New Jersey will be rocking when former New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan brings his Buffalo Bills to town for a Thursday night showdown. Both teams are on the cusp of making a run for the postseason, and the Bills need a win to tie the Jets for second place in the AFC East.
Ryan has never been one to shy away from headline-making moves, including earlier this week when he announced defensive end IK Enemkpali -- the former Jets player who broke quarterback Geno Smith's jaw in the preseason -- would be a co-captain for the game.
The Bills' offense relied on big plays last week in a win over the Dolphins. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor is back under center and hit Sammy Watkins for a total of 168 yards on eight catches, including a 44-yard touchdown. The run game has also been strong, with both LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams racking up long touchdown runs and more than 100 yards each last Sunday.
The Jets didn't look great against the Jaguars last week, but they were able to break their two-game losing streak and improve to 3-5. Injuries have continued to plague the team, but quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick returned and didn't look bad despite nursing a thumb injury that will eventually surgery.
The receiving corps is banged up, and with the offensive line failing to protect Fitzpatrick and also failing to create running lanes, the offense has seemingly stalled. Running back Chris Ivory didn't get much room to run on Sunday, but he's been more of a factor in the passing game in the past few weeks.
Emotions will be high when the former Jets coach leads his team in the place he once called home. But more importantly, both teams are looking toward the possibility of a postseason run.
How to watch
When: 8:25 p.m. ET
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
TV: NFL Network
Announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Tracy Wolfson
Online: NFL Game Pass