The New York Jets aren’t expected to do much in 2017 after the roster was gutted of veteran talent in a complete rebuild. So that puts all the pressure on the Buffalo Bills to win the Week 1 opener. The Bills’ roster isn’t exactly spilling over with talent either and the two teams are expected to finish at the bottom of the AFC East. That’s not very good news for the Bills, who own the league’s longest postseason drought, now at 17 seasons after failing to qualify last season.
Don't miss any of the NFL Week 1 action on Sunday, September 10, 2017 at 1 p.m. ET. This duel from New Era Field will be televised on CBS.
NFL Week 1 Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
New York Jets +6
Buffalo Bills -6
Over/Under 43
LeSean McCoy vs. Jets Run Defense
The Bills led the NFL in rushing last season with over 164 yards per game and McCoy was the biggest part of the team’s strength. Shady’s elusive moves allowed him to run for 1,267 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. He’s likely to be even more of a workhorse in 2017 following the departure of backup Mike Gillislee.
New York isn’t loaded with talent but the defensive front is the strength of the club. Leonard Williams, the Jets No. 1 pick two years ago, remains a force at one end while Muhammad Wilkerson looks to bounce back from a subpar last season. They will have to battle the Bills quality offensive line, which helped pave the way for the rushing attack. And they get center Eric Wood back after he missed time last year with a leg injury.
It will be up to Williams, Wilkerson and the rest of the defense to slow down McCoy. With these areas being the respective strengths of the teams, whichever club has more success in this matchup will have a better chance of coming out ahead.
Jets Receivers vs. Bills Secondary
New York lost a ton of production in the passing game with the departures of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker and the season-ending injury to Quincy Enunwa. Additionally, third-round pick ArDarius Stewart and Lucky Whitehead are dealing with injuries that have their availability for the opener in doubt.
Oh, and new quarterback Josh McCown has played all of one series this preseason. That’s not much time to build a rapport with his receiving corps. One player the Jets need to rise up is Robby Anderson, whose 42 catches last season are the most of any returning receiver.
While the Jets will have some fresh faces among their pass catchers, the Bills completely overhauled their secondary. Last year’s starting corners Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby have been replaced with E.J. Gaines and Tre’Davious White with Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer now starting at the safety spots. Buffalo has more experience in their secondary and will have the edge in this matchup.
Matt Forte & Bilal Powell vs. Bills Front Seven
The Jets passing game may be lacking with little experience among the receivers and McCown having little time to work this preseason. Because of that we can expect to see a heavy dose of Forte and Powell out of the Jets backfield.
The two combined for over 1,500 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns for the league’s 12th ranked rushing offense a season ago. The Jets will try and run the ball, but the line is a little shaky and lost its leader when Nick Mangold was cut loose in the offseason purge.
You can look for Powell and Forte to be a regular target of McCown when he has to pass the football. We don’t know what the receivers are going to look like, but we have a nice history on the two backs. Forte was one of the best during his days with Chicago and if he can stay healthy, he’ll get plenty of touches. As will Powell, who had a monster game against the Giants in the preseason. The pair combined for 88 catches last season and with a shortage of established receivers, they are more important to the offense. The Bills need to key on Forte and Powell to shut down the Jets offense.
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