The Buffalo Bills (9-3) are gearing up for their rematch against AFC East division rival, the New York Jets, on Sunday, December 11. When these two teams played against each other back in Week 9, the Jets’ defense shut down Bills quarterback Josh Allen‘s passing game and upset Buffalo 20-17.
Allen finished against the Jets on November 6 as the Bills’ leading rusher with 86 yards and two rushing touchdowns, but he completed just 18-of-34 of his passes for 205 yards, zero passing touchdowns, and two interceptions. Making matters worse, Allen suffered an elbow sprain late in the fourth quarter, an injury to his throwing arm that he continues to work through.
While the Jets offense will look very different in Week 14, as New York will be starting Mike White at quarterback instead of Zach Wilson, the defense, which had five sacks on Allen in Week 9, is once again looking to dominate.
Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins knows Allen is likely looking at their rematch as a revenge game, and he sent a strong warning to the Bills superstar while speaking to The New York Post‘s Mark Cannizzaro.
“Obviously, he feels like he didn’t play his best against us last time, so… we expect his best shot.” Rankins, the former No. 12 overall pick from the 2016 NFL Draft said on Friday, December 9. “It’s going to be on us again to disrupt him and make life a living hell for him for four quarters.”
Back in Week 9, “We did a good job of mixing up some different looks on the back end and disrupting his timing and forcing him into some bad throws. We did a few things that he maybe hadn’t seen before from us. And we harassed him with our rush.”
However, Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley is looking at this Sunday’s matchup as a clean slate. We “can’t worry about it being a revenge game,” Mosely told The Post. “We’ve got go out there and handle our job as a defense. It might be another bad game [for Allen] and it might not. We have a job to do and make sure we keep him out of the red zone… We know he’s going to be out there trying to run around and make plays, so, let’s go out there and get him.”
Allen Admitted He Played Like ‘S***’ Against the Jets in Week 9
#Bills QB Josh Allen (@JoshAllenQB) said the mini-bye from #TNF allowed them to get a ‘jump-start’ on the #Jets gameplan + ‘it’s hard to beat teams twice’ 🧐 + ‘their defense is playing at such a high level right now’: 🎥 @KBBasement #TakeFlight #BillsMafia @KyleBrandt
After losing to the Jets in Week 9, Allen placed the defeat squarely on his shoulders. “It’s tough to win in this league when you’re playing a good team and your quarterback plays like s***,” Allen said. “I made some bad decisions tonight that cost our team. A lot to learn from, a lot to grow from. That’s not the standard we hold ourselves to. Not the ball that we play.”
During his weekly appearance on “Kyle Brandt’s Basement” on Wednesday, December 7, Allen said his plan is “to win the game” in Week 14 and to “score more points than they do.” And how will he do that? “Being smart with the football and making good decisions. Their defense is playing at such a high level right now that we’ve got be on our P’s and Q’s and put together a good game plan. I know coach [Ken] Dorsey’s been working on it hard these last few days.
“Having a mini bye week that allows us to get a jump start on them but ya know, it’s hard to beat teams in this league, and it’s hard to beat them twice. Obviously, we’re at home and it’s a division game — this is one we have to have.”
Allen Said He’ll Be Dealing With His Arm Injury for the ‘Foreseeable Future’
“I’m gonna have to deal with the elbow for the foreseeable future but on game day it doesn’t even bother me” ~@JoshAllenQB
While Allen has yet to miss a game after suffering an elbow sprain against the Jets nearly five weeks ago, the 26-year-old admitted on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday that he’s still not 100%.
“I think every day gets a little better,” Allen said of his throwing arm. “It’s something that, you know, I’m going to have to deal with for probably the foreseeable future.” The MVP candidate admits it’s difficult “trying to limit throwing throughout the week” and missing practice reps but knows “it’s the smart, sensible thing to do” right now. However, the Wyoming alum says once he suits up, he no longer feels the pain. “On gameday,” Allen said, “it doesn’t bother me.”
While doctors initially tried to get him to sit out and rest for at least two weeks, Allen had a different plan. “When we saw the pictures, I know the doctors weren’t too optimistic for me playing the last few weeks. They thought it was probably going to be anywhere from two to four weeks,” Allen said. “But I kind of had my own plan and basically told them this is what we’re doing, let’s get that PRP shot at the end of the day, let’s not throw all week, and Saturday I’ll see how it’s feeling. And I have a strong feeling that I’ll be able to go this next week.”
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Jets DT Sends Strong Warning to Bills QB Josh Allen Ahead of Rematch