Bills vs. 'Bam': Buffalo to Face Jets New Secret RB Weapon?
The New York Jets won't find it easy to get anything past the stout, play-making defense of the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Highmark Stadium. And considering that the Jets handed Buffalo a frustrating 20-17 loss on Nov. 6, it'll be hard to find a more motivated team than the Bills in Week 14.
But if the Jets have another divisional upset in store, they'll need to utilize a newfound weapon of theirs that has emerged out of nowhere during the past few weeks due to injuries at the running back position.
Rookie running back Zonovan "Bam" Knight made his NFL debut in New York's 31-10 win over the Chicago Bears. Starting running back Michael Carter suffered an ankle injury during the game which suddenly turned the Jets backfield into a committee. Carter was solid against the Bills in the first meeting, as he finished with 12 carries for 76 and a touchdown.
But when Carter went down, Knight looked like the clear-cut RB1 in his debut and has made the most of his opportunities since then. After totaling 14 carries for 69 yards to go along with three catches for 34 yards against the Bears, Knight followed this up with 15 carries for 90 yards and five grabs for 28 yards against the 10-2 Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
New York fell 27-22 after a last-minute gasp at the end zone, but Knight made history in the loss. He became just the second undrafted player in the common-draft era to post 100+ scrimmage yards in their first two career games, joining former Denver Broncos standout running back Phillip Lindsay, who was recently cut by the Indianapolis Colts.
Carter's playing status remains uncertain for Sunday's meeting. Based on his stellar recent play, Knight would likely be the go-to starter against a Buffalo defense that surrendered 174 rushing yards to the Jets in the first meeting, the second-most the Bills have allowed in a single game on the ground this season.
Knight could come away with a career performance against one of the best teams in the league or the Bills could shut down his NFL dreams in a blink. We won't find out until the two teams kickoff on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET from Orchard Park.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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