Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The New York Jets have been the most disappointing team in the National Football League this season. Thought by some to be good enough to dethrone the Buffalo Bills and end their four-year reign atop the AFC East, the Jets, instead, have crashed and burned.
The Jets are 4-11 this season, and will miss out on the playoffs for a 14th-straight season, the longest active postseason drought for any team in the four major North American pro sports leagues.
This season has seen their head coach, Robert Saleh, get fired in October, and their general manager, Joe Douglas, shown the door in November.
The Jets opened the season with two wins in their first three games, but then lost five in-a-row and nine of their next 10 games to seal their fate.
There have been numerous issues with the Jets, including an offensive line that couldn't keep 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers from taking a beating.
Rodgers has looked like a 41-year-old quarterback too. Through the first seven games of the season, he was playing through knee, ankle and hamstring injuries. Rodgers' chemistry with his weapons in the passing game was not there far too often, and the Jets haven't helped out their quarterback either, as they lead the league in drops.
But Rodgers and company have shown signs of improvement, even though it has come too late to save their season.
The Week 7 trade for wide receiver and former Green Bay Packers teammate Davante Adams has certainly helped Rodgers and, by extension, the Jets offense.
Through the first seven games of the season, Rodgers had just 10 touchdown passes and was picked off seven times. Over the last eight games, Rodgers has 14 touchdown passes and just one interception.
Rodgers is sixth in the NFL in completions, seventh in touchdowns and 10th in yards. He is one touchdown pass shy of 500 for his career. Only Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Brett Favre have reached that number.
Adams' game has gone up a level in the last three weeks. He's recorded 25 catches for 375 yards and four touchdowns in that stretch.
The veteran wideout has formed a dangerous tandem with third-year receiver Garrett Wilson. The former first-round pick in 2022 has 90 receptions for 987 yards and six touchdowns this season.
Come Sunday against the Bills, Wilson will likely become the first Jets receiver in 56 years to record a third-straight 1,000-yard receiving season.
The numbers for running back Breece Hall aren't where the Jets expected them to be, but he is still a major threat for a Bills defense that has issues, at times, stopping the run. Hall has 774 yards rushing and five touchdowns, but also has five fumbles.
Hall is also a weapon in the Jets' passing game, as his 560 receiving yards are third-most among running backs in the NFL.
The Jets scored just nine points in their loss to the Los Angeles Rams last weekend, but in the four games prior to that, they averaged 26 points and recorded their three highest individual game point totals for the season.
The defense has been worn down over the course of the season. They've given up an average of 26 points over the last six games, and their per-game average of 22 for the season is the highest for a Jets defense since 2020.
However, that unit still ranks in the top-10 in a number of statistical categories. They are sixth-best in total yards per-game, fifth in yards per-carry, fifth in passing average and seventh in sacks per-pass play.
Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood leads the team in tackles.
The pass rush is led by defensive end Will McDonald, who has 10 sacks, as well as a team-leading 10 tackles for loss.
Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is a beast in the middle of the line, but did miss their last game due to an injury.
Cornerback Sauce Gardner is having a subpar season by his standards. Gardner has just one interception this season.
Fellow starting corner D.J. Reed has yet to record a pick this season, but he does have a team-best 10 passes defended.
The Jets defense has only five interceptions in their 15 games, but three of those have come in the last two weeks.
Kicking has been a big problem for the Jets in 2024, as they're 31st in the league in field goal percentage.
Greg Zuerlein was really struggling before going on Injured Reserve. It's been better since with Anders Carlson, who is 8-for-10 on field goals and 9-for-11 on extra points.
One last thing to keep in mind for this game: In last Sunday's matchup against the Rams, Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich was very aggressive when it came to fourth down. He went for it on five different occasions and was successful twice.
The Bills are just 3-2 in their last five meetings with the Jets. They are attempting to complete their first season sweep of the Jets since the 2021 season.