Sunday, November 20th at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, NY.
Weather: High 30s, Breezy.
Latest line: Bills-7, over/under 39.5
Let’s have a little interactive fun. Which best describes your mood after 12 men on the field?
a) Wile E. Coyote holding an umbrella as the anvil falls.
b) Lieutenant Dan on top of the mast in the storm.
c) Clarisse singing, “There’s Always Tomorrow” in Rudolph?
d) all of the above
I will remind people of the many predictions after the Dolphins game of 15-2 or 14-3, so back then 6-1 down the stretch wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility. One at a time begins with the revenge game against the Jets. If a six-game losing streak vs the spread isn’t rare enough, how many times has it coincided with being a TD favorite in the seventh attempt?
On paper:
QB:
When all is said and done, we hope and pray this past six week stretch is the darkest chapter of Josh Allen’s career. Inspired by Mitch Trubisky, I always have my eyes on failed highly drafted QBs as future backup ideas, but I can’t muster that sentiment for Zach Wilson. 27 points and no turnovers is a modest ask of #17. Advantage Bills.
Running Game Weapons:
Right now Breece Hall and James Cook are pretty even, although both seem to be vastly under utilized. The Fournette watch is on. No advantage.
Passing Game Weapons:
Will Joe Brady unlock the WR2 position in Buffalo? When the reset button kicks in, I still get excited thinking about the possibilities with Diggs, Kincaid and Cook. Advantage Bills.
Offensive line:
The Bills OL was better to start the season, and that unit has had its healthiest run in recent memory. The Jets offensive line that was thin opening night for the Jets has been ravaged by injuries. Advantage Bills.
Run defense:
The Bills run defense has been admirable during the wicked slump…shout out to Tyrel Dodson and Dorian Williams. Jets are near the bottom here, but with the caveat that the Bills just were defeated by the two teams at the bottom of the rushing yards allowed table. Advantage Bills.
Pass Defense:
Jets are elite..currently #3 behind the Browns and Cowboys. The Bills middle of the pack standing is praiseworthy given the injuries. The Jets secondary is one of two big reasons the spread is only seven; the other being the astronomical level of self destruction the Bills have displayed. Advantage Jets.
Special teams:
In honor of Kyle Brandt’s appearance on celebrity Wheel of Fortune, the Bills special teams have just landed on bankrupt. The currency is gone. Starting at zero this week in an attempt to rebuild credibility. No idea what to expect anymore. Tyler Bass kicking at home keeps it neutral, if not positive.
Coaching:
All I can say is we seem to be in the middle of something that’s going on that we will understand a lot better when the vehicle is no longer in the ditch. That doesn’t stop the social media experts from piling on waiting for the tow truck. Leaving this off the table for now.
Intangibles:
The degree of difficulty to make the playoffs is high. Ken Dorsey was collateral damage. The national media is scorching Allen, McDermott, and the franchise. It’s now or never. The Jets gritty run after Aaron Rodgers’s injury is long over. Advantage Bills.
Bills 27 Jets 13
Don’t short sell another week in the house for Rasul Douglas and Linval Joseph, and the return of Terrel Bernard. I disagree with the idea that the defense is on the verge of collapse. God forbid they play with a lead once and awhile… you won’t see a Bills point total of 30 from me until back to back returns to normalcy.
The Pregame Plan:
Food:
Last call for Big Apple opponents; I’m craving a Corned Beef Reuben with homemade chips.
Beer:
This week we honor the Granddaddy of all pale lagers (i.e. beer as most people knew it before 2015), Pilsner Urquell from the Czech Republic.
Music:
From Dave Edmunds, the British John Fogerty:
- Cheap Talk, Patter, and Jive…..written long before Twitter/X.
- Singing The Blues….first recorded by Marty Robbins and oh so fitting.
- Crawling From The Wreckage…even more fitting.
- I Hear You Knocking….but you can’t come in.
Happy Thanksgiving folks. Even on a bad day, we have so much to be grateful for.
Editor’s babble: Joe’s right, as usual. Even on a bad day I’m grateful to Joe, all our contributors, Del Reid and all the great fans who support the Buffalo Bills and 26shirts.com. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
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