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This game sees former Jet DE IK Enemkpali, who duked out QB Geno Smith and was cut from the team, returning with the Buffalo Bills to face his old teammates. 
opcorn:
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https://bills.buffalonews.com/2015/...ills-at-jets-plus-five-things-im-looking-for/
Pregame primer: Bills at Jets (plus five things I'm looking for)
By Jay Skurski
The Buffalo Bills' biggest game of the 2015 season to date is on hand.
Coach Rex Ryan makes his return to Meadowlands to lead the Bills against his former team, the New York Jets. The game kicks off at 8:25 p.m.
The Jets sit a game ahead of the Bills in the AFC East, the difference between the two teams being New York found a way last week to beat the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars, something the Bills couldn't do in London in Week Seven.
A Buffalo victory would move the Bills ahead of the Jets and into a wild-card spot in the AFC postseason picture.
A loss? Well, break out the 2016 draft guides.
Here are all the details you need to know for the game, plus five things I'll be looking for:
• TV: NFL Network (locally, the game will air on Ch. 4 as well). Announcers: Jim Nantz (play by play), Phil Simms (color analyst).
• Radio: Bills Radio Network. Buffalo-WGR 550 AM; Toronto-Fan 590 AM; Rochester-WCMF 96.5 FM and WROC 950 AM; Syracuse-WTKW 99.5 FM and WTKV 105.5 FM. Announcers: John Murphy (play by play), Mark Kelso (color analyst).
• Series history: Bills lead, 57-51. Last meeting: Nov. 24, 2014, 38-3 Bills' win in a game relocated to Detroit because of the November snowstorm. The Bills are looking to defeat the Jets for the fourth straight time.
• Milestone watch: Bills rookie Ronald Darbyneeds to passes defensed to reach 17 for the season, which would break the record of 16 set by Stephon Gilmore in 2012.
• Uni watch: Color Rush! The Bills are going with an all-red jersey look for the first time. Red jerseys, red pants, even red cleats. The Jets, meanwhile, will be going with an all-green look, which should make for an interesting contrast on the TV screen. What's the point of all this? Nobody's really been able to say, but the fact the jerseys are available for sale on the NFL's official website is a key piece of evidence.
• Next up: The Bills are on the "mini bye," as they'll get the weekend off and have plenty of time to prepare for Week 11, when they stay in prime time, visiting the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football.
Once Thursday's game gets started, here are five things I'll be looking for:
1. Karlos Williams' carries: The Bills have listed starting running back LeSean McCoy as probable because of a shoulder injury, meaning he's likely to play. But because of the short week, McCoy's availability may be lessened because of the injury. That would mean more work for the rookie, Williams, who returned from a three-game absence because of a concussion in Week Nine and again looked dynamic. Running the ball will be a more difficult chore against the Jets than it was the Dolphins.
2. Nick Mangold's status: The Jets' Pro Bowl center is expected to play despite a neck injury that knocked him out of Sunday's game against Jacksonville. If that happens again, it would be a big blow to New York's running game, which has struggled the past two weeks. Running back Chris Ivory has been held to 43 yards on 38 carries over the past two games.
3. Sammy Watkins vs. Darrelle Revis: It's expected that New York will give Watkins the "Revis Island" treatment, allowing the future Hall of Fame cornerback to handle coverage duties against the Bills' No. 1 receiver. Watkins showed last week against Miami what a force he can be. Even if Revis is on him, the Bills have to try and get the ball to their top playmaker at wide receiver.
4. Ryan Fitzpatrick vs. the Bills' secondary. Old friend Fitz and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey have done some good things together in New York. There is a reason Fitzpatrick is on his fourth team in four consecutive seasons, though. At some point, he'll revert to his old ways. The Bills' secondary needs to take advantage when Fitz's arm can't make the throws his head thinks it can.
5. The pregame coin toss. Ryan kicked off the short week with a headline-grabber by deciding to name IK Enemkpali a captain for the game against his former team. That's nothing new for Ryan, but in this particular case, was highly controversial. Enemkpali is on the Bills after the Jets cut him for punching starting quarterback Geno Smith in the face. It would have been easy for Ryan to avoid that distraction by going away from his usual way of picking captains, but when has the Bills' coach ever shied away from controversy? The reaction Enemkpali and Ryan get from the fans in New Jersey should be memorable.
http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/p...ng-games-defenses-in-spotlight-for-bills-jets
Running games, defenses in spotlight for Bills, Jets
When the Buffalo Bills face the New York Jets on Thursday (8:25 p.m. ET), the game will feature a rushing offense that amassed a one-game NFL season high in rushing yards last week against a team whose leading rusher has recently bogged down.
Looking at each team’s running game
After leading the NFL in rushing yards per game through Week 6, the Jets’Chris Ivory has a total of 84 rushing yards in his last three games.
Through Week 6, 49 percent of Ivory’s rushing yards (227 of 460) came before contact. In the three weeks since, 26 percent of his rushing yards (22 yards) have come before contact.
Nick Mangold (neck) is expected to start after missing Week 8 and playing 25 snaps last week. The Jets average 1.8 yards before contact per rush with him on the field and 0.7 of a yard before contact per rush with him off the field.
The Bills ran for 266 yards last week against the Dolphins, the most by one team in the league this season and their most in a game since 1996. Of those yards, 171 came before contact (64 percent).
Buffalo averages 3.1 yards before contact per rush this season, second in the NFL. The Jets allow 2.2 yards before contact per rush, seventh best in the NFL.
Jets defense showing improvement from last season
Todd Bowles and Rex Ryan, both in their first season with their respective teams, have reputations as defensive-minded coaches. The Jets have improved defensively this season -- their defensive efficiency ranks seventh after being 25th last season -- but the Bills have declined (16th in defensive efficiency this season after ranking second last season).
Last season, the Bills led the NFL in sacks with standard pressure with 40. This season, the Bills have eight sacks with standard pressure (tied for 23rd in the league).
The Jets’ Ryan Fitzpatrick is sacked on 2.2 percent of his dropbacks, lowest in the NFL. This season, the Bills get a sack on 3.8 percent of opponent dropbacks, 29th in the NFL.
The key number for both teams might be 24. Both teams are winless when allowing 24 or more points and undefeated when allowing fewer points. In fact, the Bills have allowed 17 or fewer points in all four of their wins.
The metrics
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Jets have a 58 percent chance to win Thursday’s game.
The Jets now have a 66 percent likelihood of making the playoffs. That would improve to 80 percent with a win and fall to 51 percent with a loss.
The Bills, currently with a 30 percent playoff likelihood, would have a 49 percent chance with a win and a 19 percent chance with a loss.
Quick hitters
Sammy Watkins had a career-high 168 receiving yards last week. Two receivers in Bills history have had back-to-back games of 150 receiving yards: Eric Moulds (1998) and Frank Lewis (1979).
The Jets score touchdowns on 75.0 percent of their red zone drives, the best percentage in the league. Fitzpatrick has 11 touchdowns without an interception in the red zone.
opcorn:***********************************************************************
https://bills.buffalonews.com/2015/...ills-at-jets-plus-five-things-im-looking-for/
Pregame primer: Bills at Jets (plus five things I'm looking for)
By Jay Skurski
The Buffalo Bills' biggest game of the 2015 season to date is on hand.
Coach Rex Ryan makes his return to Meadowlands to lead the Bills against his former team, the New York Jets. The game kicks off at 8:25 p.m.
The Jets sit a game ahead of the Bills in the AFC East, the difference between the two teams being New York found a way last week to beat the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars, something the Bills couldn't do in London in Week Seven.
A Buffalo victory would move the Bills ahead of the Jets and into a wild-card spot in the AFC postseason picture.
A loss? Well, break out the 2016 draft guides.
Here are all the details you need to know for the game, plus five things I'll be looking for:
• TV: NFL Network (locally, the game will air on Ch. 4 as well). Announcers: Jim Nantz (play by play), Phil Simms (color analyst).
• Radio: Bills Radio Network. Buffalo-WGR 550 AM; Toronto-Fan 590 AM; Rochester-WCMF 96.5 FM and WROC 950 AM; Syracuse-WTKW 99.5 FM and WTKV 105.5 FM. Announcers: John Murphy (play by play), Mark Kelso (color analyst).
• Series history: Bills lead, 57-51. Last meeting: Nov. 24, 2014, 38-3 Bills' win in a game relocated to Detroit because of the November snowstorm. The Bills are looking to defeat the Jets for the fourth straight time.
• Milestone watch: Bills rookie Ronald Darbyneeds to passes defensed to reach 17 for the season, which would break the record of 16 set by Stephon Gilmore in 2012.
• Uni watch: Color Rush! The Bills are going with an all-red jersey look for the first time. Red jerseys, red pants, even red cleats. The Jets, meanwhile, will be going with an all-green look, which should make for an interesting contrast on the TV screen. What's the point of all this? Nobody's really been able to say, but the fact the jerseys are available for sale on the NFL's official website is a key piece of evidence.
• Next up: The Bills are on the "mini bye," as they'll get the weekend off and have plenty of time to prepare for Week 11, when they stay in prime time, visiting the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football.
Once Thursday's game gets started, here are five things I'll be looking for:
1. Karlos Williams' carries: The Bills have listed starting running back LeSean McCoy as probable because of a shoulder injury, meaning he's likely to play. But because of the short week, McCoy's availability may be lessened because of the injury. That would mean more work for the rookie, Williams, who returned from a three-game absence because of a concussion in Week Nine and again looked dynamic. Running the ball will be a more difficult chore against the Jets than it was the Dolphins.
2. Nick Mangold's status: The Jets' Pro Bowl center is expected to play despite a neck injury that knocked him out of Sunday's game against Jacksonville. If that happens again, it would be a big blow to New York's running game, which has struggled the past two weeks. Running back Chris Ivory has been held to 43 yards on 38 carries over the past two games.
3. Sammy Watkins vs. Darrelle Revis: It's expected that New York will give Watkins the "Revis Island" treatment, allowing the future Hall of Fame cornerback to handle coverage duties against the Bills' No. 1 receiver. Watkins showed last week against Miami what a force he can be. Even if Revis is on him, the Bills have to try and get the ball to their top playmaker at wide receiver.
4. Ryan Fitzpatrick vs. the Bills' secondary. Old friend Fitz and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey have done some good things together in New York. There is a reason Fitzpatrick is on his fourth team in four consecutive seasons, though. At some point, he'll revert to his old ways. The Bills' secondary needs to take advantage when Fitz's arm can't make the throws his head thinks it can.
5. The pregame coin toss. Ryan kicked off the short week with a headline-grabber by deciding to name IK Enemkpali a captain for the game against his former team. That's nothing new for Ryan, but in this particular case, was highly controversial. Enemkpali is on the Bills after the Jets cut him for punching starting quarterback Geno Smith in the face. It would have been easy for Ryan to avoid that distraction by going away from his usual way of picking captains, but when has the Bills' coach ever shied away from controversy? The reaction Enemkpali and Ryan get from the fans in New Jersey should be memorable.
http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/p...ng-games-defenses-in-spotlight-for-bills-jets
Running games, defenses in spotlight for Bills, Jets
When the Buffalo Bills face the New York Jets on Thursday (8:25 p.m. ET), the game will feature a rushing offense that amassed a one-game NFL season high in rushing yards last week against a team whose leading rusher has recently bogged down.
Looking at each team’s running game
After leading the NFL in rushing yards per game through Week 6, the Jets’Chris Ivory has a total of 84 rushing yards in his last three games.
Through Week 6, 49 percent of Ivory’s rushing yards (227 of 460) came before contact. In the three weeks since, 26 percent of his rushing yards (22 yards) have come before contact.
Nick Mangold (neck) is expected to start after missing Week 8 and playing 25 snaps last week. The Jets average 1.8 yards before contact per rush with him on the field and 0.7 of a yard before contact per rush with him off the field.
The Bills ran for 266 yards last week against the Dolphins, the most by one team in the league this season and their most in a game since 1996. Of those yards, 171 came before contact (64 percent).
Buffalo averages 3.1 yards before contact per rush this season, second in the NFL. The Jets allow 2.2 yards before contact per rush, seventh best in the NFL.
Jets defense showing improvement from last season
Todd Bowles and Rex Ryan, both in their first season with their respective teams, have reputations as defensive-minded coaches. The Jets have improved defensively this season -- their defensive efficiency ranks seventh after being 25th last season -- but the Bills have declined (16th in defensive efficiency this season after ranking second last season).
Last season, the Bills led the NFL in sacks with standard pressure with 40. This season, the Bills have eight sacks with standard pressure (tied for 23rd in the league).
The Jets’ Ryan Fitzpatrick is sacked on 2.2 percent of his dropbacks, lowest in the NFL. This season, the Bills get a sack on 3.8 percent of opponent dropbacks, 29th in the NFL.
The key number for both teams might be 24. Both teams are winless when allowing 24 or more points and undefeated when allowing fewer points. In fact, the Bills have allowed 17 or fewer points in all four of their wins.
The metrics
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Jets have a 58 percent chance to win Thursday’s game.
The Jets now have a 66 percent likelihood of making the playoffs. That would improve to 80 percent with a win and fall to 51 percent with a loss.
The Bills, currently with a 30 percent playoff likelihood, would have a 49 percent chance with a win and a 19 percent chance with a loss.
Quick hitters
Sammy Watkins had a career-high 168 receiving yards last week. Two receivers in Bills history have had back-to-back games of 150 receiving yards: Eric Moulds (1998) and Frank Lewis (1979).
The Jets score touchdowns on 75.0 percent of their red zone drives, the best percentage in the league. Fitzpatrick has 11 touchdowns without an interception in the red zone.
