Live thread: Bills at Jets on ‘Monday Night Football’

Week 6 concludes with the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets battling it out on “Monday Night Football.” Come chat with us in our open thread.

The Buffalo Bills and New York Jets will close out Week 6 with an AFC East battle on “Monday Night Football.” These two teams have met 127 times in their histories, with the Bills holding a 68-58 regular season edge, including winning the only time these two teams met in the playoffs.

The Bills (3-2) started the season by beating the Cardinals, Dolphins , and Jaguars, but have lost their most recent two games to the Ravens and Texans . Buffalo struggled mightily against Baltimore, but Houston needed a final-second, walk-off 59-yard field goal to secure their win.

The Jets (2-3) have been a mess from the beginning of the season. They fell to the 49ers in the opener, beat the Titans and Patriots the following weeks, then lost to the Broncos and Vikings (in England) in their two most recent games. Their loss to the Vikings was poor enough that the Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh the day after they returned from London. In the fallout, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was promoted to interim head coach but will still call the defensive plays, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was stripped of his play calling duties, and quarterbacks coach Todd Downing will now call the offense on game days.

Betting line and pick for the game

The folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook opened the betting line at Bills -2.5, but over the last 24 hours, that number has dropped to Bills -1.5 points.

The general rule of thumb is to never bet against an interim head coach in their first game, and the betting line seems to reflect that, as the betting line is likely moving because of wagers being placed on the Jets and the points.

But I’m not buying it. The Bills take care of business against bad teams and make no mistake, the Jets are a bad team. Even if Ulbrich is able to call plays and manage the overall team at the same time, I’m very weary of the three-headed power struggle on offense, as I expect Downing, Hackett, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers to fight for influence.

Prediction: Bills 24-14

Here’s how to watch tonight’s “Monday Night Football” game:

Bills at Jets

Date: Monday, October 14, 2024
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
TV: ABC/ESPN/ESPN2
ESPN Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Lisa Salters (field reporter)
ESPN 2: The Manningcast
Online Streaming: ESPN+ , ESPN APP , NFL Sunday Ticket via YouTube , NFL+ Premium

Manningcast guest list includes former Patriots coach Bill Belichick in the first half, followed by celebrity guest Will Arnett, and former head coach of both the Jets and Bills turned ESPN football analyst (and noted Lions fan) Rex Ryan.

Enjoy the game and come chat with us in the comments.