Two Bills Drive

‘[Q:] You were a Dallas fan growing up, so how much did you enjoy those Super Bowls against the Bills? [A:] ”I hated Buffalo. I was an NFC kid. I loved the Cowboys, so if they didn’t win, I’d root for another NFC team.’

‘The Jets lead the league with a remarkable plus-23 turnover ratio thanks mainly to a league-best 38 takeaways.’

‘The Jets remember all too vividly last year’s collapse, and this game against the 2-12 Bills has all the feeling of a trap, a revisiting of last year’s disastrous loss to Detroit in the penultimate game of the season.’

‘”The Jets have some good players they may not be able to keep because of their salary-cap problems,” a Houston scout said, “and the vultures are circling.”‘

‘Interestingly, the Bills are ranked higher than the Jets in 18 of 34 major statistical categories. So why have the Jets won seven more games than the Bills? They win the close ones. The Jets are 7-2 in games decided by seven points or less, the Bills are 2-6.’

‘Herm Edwards is on the verge of doing something no Jets head coach has ever done: make the playoffs in his first year on the job.’

‘The key will be the Bills’ ability to generate something on the ground. The Bills’ offensive line hasn’t shown the ability to handle the blitz and has unfavorable matchups against both DEs John Abraham and Shaun Ellis.’

‘A win in Oakland next Sunday, coupled with a win today, and the Jets will have a bye in the first round of the playoffs and then have at least one home game.’

‘Here he is, 15 years after winning the Heisman, nine years after the abuse finally ended in Tampa, 60 minutes from becoming the fourth Jet quarterback – Joe Namath, Richard Todd, Ken O’Brien – to take the franchise to the playoffs twice, and the first with two head coaches.’

‘With starting free safety Damien Robinson out for at least the rest of the regular season with a knee injury, Ferguson will make his first NFL start at that spot today against the Bills, who happen to be his former team.’

‘The only scenario in which they cannot make the playoffs is if they lose their last two games and Seattle wins its final two games.’

‘The Jets tend to play down to the level of the competition (see Cincinnati and Carolina). Still, there’s no way a team that has allowed nearly three times as many sacks (43-16) and committed twice as many penalties (109-52) wins on the road in this matchup.’

‘Marvin Jones was one of the most sought-after high school recruits in the nation when he first met Mo Lewis during a recruiting visit to the University of Georgia, where Lewis was the star linebacker. Lewis hosted Jones for a weekend and the pair hit it off immediately.’

‘Prediction: Jets 24, Bills 13.’

‘We’ll get a strong idea this afternoon whether the Jets really want to get to the playoffs, whether they really have learned from last year.’