Rex Ryan was livid with his defense after last week's game. This could not have been a very pleasant week of practice for Jets defenders. By the time Sunday comes, they are going to be livid, looking to take out their frustration. Enter Trent Edwards. In what many termed a make or break year for the young quarterback, Edwards has not gotten the job done. He has 5 touchdowns against 6 interceptions and owns a 71.1 quarterback rating. He has checked down a ton. The Bills have one of the league's top receiving duos in Terrell Owens and Lee Evans. Even so, running back Fred Jackson's 20 receptions are 8 clear of anybody else on the roster. There's a reason Edwards wants to dump it off, though. Buffalo's offensive line has given up over 3.5 sacks per game.
The return of Lito Sheppard will be great news for the Jets. That means one member of the Evans-Owens duo will inhabit Revis Island, while the other will match up with Sheppard. Evans is more of a big play threat so my money's on him drawing Revis, which will leave Sheppard against his former Eagles teammate. In any event, the Bills have had a tough time getting it to their two receivers, both of whom are on pace for less than 50 receptions, and this has been against lesser corners.
The young offensive line has had problems, and starting right tackle Jonathan Scott might miss this game injured. Jamon Meredith, a rookie from South Carolina, would start in his place. He would be the third rookie starter on this line along with tackles Eric Wood and Andy Levitre. The crowd has been a major factor at the Meadowlands in the 2 home games this year, more than in recent memory. The Jets are going to throw looks at these youngsters they have never seen, and they haven't been that great as it is. It seems like a great opportunity to attack and force mistakes.
I'm sure the Bills have watched tape of the Dolphins last week. They saw how Miami ran screens against the Jets and will try to get Jackson the ball. Jackson's a fast and elusive runner. Linebackers and safeties need to do a better job tackling and staying with their assignments than they did on Monday.
The bottom line is this is a battle the Jets should win. The Bills' passing game has been ugly all year since they inexplicably fired their offensive coordinator in preseason. That was a panic move that bred instability. Now it seems as though they will scrap the no huddle offense they have not used to success this year. Huddle or not, this is likely to be a problem area for them.