New week, familiar faces, and a colossal game.
After disappointing games that resulted in losses for both the Jets and the Bills in Week 1, both teams will look to rebound Thursday night. Although it's still early in the season, with both teams at 0-1, Week 2 might prove to be monumental to either team's playoffs chances. With the schedules for both teams ratcheting up after this game, both teams are looking at this game as a must-win. The Bills next two games are at home against the Cardinals and then away against the Patriots (albeit, without Brady, but that didn't seem to faze them anyways). The Jets have it even worse, having to travel to the Chiefs, only to return home to the Seahawks. Keeping the petrifying future games in mind, both Rex Ryan and Todd Bowles will have to execute a perfect game plan, or else face an 0-2 hole to start the season. With that in mind, here are 7 things to watch for in this crucial game.
1. The Return Of Richardson
Although Muhammad Wilkerson and Leonard Williams had stellar performances, the Jets D-line was arguably missing its most dynamic player in Sheldon Richardson. With his return, the Jets will have a fully healthy trio that will wreak havoc on Tyrod Taylor all night long. I expect Richardson to come out of the gates firing on all cylinders following his one-game suspension. He will be fresh and excited to join the already menacing Jets defensive line. Look forward to plenty of sacks, tackles, and swatted passes.
2. Revis v. Watkins (Possibly)
Sammy Watkins has been dealing with a lingering foot injury that may or may not sideline him for Thursday night's game. If he does play, it will be interesting to see how Revis plays against him. In my last article, I explained how we should expect star receivers to vacation on Revis Island all season long. To me, it just seems he's lost his initial burst of speed that is crucial when trying to cover wide receivers. However, Revis has a shot against redemption regardless if Watkins plays or not. If he does play, Revis can show that he can still cover one of the best, albeit slightly hobbled, young receivers in the game. Even if Watkins is absent, perhaps this game will help Revis regain his confidence that surely got busted Week 1 against A.J. Green. Either way, the corners will be hot and all eyes will be on Revis.
3. A Brandon Marshall Appearance
Remember him? You wouldn't be remise if you didn't see much of Marshall last week against the Bengals. With possibly his worst week with the Jets, Brandon Marshall tallied three catches for 32 yards. Being the Jets best offensive player, Marshall went M.I.A. last week, especially in the redzone, where he was effective all season last year. If the Jets have any shot at winning this week, Marshall will have to produce the numbers we know he is capable of. If the Bills have to start worrying about Marshall, it will provide much more room for Decker and Enunwa, and help space the field for Fitzpatrick. Balance that with a Forte-helmed running game, and the Jets offense can reclaim the glory it experienced last year. However, it all hinges on the success of Brandon Marshall. So no pressure.
4. The Decision Making Of The Coaches
Jets fans became all too accustomed to the gutsy play-calling of former coach Rex Ryan. It seemed that every set of downs were fourth down territory, if they were close enough. Rex has continued his brash coaching style in Buffalo. However, he was unable to flaunt it last week, mainly because the offense was just plain putrid. After scoring only seven points in their opener, I expect Rex to gamble when he has the opportunity to. After all, he loves sticking it to his former team, as he did twice last year.
On the other hand, Todd Bowles has proven to be more conservative in his approach. Last week, he drew the ire of many fans by not being more aggressive in his offensive choices. The first instance was when, up 7-0 and with the ball on the 4-yard line, Bowles decided to throw three times, totally neglecting Matt Forte, who was having a great game. After failing on all three pass attempts, the Jets went for the field goal, which was blocked. The other instance was when the Jets had fourth and inches at the goalline. Instead of pressing for a touchdown, Bowles settled for a field goal that put them up two. He faced criticism by the media for his timid decision-making, something that will probably make him reevaluate his approach for this upcoming game.
5. Extra Points and Field Goals
Once a forgone conclusion, extra points have been made much more intriguing in the NFL by moving the ball back for what is essentially a 33-yard field goal attempt. Because of the rule change, Nick Folk missed his first career extra point in his stellar career last week, and Dan Carpenter had his worst year of his career last year, and no field goal attempts last week. With extra points not even a guarantee anymore, kickers are facing increased pressure to make their field goals. Case in point, Folk's missed extra point and blocked field goal proved to be the deciders in the Jets' 1-point loss to the Bengals. Now all eyes are on the kickers, something that is unusual to say but is a new reality in today's league.
6. Running. Lots Of Running.
It is no secret that the Jets and Bills both thrive when their running game is strong. The Jets showed their ability to run the ball well through Matt Forte, who actually led the team in receptions and running yards, with 155 total yards from scrimmage. The 30-year old touched the ball 28 times, a staggering amount for a back of his age. But with Bilal Powell underwhelming, look for Bowles to stick to Forte as the primary runner. If Powell can gain some of his explosiveness back from last year though, expect to see the Jets run successfully all day long.
Similarly, the Bills will be looking to tailor their offense around the combo of LeSean McCoy and Reggie Bush. McCoy, who scored the only touchdown for the Bills last week, was one of the few bright spots for Buffalo. Bush, much like Powell, will look to give the Bills a reliable second option at running back. Both the Bills and the Jets are destined to keep the ground game going come Thursday.
7. Color Rush Jerseys
I saved the worst for last. After the "Christmas Bowl" fiasco of the Jets-Bills game last year, the NFL is bringing the Color Rush jerseys back. However, this time around, if you're colorblind you'll be able to see the Bills jersey. Thankfully, the Jets won't wear those eye-soar green jerseys that they did last year--they're sticking to their traditional white away jerseys. I think we can all be thankful for that.
