Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - A pair of struggling offenses will be on display when the Buffalo Bills face the New York Jets on Monday night at MetLife Stadium.
The Bills scored just 30 points while dropping their last two games to the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. Meanwhile, the Jets managed just 26 points in losses to the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings.
The Bills' biggest issue is their passing game. Taking into account an offseason overhaul at that position, we probably shouldn't be surprised Josh Allen and company are going through growing pains when it comes to the pass attack.
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The last two games, while averaging a measly 15 points, Allen has completed just 43% of his passes for a total of 280 yards and one touchdown.
It's a combination of factors that has taken a once high-octane passing game and made it look feeble of late:
- Receivers aren't getting open;
- Allen has missed on a number of throws, including deep balls when his target had a step on the defender;
- The offensive line has had some hiccups leading to Allen getting flushed from the pocket and throwing on the run.
The numbers are not pretty, either.
Khalil Shakir is the only wide receiver the Bills can count on. He missed the last game with an ankle injury, and is listed as questionable for the first of two meetings this season with the Jets.
Shakir leads the Bills with 18 catches for 230 yards. The other four wide receivers who have recorded stats so far this season are Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Those four have combined for 26 catches on 55 targets for 322 yards. That is a 47% catch rate for the quartet, which is not good at all.
Coleman has flashed, but it's a lot to ask a rookie to have an impact in the NFL.
Hollins has an unsightly 35% catch rate, grabbing only six of his 17 targets.
I thought the signing of Samuel was a terrific idea, but he's done next to nothing. Samuel has nine catches for 48 yards in five games, which means Samuel is averaging nine yards receiving a game. Too many of Samuel's targets are coming at, or behind the line of scrimmage. He has to be used downfield more often.
Valdes-Scantling has been invisible with two catches out of nine targets for 26 yards.
The issues with the passing game extend to the tight ends, too.
Dawson Knox has disappeared from the offense with just three catches in five games. Last year's sensation Dalton Kincaid is on pace for 22 fewer catches and 109 fewer yards.
A Bills offense that has felt unstoppable in many games during Allen's outstanding career has scored just three touchdowns on their last 23 drives. If you add in the field goals, the Bills have scored on only six of those 23 drives in the last two games.
As bad as all of that is, the Jets are actually worse off.
In an attempt to turn their season around, the Jets decided to fire head coach Robert Saleh last week. Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich then took play-calling duties away from offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett (the former Bills offensive coordinator) and gave them to Jets passing game coordinator Todd Downing.
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The Jets offense is ranked 25th in scoring in the NFL. They are 27th in total yards per-game, dead last in rush yards per-game, 27th in passing average, and 23rd in first downs per-game. The Jets offense had 26 possessions in their two-game losing streak and scored just two touchdowns.
Aaron Rodgers has been taking a beating behind an offensive line that has trouble protecting him. Rodgers is clearly not on the same page with anyone other than wide receiver Garrett Wilson. The Jets quarterback has been off target on numerous throws the last two weeks.
But it isn't just a passing game problem for the Jets.
Talented running back Breece Hall has been surprisingly ineffective. The third-year pro is averaging a sickly 3.0 yards per-carry. Over his first two seasons, the electric back averaged 4.8 yards.
Hall's backup, Braelon Allen, has actually been more successful, averaging 4.5 yards per-carry, though Allen has had about half as many rushing attempts as Hall.
The Jets have been leaning on their 40-year-old quarterback. They are ranked 30th in the NFL in run rate. For most of the first five games, Rodgers and company do not appear to be able to handle that workload.
History would seem to be on the Bills' side. They have never lost three-straight games in the Josh Allen era. The Bills are also 20-5 against AFC opponents since the start of the 2020 season.
Of course, they are just 2-2 against the Jets in the last four matchups, with both losses coming at the Meadowlands.
