By Buck Coquillette
As we near the end of the regular season, playoff implications are very high and every game is important from here on out. This week, two games stand out, Bills vs Jets and Giants vs Eagles. I do not see the Giant’s defense being able to stop Jalen Hurts and the electric Eagle’s offense, so the game of this week is the Buffalo Bills (9-3) versus the New York Jets (7-5).
The Buffalo Bills are not the team they were at the beginning of the season. While still being a top-two AFC team, they have a long road ahead of them if they want to make it to the super bowl. One of their losses was to the Jets in week nine, so this is a big rematch.
Offensively, we all know Josh Allen is a stud. He always comes to play on the ground and in the air. He has 3,406 passing yards and 581 rushing yards. Despite the elbow injury a few weeks ago, he still looks great. They have weapons all over the field with deep threat Gabe Davis, quick Isiah McKenzie, and most importantly, stud Stefon Diggs. Diggs has 1,202 receiving yards and ten touchdowns. However, Diggs will have a tough matchup this week against Sauce Gardener.
Defensively, pass rusher Von Miller, unfortunately, suffered a torn ACL and will be out for the season. They still have a very solid defense with guys like Matt Milano, Jordan Poyer, Damar Hamlin, and Tre’Davious White.
The Jets have exceeded expectations this season, however, it will be a tough game to beat the Bills, even though they did it in week nine. Quarterback Mike White will need to have a day, similar to his three-touchdown week 12 performance, not his two-interception game last week. Losing running back Breece Hall in week 7 hurt their offense, but they have been making do with James Robinson and Michael Carter. They will have to play their best to score on this tough Bills defense.
Defensively, the Jets are solid. By far the standout player is cornerback Sauce Gardner. He still has not let up a touchdown and is a lockdown corner. CJ Mosely and Jordan Whitehead have also been solid this season. They need to find a way to stop Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs if they want to win this Sunday.
If the Jets win, they will be just one game back from taking the AFC east. This is a huge game for both sides and will be an entertaining one at 1 pm Sunday.
Picks:
Thursday, Dec. 8
Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Rams, 8:15 p.m. → Raiders 24-18
Sunday, Dec. 11
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. → Bills 32-24
Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. → Bengals 29-20
Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys , 1 p.m. → Dallas 45-10
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. → Vikings 35-30
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants, 1 p.m. → Eagles 27-17
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m. → Ravens 17-10
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. → Titans 25-13
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m. → Chiefs 17-3
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Francisco 49ers, 4:25 p.m. → 49ers 25-17
Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks , 4:25 p.m. → Seahawks 29-16
Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Chargers, 8:20 p.m. → Dolphins 34-23
Monday, Dec. 12
New England Patriots at Arizona Cardinals, 8:15 p.m. → Cardinals 20-10
Byes: Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Washington
Inside Sports Journal 