Morning Coffee: Jets, Bills Set for AFC East Showdown on Monday Night Football
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The New York Jets entered the 2024 NFL season as the favourite to win the AFC East at FanDuel.
After stumbling out of the gate with a 2-3 record, it didn’t take long for ownership to step in and make a move.
The Jets fired Robert Saleh and named defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich their interim head coach.
In a corresponding move, they transferred offensive play-calling duties from Nathaniel Hackett to Todd Downing.
The message from ownership is simple.
The organization is all-in to win now and if the remaining pieces don’t turn things around then they will be held accountable for not living up to expectations.
Next up, the Jets will host the rival Buffalo Bills in a highly anticipated AFC East showdown on Monday Night Football.
For as bad as things have looked at times throughout the first five weeks, the Jets could move into first place in the division with a win over Buffalo tonight.
Will the coaching shake up provide a spark for New York in a crucial early-season AFC East clash?
Or will the Bills take care of business on the road and make things go from bad to worse from the Jets?
This is the Morning Coffee for Monday October 14th, 2024.
Jets, Bills Set for AFC East Showdown on Monday Night Football
Only four teams in NFL history have made the playoffs after a mid-season change at head coach.
The Jets could certainly bolster their chances of joining that short list with a win over Buffalo.
Both teams are coming off back-to-back losses entering tonight’s prime-time showdown.
The Bills opened as a three-point favourite for Monday Night Football, but that number is down to Buffalo -1.5.
The biggest question mark for the Bills is the health of wide receiver Khalil Shakir and running back James Cook.
Both are questionable to play tonight due to injury.
Josh Allen leads the NFL with an 8/0 TD/INT ratio.
However, Allen failed to throw for more than 180 yards in back-to-back losses to the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans.
The Buffalo offence could be in trouble without two of its best playmakers against a New York defence that ranks in the top-five in pass yards allowed per game, total yards per game, points allowed per game and sacks.
As our NFL analyst Davis Sanchez highlighted last week, the film from the Bills’ loss to the Texans wasn’t pretty.
On the flip side, Rodgers has posted a career-worst 81.6 passer rating through the first five weeks of the season.
Rodgers had never had a passer rating below 91 in a season in which he started two or more games, but he’s averaged just 218.6 passing yards per game while throwing seven touchdowns and four interceptions.
The bad news for the Jets is that turning the passing game around this week might not be an easy fix.
The good news is that they could have the opportunity to run the football against a Buffalo defence that has allowed 144.0 rushing yards per game, which ranks 25th in the NFL.
If you follow me on X, then you know I’m already on the Jets +9.5 as the second leg of an alt parlay that also featured the Philadelphia Eagles -2.5 against the Cleveland Browns.
For my FanDuel Best Bet in this column, I’m going to lock in a Same Game Parlay with Josh Allen 25+ rushing yards and Breece Hall 3+ receptions at +100.
Allen has cleared this mark in three of five games this season, including 54 rushing yards on four carries in last week’s loss to the Texans.
With Shakir and Cook potentially limited or out, the Bills will need Allen to use his legs on the road in prime-time against a staunch Jets pass defence.
Meanwhile, the Buffalo defence has allowed 7.2 receptions per game to running backs this season - the highest mark in the NFL.
Hall has three or more receptions in four of five games this season and that trend should continue tonight against a Bills’ defence that has been particularly vulnerable to running back receptions.
Give me Allen 25+ rushing yards and Hall 3+ receptions on a Same Game Parlay at +100 as my FanDuel Best Bet for Monday Night Football.
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!