BUFFALO BILLS (5-5) at NEW YORK JETS (5-5)
Sunday, 1:00 P.M. ET, CBS, Direct TV (705), Sirius (Buf 134, NYJ 86)
Why Watch:
To see which team will fall further faster. Of the two teams, Buffalo is up against it. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick got the big contract just before his performance slipped. His November passer rating is 47.7. Then calamity struck when the Bills put ace running back Fred Jackson on Injured Reserve. Jackson is one of six Bills out for the game. C.J. Spiller is the back of the Bills’ future according to the team’s blueprint. Now they find out if they made a wise choice.
If Rex Ryan wants to motivate QB Mark Sanchez to a better performance, he should threaten him with someone better than Mark Brunell. However badly Sanchez plays, Brunell ceased to be a solution long ago. The Jets must live down the shame of losing to Tim Tebow and the Broncos.
What To Watch
The NFL has become a passing league, but that does not mean it has become a quarterback league. it means that defenses must become passing disruptive. In a lockout year, you would expect defenses to be ahead of the game, but oddly, pass offenses were far ahead early in the season. Now defenses are catching up. Thus, Ryan Fitzpatrick is struggling now after early success.
Buffalo has had success disrupting opponent’s passing despite their 26th-place defensive ranking. The edge must go to the Jets’ defense for passes defended, interceptions and recovered fumbles. The Jets hold opponents to a 30 percent success rate on third downs made. The Bills allow opponents 42 percent success on third downs. The Jets are favored by 9.5.
Who Will Win
Both teams area poor 1-4 on the road. The Jets’ lone road win was in Buffalo three weeks ago. A win in New Jersey’s meadowlands looks improbable for the Bills. That’s unfortunate for Buffalo’s long-suffering fans. Jets for the win.
