December 30, 2015, Troy, NY The New York Jets travel to western NY to face AFC East rival, the Buffalo Bills. The Jets enter with a record of 10-5 and are on a 5 game winning streak. If the Jets can win their season finale, they advance to the postseason as a wildcard and the no. 6 seed in the AFC. The Jets are looking to avenge a 22-17 loss to the Bills on a Thursday Night Football telecast.
Rookie head coach Todd Bowles has the Jets ranked in the top 10 in offense and defense. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick needs 276 yards to reach 4000 for the season. Fitzpatrick has 29 TD passes to tie Vinny Testaverde’s franchise record with one game remaining. WR Brandon Marshall has established a franchise record with 101 receptions. Marshall has also recorded 1376 yards receiving and 13 TD receptions. WR Eric Decker has 11 TD receptions and needs 23 yards to reach 1000 for the season. RB Chris Ivory is 11 yards away from 1000 yards rushing. Ivory has a total of 8 TDs, 7 rushing and 1 receiving. The offensive line provided outstanding pass protection allowing Fitzpatrick to be sacked only 18 times.
The Jets have been effective in stopping the run as well as passing attacks. The Jets defense is led by DE Muhammad Wilkerson with 12 sacks and nickel CB Marcus Williams with 6 interceptions. Shutdown CB Darrelle Revis is second with 5 INTs.
Buffalo in their first season under former Jets coach Rex Ryan are 7-8. The Bills have been unable to play consistently on either side of the ball. Ryan would like nothing better than to defeat his former employer and eliminate them from playoff consideration. RB LeSean McCoy has been plagued by injuries and is currently listed as doubtful for the game. McCoy has totaled 5 TDs, 3 rushing and 2 receiving. QB Tyrod Taylor is a pass/run threat with 20 TD passes and 3 TD rushes. His no. 1 receiving threat is WR Sammy Watkins with 18.6 yards per reception and 9 TD receptions.
Ryan’s defense has underachieved with only 20 sacks. His preferred mode of operation is the ground and pound attack. His offense has been grounded, while his defense has been pounded.
Per Scoresandodds.com, the game opened as a Pick ‘Em and the Jets are now favored at -3.
The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST from Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, NY.
The game will be broadcast by CBS.
Happy New Year.