Bills vs. Jets: Breaking Down Buffalo's Game Plan

The Buffalo Bills (with a lot of help from Sammy Watkins) snatched victory from the jaws of defeat Sunday when they stunned the Minnesota Vikings 17-16.

Watkins caught the game-tying touchdown with one second left, and Dan Carpenter tacked on the winning extra point to help the Bills escape Ralph Wilson Stadium with a win. A win is a win, but man was it ugly. The Bills overcame four turnovers, eight penalties and six sacks surrendered and eked out the win at literally the last second.

The win was a costly one, though, as the Bills saw both C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson go down with injuries. Bryce Brown will likely see his first action of the season, and the Bills signed Phillip Tanner to bolster their running back depth, according to Around the NFL's Kevin Patra.

Now, to borrow from Bill Belichick, the Bills are on to the New York Jets. The Bills (4-3) will travel to East Rutherford, New Jersey, to take on a struggling 1-6 Jets squad. But the Bills can't take this game lightly.

This is exactly the type of game the Bills teams of recent memory would lose. It's a road game against a divisional opponent that is trying to throw a life preserver on its season. Making matters worse, the Jets are coming off extra rest as they haven't played since Oct. 16. Oh, and they just added an explosive weapon in Percy Harvin.

The Bills can't sleepwalk through 59 minutes of this game and expect to pull out a win again. Let's take a look at how the Bills can get to the bye at 5-3.

What Can Brown Do For You?

This is the question Bills fans have been pondering since the preseason. Now, Brown will have an opportunity to show what he can do.

Sure, the Bills have all but been working with matadors on the offensive line, and the Jets have a top-10 run defense, but the Bills need to utilize the run game to keep the Jets defense honest. Boobie Dixon can't handle the running duties by himself, so Brown will have to contribute.

Just how much the Bills involve Brown remains to be seen. He had some impressive showings in the preseason, but it's hard to gauge anything from preseason games. But Brown was impressive in the limited action he saw last season. 

If Brown can provide a change of pace from Dixon and give the Bills offense some balance, it will keep the Jets from just loading up to stop the pass. And we already know who the passing offense will start with.

Get It To 14

After the win against the Vikings, Watkins has now established himself as a bona fide No. 1 receiver. Watkins grabbed nine passes for 122 yards and two scores, including the aforementioned game-winner. Against a banged-up Jets secondary, Watkins should thrive.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Take a look at how open Watkins is here. That's him hanging out by the Bills logo at the 45-yard line. The two safeties are covering the deep portion of the field, leaving the middle clear for Watkins to settle in. Watkins was able to beat the corner by tossing his hands aside when the defender tried to bump him. Watkins then used his speed to run on by the defender.

But getting the Ball to Watkins hinges on keeping Kyle Orton upright. That means the Bills will have to rely on their suspect offensive line.

Protecting needs to be a priority, because Rex Ryan knows how to coach a defense, and he has a talented defensive line that he can use to wreck the game for the Bills. Against the Vikings, the Bills again had trouble blocking stunting defenders.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Look here as Vikings defensive lineman Linval Joseph is lined up between Cordy Glenn and Cyril Richardson. Linebacker Anthony Barr (No. 55) is standing up, and on the snap he rushes down at Richardson. Joseph loops in behind Barr, and Richardson is unable to catch up with Joseph, who ends up with the sack.

You can bet Ryan will watch this tape and devise ways to get his linemen in the backfield. The Bills' offensive line needs to figure out a way to keep Orton upright, lest the Jets completely shut down a struggling Bills offense.

Don't Let The New Guy Beat You

With Harvin in town, the Jets now have a legit offensive threat to help Geno Smith. Harvin can make you pay either on the ground or through the air, and his ability with the ball in space is nearly unmatched.

In fact, Harvin is sort of a rich man's Golden Tate, who ran circles around the Bills defense in the Bills' Week 5 game with the Detroit Lions. Tate even turned a short pass into a 55-yard gain that put the Lions in position to win. Luckily for the Bills, the now-unemployed Alex Henery was in the middle of melting down.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Here, Tate is lined up in the slot toward the top of the image right at the 10-yard line numbers. He runs a simple slant and is able to beat Nickell Robey and catch the ball at the 20, which you can see in the second image. Finally, in image three, you can see how Tate left Aaron Williams on skates and was able to run past the safety for a big gain.

Harvin has these same skills, and he can turn a screen at the line of scrimmage into a huge gain, leaving defenders' heads spinning in his wake. Even though there isn't much time for the Jets to work Harvin in, he can easily tear up the Bills like Tate did.

And despite all the talk about the Jets' poor pass defense, the Bills actually rank lower in most pass-defense categories. If the Jets are going to win, it's going to be through the air. Whether the Bills jam Harvin at the line or use multiple players to keep him in check, they have to be sure he doesn't break the game open.