AFC East teams will collide on Thursday Night Football when the New York Jets host the Buffalo Bills at 8:25 p.m. ET on NFL Network (live stream) at MetLife Stadium. Having already bested the Jets in Week 1, the Bills are riding high following a big win over the Raiders last weekend and finally getting to see LeSean McCoy put up numbers reminiscent of his days in Philly. McCoy finished last weekend with 27 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown -- just 2 yards rushing shy of a career-high game with Buffalo.
Bills vs. Jets live stream: How to watch ‘Thursday Night Football’ online
This AFC East rivalry game will mark the start of the Week 9 lineup.
Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
The Bills have been cleaning house this season, dropping and trading some big names and big-dollar contracts in order to reshape the team into the Sean McDermott’s vision. Those moves include trading two-time Pro Bowl DT Marcell Dareus to the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick in 2018. They’ve also added to their roster just before the trade deadline, giving up a third- and seventh-round pick to Carolina for WR Kelvin Benjamin.
Buffalo is coming into this contest with the upper hand, sitting at 5-2 in second place in the AFC East, with the Jets pretty far behind at 3-5 and in fourth place. New York has looked decent early on in contests this season, but especially over the past three weeks, has failed to turn that into a win during the fourth quarter. The team has actually been outscored in the fourth by 56 points this season -- second-worst in the NFL — and will continue to struggle unless it can tighten up its game plan late in games.
Time, TV channel, and streaming info
- Time: 8:25 p.m. ET
- Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
- TV: NFL Network
- Streaming: NFLN Online
- Odds: The Bills are 3.5-point favorites.
Bills vs. Jets news:
- The Bills won’t benefit from home-field advantage this week, but they’re one of only three undefeated teams at home in 2017.
- The Jets’ roster has been jumbled this week, with the team placing rookie tight end Jordan Leggett on IR, signing defensive lineman Xavier Cooper, and wide receiver Jeremy Kerley facing a potential league suspension.
- Buffalo got some encouraging injury news heading into the matchup on short rest.
During a session with the media Tuesday, first-year head coach Sean McDermott said he is “hoping” to have both starting cornerback E.J. Gaines (hamstring) and starting free safety Jordan Poyer (knee) back on the field when the Bills go for the season sweep of the Jets.
- If the Jets can’t figure out how to finish out games, they are going to lose a lot more contests than they should.
Unlike the last two weeks, the Jets did not jump out to a 14-0 lead, but they did lead the game for much of the first three quarters. Once again, the team struggled to finish. The offense sputtered late again, scoring only one field goal in the second half.
Bills vs. Jets predictions:
Buffalo heads home victorious after the Jets fail to stop an improving Bills offense. The Jets keep it competitive for the first half, but fall off — as per usual — later in the game. All but two of our experts agree in their Week 9 picks. However, OddsShark’s computer sees the Jets winning.
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