PLAYER NOTES
–WR Robby Anderson sat out practice due to a nagging ankle injury Wednesday, but it appears likely he will play against Buffalo. Anderson returned last week after missing the previous two games and was held out of practices last Wednesday and Thursday before finishing with four catches and 32 yards at Miami.
–WR Quincy Enuwua sat out practice due to a nagging ankle injury Wednesday but it does not appear his absence from practice will keep him from playing against Buffalo. Enuwua missed the previous two games before getting three catches and 40 yards last week in Miami.
–C Spencer Long (knee/finger) sat out practice Wednesday but it is too early to tell if he will miss Sunday’s game against Buffalo. Long returned from missing the Chicago game and struggled with snaps in Miami before getting pulled due to the finger injury.
–CB Trumaine Johnson could return for this week’s game against Buffalo as he was a limited participant in practice Wednesday. Johnson has missed the last five games with a quadriceps injury and did not practice last week.
–DT Steve McLendon (ankle) did not practice for a second straight week on Wednesday but still could wind up playing against Buffalo. McLendon was injured in the Chicago game two weeks ago and appeared on the field for 18 defensive snaps. McLendon has not missed a game since sitting out the final five games of the 2016 season.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: The CBS cameras will provide viewers with plenty of shots of QB Sam Darnold on the sideline if he sits. If Darnold sits, the spotlight will be on Josh McCown, who makes his first start of the season. McCown has yet to take a snap this season and won the backup job over Teddy Bridgewater, who was subsequently traded to New Orleans. McCown took 19 snaps in preseason and head coach Todd Bowles is not concerned about the 39-year-old, who started 13 games last season before breaking his left hand. “I’m not concerned,” Bowles said. “He practices every time, takes reps all the time. He’s a true professional.”
GAME PLAN: The running game has gone south in the last few weeks and the Jets are ranked 17th in rushing yards. This week they face a losing team that is 11th in run defense. The Jets will still look to establish the run, especially if Josh McCown plays and shows some rust from only taking snaps in practice.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Jets run defense vs. Bills RBs LeSean McCoy and Chris Ivory. Because of struggles at quarterback, especially with turnovers, expect the Bills to emphasize their run game. McCoy and Ivory have a combined one touchdown and less than 500 yards combined. The Jets have been inconsistent on run defense. Last week, they limited Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore to 62 yards but in the previous week, Chicago gained 179 yards on the ground.
–Bills QB vs. Jets secondary. The Jets secondary is going up against one of the league’s worst offenses in the Bills and it seems this week’s opposing quarterback will be Nathan Peterman again. The secondary did well against Miami in a game where the Jets offense could do little and is facing a team who went 187:19 between touchdowns and has eight offensive TDs all season.
