Buffalo offense vs. New York defense

	BILLS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	2
	Pass	19
	Tot. Yds.	10
	Scoring	15
	Int's allowed	11
	Sacks allowed	16
	JETS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	20
	vs. Pass	22
	Total yds. allowed	22
	# of Ints.	11
	# of Sacks	17
	Turnover differential	-7

Buffalo's recent diversified scheme has untracked this unit. Offensive coordinator Joe Panos has been has been brilliant in his precise game planning over the past two weeks, but now the challenge is to overcome the loss of RB Jonathan Linton, and remain productive on the ground with Antowain Smith carrying the load with an ailing turf toe. The Bills have surprisingly climbed to the top of the league in rushing, averaging 135.4-yards per game, and have done so with a split duty running back situation and an offensive line that is finally back to full strength and playing together as a unit as originally planned.

This week, Panos' game plan may be a bit more condensed. Conventional thinking would say to open it up with the current condition of the running back corps and try to gain the yardage in the air, however, against a Jets team that is having trouble putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks anyway, the necessity to open it up to neutralize the rush is not there.

Moreover, FB Sam Gash has been phenomenal the past couple of weeks as the lead blocker. He seems to be playing with new passion and is bulldozing through the intended hole, rarely missing his assignment.

The biggest difference for the Jets has been the emergence of CB Marcus Coleman and the resurgence ILB Marvin Jones. Coleman has wrestled away the starting right corner job from Ray Mickens, shoring up a secondary that was causing the front seven to have to do too much. What this has done is allow the linebacking corps to spend more time focusing on stuffing the run and creating pressure instead of having to drop into coverage and worry about their flat and underneath responsibility. Jones, after missing last season because of major knee surgery, has raised his level of play the past couple of weeks, and is showing the ability to get through trash and make more plays against the run. Add in a lot of twists and stunts up front with an occasional 4-3 defensive set, and this defense is now an active and efficient group.

The Bills goal is to keep the Jets defense on its toes. The emergence of Peerless Price as a solid No. 2 receiver means that the Bills passing game is capable of spreading the field and putting a ton of pressure on opposing secondaries. Even when teams have been able to take the receivers out of plays on the outside, QB Doug Flutie is becoming a lot more adept at throwing the ball over the middle of the field and utilizing his big, athletic tight end.

Expect to see a lot of production underneath and in the middle of the field against the Jets, as New York looks to take away Flutie's outside option and will vacate the middle of the field with their linebackers coming on the blitz.

The one advantage the Jets do have coming into this game is that Jonathan Linton, who is out for at least two more weeks, was the team's top receiver out of the backfield, which will really limit Flutie's dump off options in the passing game.

The Jets are going to have a difficult time running the ball between the tackles on Sunday because of the way Buffalo has dominated up front in the last two weeks. NT Ted Washington is clogging the middle and allowing ILB's Sam Cowart and John Holecek to flow freely to the ball.

Buffalo was having trouble early in the season against teams that ran the ball downhill because DE's Bruce Smith and Phil Hansen were not stacking up well at the line of scrimmage. It seems that Smith and Hansen are now rounding into shape and have been spelled for some valuable minutes by reserves Pat Williams, Shawn Price, Marcellus Wiley and Sean Moran. This is allowing the veteran defensive ends to stay fresh later in games, and it is giving Smith and Williams a chance to be more productive as pass rushers.

Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis has been working tirelessly to find a way to move the ball down the field in the passing game without putting his young quarterback, Ray Lucas, in jeopardy of throwing into coverage.

The Jets have had to condense their offense, especially their receivers' routes, in order to run a more risk passing scheme. Weis has designed a passing attack that features an abundance of underneath routes with short-to-intermediate reads to one-half of the field. WR's Wayne Chrebet and Keyshawn Johnson have been motioning back and forth to the same side of the field to flood a zone. Chrebet has been running a lot of underneath routes, while Johnson has been working the ten-to-fifteen yards downfield.

The Bills are going to have to run a lot of man/zone coverages underneath to protect themselves against the Jets highly efficient passing attack. Thomas Smith and Ken Irvin will play press coverage underneath with help from the safeties if the Jet's receivers break vertically.

Expect to see the Bills attacking the Jets backside with a heavy dose of combination blitzes and stunts. The loss of OT Jason Fabini has forced the injured Jumbo Elliot into the left tackle position, where he is susceptible to speed off the edge. DE Bruce Smith and OLB Gabe Northern are crucial elements in the Bills pass rush. Smith is going to be called upon to give the Bills a powerful rush from the backside, allowing Northern to split the left tackle and left guard.