Week 6: Bills at Jets Preview
Week six is upon us, with the Bills traveling to New Jersey to face the Jets on Monday Night football. Both teams will be looking to avoid a third straight loss, with the winner taking over first place in the AFC East. The Jets made headlines on Tuesday by firing head coach Robert Saleh and replacing him with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. This move was followed by the demotion of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who was replaced with passing game coordinator Todd Downing.
Both teams continue to be linked to disgruntled Raiders receiver Davante Adams. The Bills have been dealing with questions surrounding their offense and the quality of their receiver group for most of the week after another disappointing effort in their 23-20 loss to the Texans. No moves were made this week, but one has to think that another offensive dud will change the course of action on Tuesday morning.
Josh Allen had this to say about the offense’s recent struggles, “I know you guys are going to be wild this week, but I love my guys, and we’re going to keep working, and this isn’t a defining moment in our season. It’s a chance to learn and grow from this, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Let’s see how much they learned from last week as they go against one of the NFL’s best defenses on Monday night.
Thursday Injury Report
Designations after Thursday's practices. No players ruled out as of Friday morning.
3 Bills Players to Watch
Josh Allen - Allen is coming off the worst game of his career. Over the last two games, he has a completion percentage of 42%, the worst two-game stretch of his career and the lowest since 2019, where he completed 46.9% in weeks 14 and 15. Allen’s completion numbers drop the further he throws the ball so far this season. On throws of 20+ air yards or more, he’s completing 27.3%; on throws of 10-19 air yards, he’s completing 45.8%. He needs to return to the short passing game that the team was successful with early in the season. Allen has completed 81.3% of his throws 0-9 yards, with half of his passing yards on the year coming from those throws. If Allen can be patient and utilize the short passing game vs the Jets, the Bills will have a much higher chance of winning the game.
Dalton Kincaid - Kincaid is supposed to be the breakout star of the season and Allen’s number-one target in the passing attack. So far, Kincaid has not lived up to the billing, averaging 3 catches and 33 yards a game. He must step up against a Jets defense that has given up an average of 25.6 yards/game to the opposing team’s tight ends so far this year. With All-Pro caliber corners on the outside in Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed, Kincaid will be leaned on in the passing game if the Bills want to be successful.
Greg Rousseau - Rousseau has been relatively quiet since his three-sack performance in week one. He is coming off a much better performance in Houston, where he was credited with three QB hurries and hits. He must take advantage of the weakness of the Jets in their offensive line and the lack of mobility Aaron Rodger’s possesses at this point in his career. Creating pressure early has to be the plan to prevent Rodgers and the passing game from developing a rhythm.
3 Jets Players to Watch
Tony Adams - I’m mentioning Adams here because of Josh Allen's style of play over the last two weeks. Allen has been attempting longer throws and ill-advised ones that will eventually be intercepted. We all remember the three-interception Monday Night performance from last season. If Allen continues playing hero ball like that, expect Adams to be a beneficiary in the secondary.
Braelon Allen - Allen is second on the depth chart behind Breece Hall but averaging 4.5 ypc to Hall’s 3. Overall, the Jets offense and running attack has not started this season well, but the Bills need to be ready for Allen, who comes in at 6’1”, 235 lbs. It wouldn't surprise me if Downing utilizes Allen over Hall to start the game and take advantage of his size against the Bills' front seven to establish the running game the way Baltimore did.
Quinnen Williams - Even though he is off to a slow start this season, Williams is one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL. The Bills' offensive line has struggled in this area in past seasons vs. the Jets. The interior trio of Edwards, McGovern, and Torrence will have their hands full Monday night.
Matchup of the Game
Bills OL vs Jets Pass Rush - The Bills offensive line has struggled over the past two weeks for multiple reasons. Bills receivers aren’t creating separation, leading to Allen holding onto the ball longer while surveying the field, causing the line to pass protect longer than normal. Along with a drop in play, teams are blitzing at a higher rate, which has increased Allen leaving the pocket, being forced to throw the ball away, and giving up four sacks against Baltimore and Houston. The Jets' defense is not a welcome sight for the struggling unit, and they will be playing for their former defensive coordinator, who is now interim head coach. The offense is in for a battle against the 2nd ranked defense in ypg and 4th in sacks with 18. Winning in the trenches will go a long way towards getting the offense back on track.
Prediction: Jets 20 Bills 17
This game is a toss-up to me, and it is the first time I have predicted that the Bills will lose in a preview this season. The struggles with the offense, mixed with Josh Allen's poor performance history against the Jets, doesn’t give me confidence heading into this matchup. On top of that, I expect a bump in play with the Jets’ coaching change that occurred this week. I won't be shocked if the Bills win on Monday, but I think they still have a lot to figure out on offense and won’t get it done this week.
