What Jets Are Expecting from Bills' New Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady
It's an unintentional quirk that popped up on the New York Jets' regular season schedule.
For the second week in a row, the Jets will face an opponent that features a newly-promoted offensive coordinator.
On November 12, the Green & White were the second team to face Las Vegas Raiders' newly-minted offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree. In Week 11, the Jets travel to Buffalo, which dumped play caller Ken Dorsey while elevating quarterbacks coach Joe Brady this past Tuesday.
"Brady is a very talented young man," said Jets' head coach Robert Saleh. "It’s an extremely talented football team. They’re still a top 10 offense despite changing coordinators. I mean they ranked top ten in every statistical category."
The Jets' defense, which limited the Raiders to 274 yards of total offense and 4.2 yards per pass last time out, faces a Bills' offense that ranks third amongst NFL leaders in yards per play (6.00). Buffalo's 26.2 points per game are eighth most in the 32-team league.
"Josh Allen is one of the better quarterbacks in football. They’ve got tremendous skill guys all over the place. They’re offensive line is good. They’re explosive as heck," said Saleh.
Although Allen leads the NFL in interceptions (11), his 26 total touchdowns are the most of any player in the league.
"Give me Josh Allen all day every day," said Brady.
The 34-year-old Brady came to Buffalo in 2022 after two seasons as the Carolina Panthers' offensive coordinator under since-dismissed head coach Matt Rhule. With Sam Darnold and Teddy Bridgewater as his quarterbacks in Carolina, Brady presided over an unproductive offense that ranked amongst the bottom half of the NFL in multiple key categories.
The Panthers fired Brady with five games remaining in the 2021 season. At the time of his dismissal, Carolina ranked 28th amongst NFL leaders in total offense (308.7 ypg) and 23rd in scoring offense (19.7 ppg).
The Jets faced Brady and the Panthers in the 2021 opener, a 19-14 victory for Carolina. The Panthers totaled 381 yards (270 pass, 111 rush) in the win and both touchdowns came courtesy of Darnold. The Jets' former franchise quarterback hit former Green & White teammate Robbie Anderson (now Robbie Chosen) on a 57-yard scoring strike and later rushed in for a five-yard touchdown.
"I would imagine it is very hard to install a new offense. Now, how it gets called might be a little different, so we just have to be ready to pivot within the game," said Jets' defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
It's unknown whether Buffalo will run the ball more frequently with Brady calling the plays. Reports out of Carolina suggested that Brady was not relying on the run game enough for Rhule's liking.
"Obviously, it’s a short week. I’m sure he’s going to start sprinkling in his nuance," said Saleh on Friday. "How much of that and how much of him is going to show up? It’s going to take some time."
It's worth tracking whether or not the Bills increase the number of rushing calls for Allen, who is not carrying the ball as frequently this year as he has in years past.
"I would say, against the Jets, he is going to run the ball," said Ulbrich. "I definitely think he gets up for these games against us and we get a little bit more running, whether it is the quarterback designed runs or the scrambles."
Gang Green has limited opponents to 4.62 yards per play, third lowest amongst league leaders. Their 19.1 points per game allowed represent the NFL's seventh-best average. The Jets are the only team to hold the Bills to one touchdown in a game this season.
"I'm excited about what we have moving forward, and the energy that our guys have," said Brady. "Not really getting specific in terms of like scheme and play calling or whatnot, but just more of us focusing on finding ways to score points and not turning the ball over."
The Bills have committed 18 turnovers, tied for second most on the circuit, and four of those giveaways came in the Monday Night Football season opener against the Jets. Buffalo lost the turnover battle by a 4-1 margin in its 24-22 setback to Denver this past Monday night.
The Jets and the Bills clash for the second time this season at 4:25 pm ET on November 19 in Orchard Park.
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