The adjective for the Jets' week just past is "whirlwind." The Green & White dropped under .500 with their second straight loss, this one to the Vikings in London. Three days later, Jets owner Woody Johnson replaced head coach Robert Saleh with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
The "Brick" Jets' first test comes Monday night in primetime against their longtime division foes, the Buffalo Bills. And they have regained the services of two injured starters to help them do battle.
Yet the Jets and their fans should be fired up by what's in front of them. A win over the Bills means that, despite the winds that buffeted them following their Week 5 loss, the Jets can conclude the NFL's Week 6 by moving into first place in the AFC East.
The Jets and Bills would be tied at 3-3, ahead of the Dolphins (2-3 off their bye week) and Patriots (1-5 after their home loss to Houston). So the Jets would be in first alone or tied after 6 weeks of a season for just the fourth time since 2002. The most recent season in first was 2012.
And since division realignment in '02, if a team leads its division after Week 6 (or is tied for the lead), it has gone on to make the playoffs 72.8% of the time. In the past five seasons, the rate is even higher: A team leading its division or tied for the lead after Week 6 has made the playoffs 83.0% of the time (39 of 47).
Add to the above the fact that a Jets MNF win, coupled with the 24-3 triumph over the Patriots in their Week 3 home opener, would give them their first 2-0 start in the division since 2012, and before that 2010. And for what it's worth, the Jets have won their last two MetLife Stadium primetime tilts against the Bills: on TNF in 2017 and last year's season opener.
But a Jets will be hard-earned. The Bills, although they will be playing their third consecutive road game with losses at Baltimore and Houston the previous two weeks, are 3-2 with a potentially explosive offense — their 28.4 points/game is No. 5 in the league after Sunday's games. QB Josh Allen hasn't thrown an interception in his 131 passes, the longest pick-less streak to start an NFL season since 2016. The Bills' plus-7 turnover margin is tied for second.
See the Jets arriving at MetLife Stadium for the Week 6 matchup against the Bills.
Yet the Jets have ways to even the playing field and then some. Their total defense is second in yards/game and first in yards/play allowed. The pass defense has risen to No. 1 in both net yards/game and net yards/pass play allowed.
And QB Aaron Rodgers, whose three interceptions in London tied a career high that he had reached only five other times since becoming the Packers starter in 2008, reacts aggressively and accurately whenever he throws two or more interceptions in a game. In the last nine games following games of two-plus INTs since 2014, the A-Rod stat line features combined totals of 25 TDs to one INT, a passer rating of 121.7 and a 7-2 record.
The Jets also get the return of those two starters, one on either side of the ball. MLB and defensive captain C.J. Mosley, who has missed the past three games with a toe injury, is active, as is RT Morgan Moses, who was deactivated the past two games with a knee injury. Additionally veteran free agent DL Leki Fotu (hamstring) has been moved from Injured Reserve to the 53-player roster, is active for this game and could make his Jets debut. But CB Michael Carter (back) has been deactivated.
This is the Jets' complete list of seven inactives for Monday's game:
- WR Malachi Corley
- RB Izzy Abanikanda
- CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse
- CB Michael Carter
- T Max Mitchell
- T Carter Warren
- DL Braiden McGregor
And these are the Bills' six inactives, including starting RB James Cook, sidelined by a toe injury:
- RB James Cook
- S Mke Edwards
- LB Joe Andreessen
- LB Edefuan Ulofoshio
- OL Will Clapp
- DT Ed Oliver
