The free-falling Buffalo Bills will face the New York Jets next: Here’s what to know
ORCHARD PARK - In the span of eight days, for all of the football-watching nation to see in prime time, the Buffalo Bills’ 2023 season has dissolved into oblivion.
There have been many surprising things that have happened during the first 10 weeks in the NFL, but the collapse of Josh Allen and the Bills certainly has everyone shaking their heads in disbelief.
The Bills are sitting in 10th place in the AFC standings in mid-November, behind teams like the Texans and Colts, and with the same number of losses as the Jets, Raiders and Broncos. If anyone saw that coming, I sure hope you played the lottery, too.
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And as they try to pick up the pieces following an inexcusable, incredible, mind-melting 24-22 Monday night loss to the Broncos, they are faced with this reality: With a 5-5 record, facing a seven-game gantlet that, based on current records, is the third-toughest closing schedule in the league, you can pretty much forget about a fifth consecutive trip to the postseason.
“It’s no secret, the clock’s ticking, gotta have some urgency now,” said Allen, mumbling mostly meaningless words as he sat there looking like he was in a trance Monday night.
Unfortunately, the clock Allen is referring to is attached to the explosive device that is about to detonate, and that could very well happen Sunday when the Jets - a team that gives the Bills’ nightmares - comes to Highmark Stadium.
Here’s an early look ahead to the matchup:
Top players for New York Jets on offense, defense
▶ QB Zach Wilson: If the Jets had anything but the terrible quarterbacking Wilson has given them, they might be leading the AFC East. Yet for as poorly as he has played since he entered the NFL in 2021, he now owns two victories over Allen and the Bills.
▶ RB Breece Hall: He has rushed for 521 yards and his 4.9 average per carry ranks tied for fifth among all RBs, helped greatly by the 83-yard run he ripped off in Week 1 against the Bills.
▶ WR Garrett Wilson: He leads the Jets in targets (95), catches (55) and yards (642) and one can only imagine if he had a QB who could consistently get him the ball how dynamic he would be.
▶ TE Tyler Conklin: With no other WR really stepping up, Conklin has 33 catches for 363 yards and he has a catch percentage of 76.8%.
▶ DT Quinnen Williams: Just a monster in the middle of what some believe is the best D-line in the NFL. He has been in on 32 tackles, has three deflected passes and a fumble recovery, but the numbers don’t tell the story of how impactful he is.
▶ DE Bryce Huff: The Jets best edge rusher is tied for the team lead with Jermaine Johnson at five sacks and he leads with 45 QB pressures.
▶ LB Quincy Williams: Quinnen’s brother is second with 81 tackles and he has six pass breakups, two sacks, a forced fumble and a recovery.
▶ LB C.J. Mosley: The Jets leading tackler with 96 and just as impressive is he has been docked for only four missed tackles by Pro Football Focus.
▶ CB Sauce Gardner: The No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 draft is once again having a dominant season in coverage allowing just 8.3 yards per reception and only 69 yards after the catch.
▶ SS Jordan Whitehead: Allen has surely been having nightmares about this guy. Whitehead intercepted him three times in the 2023 season opener and once in the 2022 game at New York.
Who is favored to win Bills vs Jets?
The Bills have opened as a 7.5-point favorite for the game. The money line is Bills minus-310 (bet $310 to win $100) and Jets plus-255 (bet $100 to win $255). The over-under is 40.5.
What time does the Bills vs Jets game start?
Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. at Highmark Stadium Sunday.
How to watch Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets game on TV, streaming
∎ Cable/Network TV: CBS. The game will be available locally via the following stations: WROC (Channel 8, Rochester), WIVB (Buffalo area), WTVH (Syracuse area), WKTV (Utica area), WENY (Elmira area), WRGB (Albany area), and WBNG (Binghamton area).
∎ Online streaming services: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV - you must watch on your phone or tablet.
∎ TV streaming: You can also stream games if you have subscriptions to Spectrum, DirecTV, fuboTV, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Paramount+.
On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Jets game
You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on Sirius channel 82 and XM channel 228 (Bills feed) and Sirius channel 138 and XM channel 382 (Jets feed). On traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:
Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)
Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)
Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)
Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)
Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)
Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)
Newark (WACK 1420 AM)
Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)
Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)
Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)
Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)
Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana and on Threads @salmaiorana1. To subscribe to Sal's newsletter, Bills Blast, which comes out twice a week during the season, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Who do the Bills play next? Game vs Jets has 'urgency' for Buffalo
