The final week of the 2019 regular season is upon us.
The Jets will take the field for the final time this season on Sunday when they travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills. New York is looking to exact revenge against Buffalo after blowing a 16-point lead to the Bills in Week 1, but it’s not going to be an easy task with Buffalo now established as one of the premier teams in the AFC.
The Bills have relied on their defense to carry them to the No. 5 seed in the AFC. Josh Allen and company have been solid on offense throughout the season, but Buffalo’s calling card is dominant defensive play.
Knowing what the Bills bring to the table defensively, let’s take a look at what the Jets will have to do on offense if they want to put points on the board in Week 17.
Stick to the ground game
If there’s one way to beat the Bills’ defense, it’s running the football.
Buffalo boasts an elite pass defense that ranks third in the NFL with only 195.9 passing yards allowed per game. Its run defense is solid, but ranks outside of the top 10, allowing 4.3 yards per carry and 104.2 rushing yards per game.
Le’Veon Bell has seen a relatively heavy workload in New York’s last two games. There’s no reason to stray away from a run-heavy gameplan in Week 17 considering it plays to the Bills’ lone weakness on defense.
Stay away from Tre’Davious White
Buffalo’s No. 3-ranked pass defense comes as the result of a complete team effort, but there’s no doubt who the leader of the Bills’ secondary is heading into the postseason.
Tre’Davious White has established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in football this season. The former first-round pick locks down his side of the field with relative ease and makes life tough on opposing quarterbacks when they do throw his way.
White limited Robby Anderson to three catches for only 23 yards in Week 1. With this in mind, Sam Darnold would be wise to avoid throwing White’s way as much as he can in Week 17.
Rely heavily on Jamison Crowder
Jamison Crowder has emerged as Sam Darnold’s favorite target in his first season with the Jets. That, combined with his production against the Bills in Week 1 should make him a player New York relies heavily on in Week 17.
Crowder gashed Buffalo for 14 receptions in Week 1. He didn’t eclipse the 100-yard mark, but it was nearly impossible for the Bills to cover him out of the slot.
With Tre’Davious White lurking on the outside, the Jets should focus on hitting Crowder on intermediate, underneath routes throughout the afternoon. Buffalo will make adjustments to ensure Crowder doesn’t burn it again, but he’s a safe bet to produce at a fairly high clip on Sunday.
Get going early
If the Jets want to pick up their seventh win of the season this weekend, they’re going to have to put points on the board early.
The Bills aren’t a team that is built to come from behind. Josh Allen operates much more confidently under center when his team is on top and Buffalo can turn to its ground game to control the time of possession battle. If New York puts points on the board on its first couple of drives, the Bills could find themselves operating in an uncomfortable position.
The only way the Jets can achieve this feat is if Adam Gase can put together an offensive gameplan that works beyond the first drive of the game. If he can do that in Week 17, his team will be in good shape to emerge victoriously.
