Getty Jordan Poyer celebrates after an interception against the New York Jets.
A little more than a week before Thanksgiving, Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer is giving thanks for the blessings given to the Bills secondary by New York Jets quarterback Mike White.
After a red hot start to his tenure as the Jets starter that included 405 yards passing against the Cincinnati Bengals and a mid-week boast that he should have been picked first overall in his draft year — which would have put him ahead of Josh Allen — White came crashing back to earth in Week 10 against the Bills.
He was hounded by an aggressive pass rush and forced into four costly interceptions in the 45-17 loss. After the game, Poyer twisted the knife a bit while thanking White for the gifts given to the Bills secondary.
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Poyer Trolls Jets’ White Over Turnovers
The Bills were after White from the beginning of Sunday’s victory, with cornerback Taron Johnson snagging an early interception and safety Micah Hyde recovering a fumble later in the first half. Tre’Davious White and Levi Wallace also added interceptions, leaving only safety Jordan Poyer as the only starting member of the secondary without a turnover.
After the game, Hyde said they all knew that Poyer was the last among them to get one.
“Heck yeah, that boy knew,” Hyde said after the game, via Syracuse.com.
Poyer finally got his chance late in the third quarter. With the game already out of hand, White heaved a pass toward receiver Keelan Cole that was intercepted by Poyer. After the game, Poyer trolled the Jets quarterback a bit.
“I knew I was the only one that didn’t have one yet, so I had to figure out a way to go get one,” Poyer told reporters. “Thank you, Mike White, for giving us five.”
White’s Tenure Likely Over
After mounting a challenge to rookie Zach Wilson for the starting job with a string of strong performances, White may have seen his tenure as Jets starter come to an end on Sunday. As The Athletic’s Connor Hughes noted, Jets head coach Robert Saleh is expected to turn back to Wilson when he’s healthy next week rather than giving White another chance.
White also had the misfortune of facing a Bills defense angry about the shocking 9-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars the previous week. After Sunday’s game, Wallace said they were intent on forcing turnovers to avoid another big upset.
“Having that bad taste in our mouth from last week, not performing to our standard, it kind of put a little more urgency in our preparation,” Wallace said, via ESPN. “We didn’t get enough turnovers last week to give the offense more opportunities.
“I think that was one of our main focus, trying to make the other team one-dimensional — make them throw the ball, which creates turnovers.”
When teams decide to throw at Tre…
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The win allowed the Bills to keep pace ahead of the surging New England Patriots. Buffalo maintains a half-game lead in the AFC East, with the chance to make history when the teams meet on Monday Night Football in Week 13. If the Bills win, they will extend their AFC East winning streak to 10 games, matching the best streak in franchise history.
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