Dissecting Most Crucial Matchups in New York Jets' Week 8 Contest
The New York Jets find themselves in an unfavorable spot as the 2014 NFL season nears the official midway point. At 1-6, the Jets have been virtually eliminated from realistic playoff contention.
Their struggles have been ugly at times, but the Jets have also been victimized by the scheduling gods. The Green and White have escaped the murderer's row portion of their schedule, albeit without a win, and now turn their attention to the playoff-hungry Buffalo Bills.
The Jets remain without a win since Week 1 but will have an opportunity to claim their first victory since a five-point win over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. They continue to play tough in spite of their ongoing struggles, dropping a hard-fought contest against the archrival New England Patriots last Thursday night.
For the Jets to upend the Bills and win their second game of the season, they need to constantly pressure Kyle Orton in the pocket to disable the passing game. They also need to duplicate their turnover-free performance against the Patriots.
The following slideshow dissects the most crucial matchups in the Jets' Week 8 showdown against the Bills.
5. Sheldon Richardson (DT) vs. Cyril Richardson (OG)
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Sheldon Richardson could be on the verge of earning himself his first trip to the Pro Bowl in 2014, recording 18 total tackles, three sacks and a fumble recovery through the Jets' first seven games.
The former first-round pick has been rock solid on New York's D-line all season and will look to be a difference-maker against the Bills on Sunday.
The Jets recorded just one sack against Tom Brady in Week 7, disabling their chances of forcing a turnover and potentially altering the complexion of the game. Richardson is more than capable of penetrating to the Bills' backfield to record a strip-sack on quarterback Kyle Orton, but he will need to first swim past rookie offensive guard Cyril Richardson.
Pro Football Focus (subscription required) dubbed Richardson the best option on the interior of the Bills offensive line after their Week 3 loss to the San Diego Chargers. The Baylor product graded below average in preseason action, conceding seven total pressures to record a 94.9 pass-blocking efficiency (PBE).
Assuming Richardson is able to exploit the Bills' rookie O-lineman from the right side of the Jets' 3-4 base defense, Orton could be dodging defenders all afternoon.
4. Kyle Orton (QB) vs. Jets Secondary
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For the first time since Week 1, the Jets won't be tasked with the challenge of facing a top-tier quarterback.
Their struggles in the secondary have been magnified since training camp for good reason. New York ranks dead last in passing touchdowns allowed (18) while also recording a league-worst one interception.
The Jets' beleaguered defensive backfield likely won't be exposed to the level it has been in recent weeks against the Bills, though, especially if Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson are able to effectively pressure Orton from the trenches.
Orton has been average at best while leading Buffalo to a 2-1 record in place of EJ Manuel.
He owns a 92.5 passer rating to rank 16th of 35 qualifying quarterbacks but has completed a solid 68.5 percent of his pass attempts for 890 yards and five touchdowns against three interceptions so far this season.
The Jets' secondary won't be tested against premier receivers like Jordy Nelson, Calvin Johnson or Demaryius Thomas in opposition of the Bills, but they remain hard-pressed to excel in man coverage, which could be a problem against Buffalo's dynamic speed threat on the outside.
3. Darrin Walls (CB) vs. Sammy Watkins (WR)
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The Jets' banged-up secondary must neutralize rookie wideout Sammy Watkins in order to prevent the Bills from registering big-play yardage on the stat sheet. That responsibility will mainly fall on Darrin Walls, who has adopted the Jets' lead cornerback role in the wake of Dee Milliner's season-ending Achilles injury.
Walls wasn't initially projected to assume a sizable role on the Jets' first-team defense at the start of the season, but a plethora of injuries, combined with Antonio Allen's struggles, have granted the former Notre Damn prospect an opportunity to showcase his talents.
Walls hasn't exactly performed at an exceptional level, but to be fair, he's essentially being asked to do much more than what the Jets had planned at the beginning of this season. The 26-year-old defensive back has recorded 20 total tackles and five passes defensed this season.
Walls will be challenged mightily against Watkins, who leads all Bills receivers with 35 catches for 433 yards and four touchdowns. If he's able to play tight against Watkins and prevent him from busting behind the second level for big gains, the Jets should prevent Buffalo from slapping a crooked number on the scoreboard.
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2. Chris Ivory (RB) vs. Bills' Front Seven
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The Bills flaunt one of the most under-appreciated run defenses in the NFL, allowing just 80.4 rushing yards per game. To compare, Buffalo yields nearly eight rushing yards fewer per game than the Jets, who ranked as the top run defense in 2013, allowing just 3.4 yards per carry.
The Jets' ability to effectively move the chains on the ground often dictates whether they're able to score points, making the matchup between Chris Ivory and the Bills run defense crucial.
Ivory has been the most consistent component of the Jets offense all season, averaging 4.9 yards per carry while recording a pair of 100-plus rushing-yard performances.
The Jets need Ivory to be at his best on Sunday in order to help propel the Jets to a win. He currently ranks seventh among all NFL running backs with 432 total rushing yards.
The Jets have underutilized their cowbell back to this point of the season, handing the ball off to Ivory less than 13 times per game. Yet Ivory ranks as one of the most efficient running backs in the league in terms of gaining first-down yardage. More than 26 percent of Ivory's rush attempts have resulted in first downs.
Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg must neglect falling into a trap and refusing to run the ball against the Bills despite the success Buffalo has had in stuffing the run this season and Geno Smith's mostly strong performance in Week 7.
1. Geno Smith (QB) vs. Bills Secondary
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New York's starting quarterback flashed signs of improvement in a 27-25 loss against the Patriots last week but remains one of the least efficient signal-callers in the league. Smith now owns a 72.5 passer rating, which is roughly five points higher than the mark he entered Week 7 with.
The second-year QB successfully avoided recording a turnover for just the fifth time in 23 career games last week, enabling the Jets to nearly pull off an improbable upset against the leaders of the AFC East.
His latest performance marked the first time this season he did not commit a giveaway.
The Jets need to begin carefully examining Smith's week-to-week performance to determine if he's capable of eventually becoming a consistently productive offensive leader. He has yet to post back-to-back "quality starts" in 2014 and also hasn't completed at least 60 percent of his pass attempts since Wee 3.
The Jets need Smith to duplicate his performance against the Patriots against the Bills in Week 8. If he's able to do that against a secondary that ranks 19th in passing yards allowed (230.1), the Jets should escape Sunday with their first win since Week 1.
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