Offense: |
Rush (2nd); Pass (16th); overall (8th) |
| Jets Defense: |
Rush (8th); Pass (14th); overall (9th) |
| Bills Offense: |
Rush (21st); Pass (27th); overall (27th) |
| Bills Defense: |
Rush (4th); Pass (5th); overall (t-2nd) |
INJURY UPDATE
The Bills are still in the process of getting healthier. There is a chance they will have Troy Vincent back and Trey Teague back. Both have begun to practice with the team and have been out for month. Josh Reed also will most likely miss the game with a hyper extended knee suffered against the Cardinals. One of his backups, Drew Haddad is slowed by a hamstring injury. Both may miss the game leaving the team very thin in the receiving corps. Coy Wire is also questionable with an abdomen injury. J.P. Losman remains out with a broken leg but is making progress.
The Jets may be getting former Bill Sam Cowart back, he had been out with a knee injury. Fellow LB Jason Glenn is out with an arm injury. OL Brent Smith probably will be out with a knee injury.
 Bills Daily Injury Page
KEY MATCHUPS
LT Jonas Jennings vs. OLB John Abraham:
Abraham owns the Bills, and certainly played havoc on the passing attack in the first matchup between the two teams this season. Jennings will really need to bring his 'A' game to keep Abraham at bay. They may chip him with backs and a guard to keep him off of Drew Bledsoe.
SS Lawyer Milloy vs. QB Chad Pennington:
Milloy missed the first meeting and Pennington picked apart his replacement Coy Wire. With Milloy back the Bills should do a better job in pass defense then they did last month.
LB London Fletcher vs. RB Curtis Martin:
Martin has found the fountain of youth and is having a fantastic year. The Bills held him under 100 yards in the first meeting and usually do a good job against him, Fletcher gets a lot of the credit for that. He will spend a lot of time trying to bring Martin down.
DTs Pat Williams and Sam Adams vs. C Kevin Mawae:
The two big guys in the middle are coming off an outstanding game against the Cardinals. It will be a lot tougher this week against Mawae. They need to clog up the middle and maybe get some pressure there as well to throw off the timing of the quick pass attack and allow the linebackers to shoot the gaps and make tackles.
WR Eric Moulds vs. CB David Barrett:
This appears to be the Bills best matchup on offense. Moulds should find holes in the secondary to make plays. They will need them to help move the football.
RB Willis McGahee vs. LB Jonathan Vilma:
The rookie remains the starter for the injured Cowart and is improving every week. McGahee ran well outside with pitches the last time around. He will probably do that more but he needs to watch out for Vilma who is quick and gets to the ball in a hurry.
GAME PLAN
When The Bills Have The Ball: The Bills will probably try what worked the first time. The pitches to McGahee to use his speed and power on the outside and take advantage of an over pursuing front seven. If they get the running game going, it should open up play action that may keep Abraham at bay. When they get into the red zone they should look for big TE Mark Campbell who may be able to exploit the Jets red zone defense.
When The Jets Have The Ball: The Jets will mix in the short passing game with the running of Martin. They will look to get the Bills to back off a bit by using the delayed running plays and a lot of play action. Pennington is one of the best at that, and it may keep the Bills from blitzing like it did in the first meeting.
BILLS DAILY PREDICTION
The Bills have some momentum after winning two straight home games. They know they can play with the Jets after almost pulling off the come from behind upset in New Jersey last month. The Jets are one of the class teams in the league and a win over them would go a long way towards turning the season around. A healthier secondary will help keep the Jets offense at bay as they may be sluggish after a Monday night win. All those factors could lead to a Bills upset:
Bills 19, Jets 17
Season Prediction Record: (5-2)
Season Record Against The Spread: (2-5)
Print Friendly Version
Complete Gameday Review - Coming Sunday Night!
Gameday Grades - Coming Sunday Night!
Gameday Homepage
|
|
at 