The New York Jets have had a day off since their 24-3 win over the New England Patriots, so players and coaches had plenty of time to watch football this weekend.
On Monday night, they watched the Buffalo Bills dismantle the Jacksonville Jaguars 47-10, improving their season record to 3-0 and maintaining their lead in the AFC East.
This also underscored the fact that the Jets’ path leads through Buffalo if they want to win the division and thus win a home playoff game if they are lucky enough to reach the postseason.
Buffalo played an incredible game against Jacksonville. Quarterback Josh Allen led the Bills to a touchdown on each of their five possessions in the first half. He finished the game with 263 passing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Mitchell Trubisky took over his position in the fourth quarter.
The biggest moment, however, came on defense. Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin had the first interception of his career.
Hamlin nearly died two years ago in a Monday night game in Cincinnati. He was named the starter at the beginning of the season, and when Buffalo fans realized the hometown hero had caught Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence, everyone went wild.
After just three games of the season, the race in the AFC East is starting to split somewhat. Buffalo is undefeated and New York is one game behind, while Miami and New England are 1-2 after three games.
Interestingly, both Buffalo and New York have scored at least 60 points in their first three games, while Miami and New England have scored fewer than 40 points.
Both the Bills and Jets also have division wins. Buffalo dominated Miami 31-10 last week, while New York already has a win against New England.
The two teams will keep a close eye on each other over the next two weeks. Buffalo travels to Baltimore for a Sunday night game this week, followed by a road game at Houston on Oct. 6.
The Jets, meanwhile, host Denver on Sunday and then travel to London on October 6 to face the Minnesota Vikings.
After that, the Bills and New York will meet for the first time when the two face off at MetLife Stadium on Monday night, October 14.
It’s possible that the Bills will be undefeated and the Jets will be a game behind them when they face each other for the first time this season. That would be the biggest game in the division yet if that happens.
