EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The easy topic of conversation during this abbreviated week for the New York Jets will be ex-head coach Rex Ryan. But the more important topic is how the contending Jets will fare on short rest.
This Thursday’s game against Ryan’s Buffalo Bills marks the 14th time in franchise history the Jets will be playing on three days rest. They enter Thursday with just a 4-9 record in such contests.
It’s a small sample size, to be sure. Of the 17 Thursday games the Jets have played, eight have taken place since 2006, when the NFL began regularly scheduling Thursday night games. (Three of the Jets’ Thursday night games were either season openers or after byes.)
And every team trying to play a violent football game a mere four nights after their previous violent football game is compromised in some way.
“The guys have to take care of their bodies and get treatment,” Jets head coach Todd Bowles said. “It’s a mental toughness thing, a battle of attrition. Buffalo played on the same day we played. They have to travel and we don’t. We have the same amount of practice time. We just have to get mentally ready.”
It seems likely the Jets will be at considerably less than 100 percent on Thursday. Guard Willie Colon, whose absence along the offensive line helped contribute to a record-setting bad day for running back Chris Ivory on Sunday (he had 26 yards on 23 carries, the fewest yards on at least 23 carries in NFL history), didn’t practice due to his knee injury Tuesday. Neither did cornerback Antonio Cromartie (quad) or safety Calvin Pryor (ankle), which could further compromise an already vulnerable secondary.
“Everybody goes through it,” Bowles said. “Injuries are going to happen. The thing is you have to win despite them.”
The Jets haven’t won on a Thursday night since 2009, way back in Ryan’s first season. They lost his last four Thursday night games — one in each of the last four seasons — including three by four points or fewer. In two of those seasons, the Jets missed the playoffs by a game.
This Thursday’s game seems likely to play a huge role in the AFC playoff picture. The Jets (5-3) and Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4) are the only non-division leaders with winning records in the AFC.
But there are two other teams at .500 — the Bills and the Raiders, the latter of whom already beat the Jets and will have the tiebreaker should the two teams end up with the same record.
So if the Jets want to play on the second Saturday or Sunday in January, they’ll need to figure out a way to win on the second Thursday of November.
SERIES HISTORY: 109th regular season meeting. Bills lead series, 57-51. The Bills have won four of the last five games between the teams and completed a season sweep of the 2014 series last Nov. 24, when Jets QB Michael Vick lost his job by going 7-for-19 for 76 yards and an interception in a 38-3 loss in Detroit. The game was postponed a day and moved to Detroit due to a blizzard in Buffalo. Vick was replaced by Geno Smith, who lost his job to Vick after throwing three first-quarter interceptions in a 43-23 loss to the Bills last Oct. 26. The most memorable game in the rivalry was the lone playoff meeting on Dec. 27, 1981, when the Bills withstood a furious rally by the Jets in a 31-27 AFC wild-card game win at Shea Stadium. The Jets fell behind 24-0 in the second quarter and 31-13 in the fourth quarter, but were driving for the game-winning score when QB Richard Todd was picked off at the Bills’ 2-yard line in the final seconds.
GAME PLAN
–The challenge of getting RB Chris Ivory untracked is compounded this week by how well the Bills’ coaching staff knows the Jets’ personnel. Rex Ryan & Co. have plenty of experience watching Ivory and the offensive line, so this might be a good week to go away from Ivory and emphasize QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and WR Brandon Marshall, who are new to Ryan. Taking chances through the air could pay off against the Bills, who are getting little pressure to the quarterback (they have 13 sacks, tied for third-fewest in the league) and have recorded just four turnovers in the last five games.
In his first season in Buffalo, Ryan has the type of offense he never developed with the Jets. The Bills have a dual threat quarterback in Tyrod Taylor, whose ability to wriggle free will test a vulnerable linebacking corps, and a legitimate big-play wide receiver in Sammy Watkins, who could thrive against suddenly struggling CB Darrelle Revis. Then there’s All-Pro RB LeSean McCoy, who may be hampered by a shoulder injury. Look for the Jets to try and take away McCoy while adopting a bend-but-don’t-break attitude that allows Taylor to eat up yardage on the ground and in the air without ever connecting for a big play.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Jets CB Darrelle Revis vs. Bills WR Sammy Watkins.
The secret is getting out about Revis — he’s not the all-world force he once was. Revis is compensating for losing a half-step by giving more cushion at the line of scrimmage, but he was also beaten deep multiple times by Jaguars WR Allen Robinson on Sunday, when Robinson finished with six catches for 122 yards. Watkins is coming off a monster game (eight catches for 168 yards and one touchdown) and as much as Rex Ryan loves Revis, the Bills’ new head coach would love nothing more than to embarrass his former employer by picking on Revis.
–Jets LB David Harris vs. Bills QB Tyrod Taylor.
The Jets have had trouble containing scrambling quarterbacks once they get beyond the line of scrimmage. Browns QBs Johnny Manziel and Josh McCown, Colts QB Andrew Luck and Jaguars QB Blake Bortles have combined for 114 yards on just 16 carries against the Jets. Taylor has at least 40 yards rushing in four of his six starts and is sure to get free, either on designed plays or after protection breaks down. It’ll be up to Harris, the Jets’ perennial leader in tackles, to minimize the damage.