Jets v. Bills Pregame

The Jets extremely small playoff chances are on the line yet again on a nationally televised game against the Bills tomorrow night.  The Jets come into this game at 5-6 and surprisingly only 1 game out of the 6th and final playoff spot.  The problem with this picture is that there are multiple teams at 6-5 and other teams at 5-6.  The Jets need to keep taking these games one at a time and it continues with the Bills this week.

What to watch for...

• What kind of crowd will we see for this game?  The game is being played in a dome in Toronto which will take away any advantage that the Bills would have had from playing in the freezing cold up in Buffalo.  It will also take away home field advantage which should be huge.  Sanchez should throw better in the dome than he would have in Buffalo.

•  I am interested in seeing if Rex Ryan's offensive takeover will continue to show positive results this week.  Ryan took partial control of the offense last week in order to make things easier for Mark Sanchez and it worked out great.  One of the major games that influenced this takeover was Sanchez's 5 interception performance against Buffalo the last time these two teams played.  If Sanchez can protect the ball and continue making smart decisions it should result in positive results for the Jets.

• Kerry Rhodes responded to his benching last week by getting his first 2 interceptions of the season.  Ryan has stated that Eric Smith will still be the starter but Rhodes will be put in as the starter in a few more packages than last week.  I feel extremely comfortable with this new safety rotation as Smith is a much better tackler while Rhodes is better in pass coverage.  If Rhodes can keep up his good play I think he will regain the starting job soon.

• REDUCING TURNOVERS: This one is simple enough.  The Jets cannot turn the ball over if they want to win this game.  This goes beyond Sanchez.  Last week Keller fumbled into the end zone for a touchback and Greene fumbled inside the Panthers 30 yard line.  Without these 2 turnovers this game would not have been close.
  

Who to watch for....

•  Mark Sanchez is the reason the Jets lost the last Buffalo game.  The Jets almost managed to win the game despite his 5 turnovers.  The Jets will have a very good chance of winning this game if Sanchez can limit his turnovers and protect the ball on offense. 

• Thomas Jones will have to keep up his great season in order to take pressure off Sanchez.  My prediction:  If Jones rushes for over 100 yards in this game the Jets will win.  The Jets need to open up with a solid rushing attack to take the pressure off of Sanchez.  The offensive line will have to open holes to allow Jones to get going early. 

• Darelle Revis is looking to continue his dominant season after an amazing game last week.  Revis caught more balls than Steve Smith last week and finished with 2 interceptions and a touchdown.  This week Revis will have the task of containing Terrell Owens.  Owens has been on a very good roll recently and Revis will have to shut down the long ball.  At this point, I don't doubt that Revis can do anything.

Game Thoughts:

The Jets should win this game pretty convincingly.  I think that the Jets have both a better offense and a better defense than the Bills and the Bills have lost all home field advantage.  However, the Bills have been playing inspired football since the firing of Dick Jauron and they will be a tough opponent in front of a national tv audience. (or as close to national as you can get on NFL Netowork)  Revis should shut down Owens and Sanchez should limit his turnovers.  If both of these things happen the Jets will win. 

Game Prediction:

Jets- 21
Bills- 6