WATCH: 3 keys to a New York Jets victory in Week 1
The New York Jets will open the 2019 season against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium Sunday afternoon, looking for their first win in what figures to be a bright new era for Gang Green.
However, the Buffalo Bills won’t make things easy on New York. The Bills have been a tough opponent to beat when they play at MetLife, having won two of the last four contests that Gang Green has hosted.
If the Jets want to beat their division rivals this weekend and start 2019 off on the right foot, they’ll need to do the following:
Offense: Establish the run early
The Bills finished second in the NFL in total defense last season (294.1 total yards allowed per game), which is an impressive feat for a team that finished the year with a 6-10 record. However, that stat belies just how inconsistent their rushing defense was.
Buffalo was as mediocre as mediocre could be against the run in 2018, allowing 114.9 yards rushing per contest (No. 16 in the NFL) and 17 rushing touchdowns on the year (No. 25 in the NFL).
The Bills drafted space-eating defensive tackle Ed Oliver in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft with the above in mind, but it’s unlikely that the Houston product will be an immediate fix to Buffalo’s middle-of-the-pack rushing defense, as three of the starting defensive linemen (Trent Murphy, Star Lotulelei and Jerry Hughes) from last season are projected to start once again.
We’ve yet to see Le’Veon Bell play a snap in a Jets uniform, but letting the two-time All-Pro tailback run wild on Sunday should be a huge factor in New York’s success. Feeding Bell the rock early and often should force Buffalo’s stop unit to overcommit to the run, giving Sam Darnold the opportunity to test 2018’s best secondary (179 yards passing allowed) on play action.
Defense: Maintain gap discipline
The Bills have been a top-10 run offense in their two seasons under Sean McDermott (No. 6 in 2017, No. 9 in 2018) in terms of yards rushing and they really have to like their chances of dominating on the ground once again, even with LeSean McCoy no longer in the fold. The table below illustrates Buffalo’s rushing performance against the Jets in 2018, with McCoy’s production noted in parentheses.
| Game | Attempts | Yards Rushing<br> | Yards Per Carry<br> | Touchdowns | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Week 10 | 46 (26) | 212 (113) | 4.6 (4.3) | 2 (2) | Loss: 41-10 |
Week 14 | 31 (2) | 176 (1) | 5.7 (0.5) | 2 (0) | Win: 27-23 |
Total | 77 (28) | 388 (114) | 5.5 (4.1) | 4 (2) | 1-1 |
The Jets were absolutely gashed on the ground in their two games against Buffalo and even without McCoy, the Bills still have a talented backfield that shouldn’t be underestimated. However, Gang Green’s stop unit shouldn’t limit their attention only to Buffalo’s running backs.
Quarterback Josh Allen, of all players, was actually Buffalo’s most dangerous runner last season, leading the team in yards rushing (631), yards per attempt (7.1), and rushing touchdowns (eight). He was especially good against the Jets in 2018 as well, gashing Gang Green to the tune of 109 yards rushing in his only start against them (Week 14).
Allen won’t see many designed runs - if at all - on Sunday, but the Jets will need to maintain their gaps if they want to limit the damage he can do when he scrambles.
Player Spotlight: Limit Zay Jones’ impact
The Bills have put together a solid receiving corps for Josh Allen this year, but the Jets’ secondary will need to keep a serious eye on one receiver in particular if they want they want to come out of this game in the win column: Zay Jones.
The 24-year-old was Buffalo’s best pass-catcher in 2018 and developed into Allen’s security blanket by the end of the year, leading the team in targets (102), yards receiving (652), first-down receptions (33) and receiving touchdowns (seven).
Jones is, by no means, an elite receiver, but he is the most talented wideout that Buffalo has on its roster and he’s built a strong rapport with his quarterback. The Jets’ cornerback woes have been well-documented this preseason, but if they can keep Jones in check and force Allen to beat them using the rest of his supporting cast, Gang Green will have a better chance of coming out on top.
