Bills at Jets
THE STORY: It’s desperation time as a pair of NFC East teams with high hopes fight for survival in the playoff race Sunday. Buffalo appears about to fall out of the playoff picture after losing three straight games and faces the prospects of playing the rugged defense of the New York Jets without star running back Fred Jackson. Meanwhile, the Jets were Tim Tebow’s latest victim last week. The Broncos quarterback drove his team 95 yards on the final drive to stun the Jets, who to that point had turned in a stellar defensive performance. Instead, New York is reeling after two straight losses and has fallen two games behind first-place New England.
TV: CBS, 1 p.m. ET. LINE: Jets -9, O/U 42.5
ABOUT THE BILLS (5-5): What’s happened to Buffalo? After signing quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to a $59 million, six-year deal earlier in the season, the Bills have gone into the tank. Once the surprise team of the NFL, Buffalo is averaging just nine points during its current three-game skid. Before Fitzpatrick inked the deal, Buffalo was leading the NFL in scoring at over 31 points per game, but injuries and turnovers have since derailed its surprising run. Now Jackson is done for the year and the season looks like a lost cause. Former first-round pick C.J. Spiller will get a chance to carry the workload. The wide receiver corps lost Donald Jones to a grotesque broken ankle last week and he is out for the season. Fitzpatrick has thrown two touchdown passes and seven interceptions in his last four games.
ABOUT THE JETS (5-5): The Jets could be down to their third running back after starter Shonn Greene (questionable) left last week’s game with a rib injury. Joe McKnight played fairly well in Greene’s place, but New York questions his pass-blocking skills and quarterback Mark Sanchez seems to need all the help – and time – he can get in the pocket. Sanchez was 20 for 28 and overcame two first-half turnovers as New York thoroughly dominated the Bills earlier in the season in winning at Buffalo 27-11. The loss ended Buffalo’s four-game winning streak and sent the Bills on their current slide. But Sanchez has just one touchdown pass and four interceptions in his past two games, both losses, and has not topped a 69 passer rating. LaDainian Tomlinson is also injured, putting a bigger onus on the shoulders of Sanchez.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Streaky New York already suffered through a three-game losing streak earlier in the season
2. The Jets are 4-1 at home. Buffalo is 1-4 on the road.
3. Stevie Johnson has just four receptions in his last two games combined and figures to draw the coverage of Darrelle Revis on Sunday.