Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills are slumping. Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets are struggling.
Questions, doubts and even some major changes have emerged during two-game losing streaks for both teams.
And, despite it all, they’ll square off Monday night for first place in the AFC East.
“Because we started 3-0 and we’ve lost the last two against two good teams, you can find yourself questioning things,” said Allen, who has never lost three straight as Buffalo’s starting quarterback. “We’re just sticking together, sticking to the game plan and just trusting the process.”
Meanwhile, the Jets (2-3) have changed theirs in a big way.
Owner Woody Johnson stunningly fired coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday, disappointed in the direction his team appeared headed. With 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, Johnson knows the Jets have a tight window to try to win with him, so he made a change and installed defensive co-ordinator Jeff Ulbrich as the interim coach for the rest of the season.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind, a little bit of a tornado,” Ulbrich said before running his first practice Thursday. “But it’s exciting at the same time.”
Rodgers and the offence will have a different voice in charge after Ulbrich demoted Nathaniel Hackett and promoted passing game co-ordinator Todd Downing, also the Jets’ quarterbacks coach, to be the primary playcaller.
“We’re moving on to the Bills. It is time,” said Ulbrich, who’ll continue to lead the Jets’ defence. “It’s time we get this thing going. Start playing the brand of football we know we’re capable of. So, the entirety of our focus is now on the Buffalo Bills.”
And that has their division rivals unsure as to what to expect from their usually familiar foes.
“My sense is they’re going to be prepared to go Monday night,” Allen said of the Jets. “We’re going to have to handle every shot they throw at us and keep getting back up and moving forward. Have to have a great sense of urgency, get off to a hot start and find ways to stay on the field on third down and score touchdowns when we’re down in the red zone.”
Finding balance
Bills coach Sean McDermott acknowledged Allen might be trying to do a little too much on offence. “I mean, I think we all press, don’t we?” he said. The key for Allen, McDermott said, is when he finds the right balance of being aggressive while staying within the offensive plan. “You’ve got to go through the ebbs and flows of the season and manage them, and sometimes it’s a gentle reminder of, ‘Okay, this is the way that I’ve got to go about it,’” he added.
Not-so-jolly Rodgers
Rodgers is coming off his worst game with the Jets after tying a career high with three interceptions in New York’s 23-17 loss to Minnesota in London last Sunday. He’s also dealing with a sprained left ankle, a week after needing treatment for a sore left knee. Rodgers shouldered some responsibility for the changes made this week to the staff because of his subpar play, saying he takes it “very personally. Because just as in life, there’s opportunities and choices and parallel universes with each choice you make or didn’t make,” he said. “And the same thing with this business. You make this throw, make that throw, you’re sitting at 4-1 and we’re not here right now.”
Going hungry
The Bills’ spread-the-ball “everyone eats” motto to open the season has failed in the past two outings, with questions raised as to why receiver Curtis Samuel and tight end Dawson Knox weren’t more involved. Samuel has nine catches for 48 yards while having yet to play more than 22 offensive snaps in a game. Knox has just three catches for 30 yards and is being used in a more of a blocking role. Allen would like to change that. “We talk about ‘everyone eats,’ and it’s fine and dandy when everybody is, but sometimes there’s people that are left out and you want to continue to incorporate them in your offence. And he’s one guy that we’ve got to get going,” Allen said, referring to Knox. “We’re better when [No.] 88 is playing well.”
Stuffed
One of the major issues for the Jets’ offence has been the disappearance of the running game, which was expected to be a strength with Breece Hall and rookie Braelon Allen leading the way. Instead, New York ranks last in the NFL in rushing offence, something Downing will now be charged with improving after Hackett couldn’t get it done. The Jets’ offensive line has struggled mightily the past few weeks, another reason Hall is averaging just 3 yards per carry, way off his career average of 4.5. “We’ve got to run the ball better,” Rodgers said. “I’ve got to play better and we’ve got to be better on first and second down.”