NFL NEWS

Jets face turn-around Bills

The Sports Xchange

November 01, 2017 at 3:11 pm.

Oct 29, 2017; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Josh McCown (15) passes against the Atlanta Falcons during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Photo Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Oct 29, 2017; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Josh McCown (15) passes against the Atlanta Falcons during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Photo Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

FLORHAM PARK, N.Y. — Many New York Jets fans rejoiced when the New England Patriots traded Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday.

“One fewer team at the top of the draft who’ll need a quarterback!” they exclaimed. “As soon as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick retire, it’ll finally be our time!” the wishfully fans thought.

The Jets’ inferiority complex goes back a long way. It’s been nearly 49 years since Joe Namath ran off the field at the Orange Bowl wagging his index finger after an improbable win over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Heck, the Orange Bowl and Baltimore Colts don’t even exist anymore.

And that complex has grown to epic proportions during the Belichick-Brady era in New England, which has produced five Super Bowl wins in seven appearances. In those 17 seasons, the Jets have played 12 playoff games and won six, and they haven’t made the postseason since 2010.

But maybe instead of worrying about what draft pick they’re going to get next year, or the Patriots’ plight once their 40-year-old quarterback finally shows his age, maybe they need to look within.

A good example of how they could approach their rebuild will be on the opposite sideline Thursday night.

The Bills have the NFL’s longest postseason drought at 17 years, but, at 5-2, they appear to be a decent bet to end that streak this season.

They found an energetic young coach that doesn’t care about the fan base’s jaded mindset after four straight Super Bowl losses in the early ’90s. They rid themselves of malcontents who weren’t pulling their weight in Sammy Watkins and Marcell Dareus. And they’ve learned how to protect leads by doing something that’s simple in theory, but sometimes hard in reality — don’t turn the ball over.

Buffalo has turned the ball over only three times in seven games this season — two Tyrod Taylor interceptions and one LeSean McCoy fumble — while the Jets have done so 14 times in eight games, including at least one turnover in the fourth quarter of each of their losses during their three-game skid.

Against the Patriots, two Josh McCown interceptions led to 10 points, and even if you think it was the wrong call, tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins’s fumble into the end zone essentially put the game out of reach.

Against the Dolphins, McCown’s interception in the final minute with the game tied was an obvious backbreaker. And last week, Jeremy Kerley’s muffed punt deep in his own territory turned a two-point Falcons lead into a five-point advantage with 5:19 to play.

In Week 4, the Jets nearly gave away the game to the Jaguars with a fumble and an interception in the fourth quarter, but they survived in overtime.

The Jets and head coach Todd Bowles talk a lot about finishing games after they take a lead, but really, it’s more about finishing each play.

Here’s the problem, though. As good as Buffalo is at protecting the ball (only three turnovers all season), they may be even better taking it away.

The Bills are tied with Baltimore for the league lead with 17 takeaways, so the onus will be on the Jets not to give it up in crunch time.

“They have some ball hawks,” Bowles said Tuesday. “They’re getting pressure on the quarterback. They’re doing it every way possible.”

And the Jets have been losing every way possible, as their inferiority complex continues to grow.

SERIES HISTORY: 114th regular-season meeting. Bills lead series, 60-53. The Bills beat the Jets on opening day, 21-12, behind two touchdown passes from Tyrod Taylor and 159 all-purpose yards from LeSean McCoy. Despite winning only five games last season, the Jets swept Buffalo for the first time since 2011. Still, the Bills have won six of the last eight games between the teams, including two of the last three at MetLife Stadium. This is also the third straight year the teams will meet on a Thursday night, with the road teams winning each of the first two, 2015 in New Jersey and 2016 in Buffalo. The only postseason game between the Bills and Jets was in the wild-card round in 1981, a 31-27 Buffalo win at Shea Stadium, as Joe Ferguson threw two touchdown passes to Frank Lewis. Ferguson and Jets quarterback Richard Todd each threw four interceptions in the game.

–Jets wide receiver Jeremy Kerley is reportedly being suspended by the league for an undisclosed violation, but as of Tuesday, he was still preparing to play in Thursday’s game against the Bills because the team hadn’t received an official notice of suspension, according to head coach Todd Bowles.

Neither Bowles nor Kerley would comment on the matter Tuesday, with both calling it a league matter.

“Right now, my main focus is on Thursday,” Kerley said after practicing on Tuesday.

But the league is set to punish the 28-year-old, according to multiple media reports. Kerley had a key muffed punt late in the fourth quarter against the Falcons, who turned a two-point lead into a five-point advantage on the ensuing possession.

Kerley has played 55 percent of the Jets’ offensive snaps in the first eight games and is the team’s third-leading receiver behind Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse, with 217 yards and a touchdown on 22 catches.

Bowles said the team is prepared if Kerley can’t play against Buffalo. Rookies Chad Hansen and ArDarius Stewart, who was inactive last week, can play in the slot.

Three Jets have been suspended during the regular season — tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, wide receiver Jalin Marshall (currently on the practice squad) and now Kerley.

–The Jets added depth to their hobbled cornerback corps by trading with the 49ers for Rashard Robinson just before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET trade deadline. The Jets gave San Francisco their fifth-round pick in next year’s draft.

The 22-year-old out of LSU, who is in his second season after being drafted by San Francisco in the fourth round last year, started the first seven games for the 49ers but was demoted from the starting lineup for last week’s game against the Eagles. He was benched in part because of penalties, as he’s been called for 10 already this season. The Jets have been called for 56 penalties this season, tied for sixth most in the league.

Head coach Todd Bowles, who spoke to reporters around 3:50 p.m. on Tuesday, wasn’t aware of the trade until someone asked him about it.

“Did we?” he asked about trading for Robinson. “I wasn’t aware of that, but I’ll go upstairs and check on it.”

With starting cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Buster Skrine questionable for Thursday’s game against the Bills, the Jets had four healthy corners — Juston Burris, Derrick Jones, Darryl Roberts and Robert Nelson.

Robinson has 55 tackles, two interceptions, 15 pass deflections and a forced fumble in 22 career games.

Rookie safety Jamal Adams played with Robinson one season at LSU. He called Robinson “aggressive” and someone who “is long, rangy (and someone who) has all the tools to be one of the best.”

NOTES: CB Buster Skrine, who suffered a concussion two weeks ago against the Dolphins, participated in Wednesday’s walk-through and will play Thursday against the Bills. … DE Muhammed Wilkerson (shoulder, foot) did not participate in Wednesday’s walk-through and is listed as questionable. … CB Morris Claiborne (foot) did not participate in Wednesday’s walk-through and is listed as questionable. … RT Brandon Shell (neck) did not participate in Wednesday’s walk-through and is listed as doubtful. … SS Terrence Brooks (hamstring) did not participate in Wednesday’s walk-through and is listed as doubtful. … TE Jordan Leggett was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. The rookie out of Clemson, whom the Jets selected in the fifth round of the draft, hasn’t played this season after sustaining a knee injury in the preseason. The 22-year-old caught seven passes for 95 yards in Clemson’s 35-31 win over Alabama in last year’s College Football Playoff National Championship. … DE Xavier Cooper was signed by the Jets on Tuesday, taking TE Jordan Leggett’s spot on the 53-man roster. Cooper, a 25-year-old out of Washington State, gives the Jets more depth on the defensive front in case Muhammad Wilkerson is unable to play Thursday. Cooper, who was released from the 49ers last week, was a third-round pick of the Browns in 2015. He has 46 tackles and two sacks in 32 career games for Cleveland and San Francisco. … DE Ed Stinson was released on Tuesday. He played in four games for the Jets and made one tackle.

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