You have to give the NFL credit for its ability to create buzz, because that’s exactly what they did when the 2023 schedule was released.
Future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers had just been traded by Green Bay to New York in late April, and the league’s PR machine went into overdrive as it finalized the Week 1 matchups.
Rodgers making his Jets debut on Monday Night Football, on a particularly important date in New York City history, Sept. 11, at MetLife Stadium against the three-time defending AFC East champion Buffalo Bills?
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Yeah, that works.
For the Bills, it’s about as tough a Week 1 assignment as they can have given all of the above, plus the fact that the Jets gave the them two of their toughest games in 2022, splitting the two-game set, and that was with Mike White quarterbacking one game and Zack Wilson the other. Neither of them will ever be confused with Rodgers, even a 39-year-old Rodgers.
The other day, Josh Allen appeared on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio channel with host Adam Schein and said this about Rodgers.
“He’s a first ballot Hall of Fame quarterback, a guy defenses hate going against. I’ve grown up watching him and loving his game and trying to emulate him on the field. He’s such a great football player and I think he’s a great human. I’ve spent a lot of time with him and I’ve developed a pretty good relationship with him. Those battles are going to be fun. He’s who he is for a reason. He’s a bad man. We get them twice a year going forward.”
Here’s an early look ahead to the matchup:
Top players for New York Jets on offense, defense
▶ QB Aaron Rodgers: After 18 years in Green Bay, he’s the biggest story in Gotham. In all that time with the Packers he faced the Bills only four times, winning twice at Lambeau Field and losing twice in Orchard Park. Now he’ll face the Bills twice in a span of 12 weeks.
▶ RB Dalvin Cook: There is a little mystery as to whether Breece Hall will play, and if so, how much as he returns from a knee injury. Cook, the brother of Bills RB James Cook, was signed by the Jets a few weeks ago and he’s an awfully nice alternative plan. Remember last year, Cook broke an 81-yard TD run for the Vikings which started Minnesota on its huge comeback against the Bills.
▶ WR Garrett Wilson: After a dynamic rookie season when he caught 83 passes for 1,103 yards and four TDs and was named the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year, Wilson is already being considered one of the best WRs in the NFL.
▶ WR Allen Lazard: He caught 133 passes for 1,042 and 17 TDs in the previous three seasons from Rodgers in Green Bay and now they’re reunited in New York.
▶ DT Quinnen Williams: He’s a monster in the middle of the Jets D-line, one of the best DTs in the NFL. Last year he has three sacks in two games against the Bills.
▶ LB C.J. Mosley: He’s still one of the best every-down LBs in the game. Last season in two games against the Bills had 15 tackles, a sack and two pass breakups.
▶ CB Sauce Gardner: He was the 2022 defensive rookie of the year and a Pro Bowl invite. It was astonishing how good he was in man coverage and he’ll be a tough matchup even for Stefon Diggs if they line up against each other. He had 20 passes defended last season. Dane Jackson led the Bills with 12.
Meet the 2023 Buffalo Bills:Here is the 53-man roster
What the game means to Buffalo Bills, New York Jets
It’s Week 1, and there’s always something a little bit special about opening day, or in this case opening night. Particularly in this matchup as it pits division rivals who both believe they have a great chance to not only finish in first place, but contend for a Super Bowl title.
And this one carries added significance, especially for the Jets. First of all, it’s the debut of Rodgers which is one of the biggest storylines of the season. And of course, the date of the game is certainly notable - Sept. 11. There will almost surely be a remembrance of what happened on that dark date 22 years ago which will further get the sellout crowd amped up.
Who is favored to win Bills vs Jets?
The Bills have opened as a 2.5-point favorite. The money line is Bills minus-140 (bet $140 to win $100) and Jets plus-110 (bet $100 to win $110). The over-under is 46.5.
What time does the Bills vs Jets game start?
Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m at MetLife Stadium.
How to watch Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets game on TV, streaming
∎ Network TV: ABC. The game will be available locally via the following stations: WHAM-TV Channel 13, Rochester); WKBW (Buffalo area); WSYR (Syracuse area); WUTR (Utica area); WENY (Elmira area); WTEN (Albany area); WIVT (Binghamton area).
∎ Cable TV: ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+. With your TV subscription you can also watch on your phone or tablet on ESPN.com, the ESPN mobile app, and ESPN Deportes.
∎ Streaming services: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV - you must watch on your phone or tablet.
NFL+ is available in the NFL App across all app stores and NFL.com for $6.99/month or $49.99/year, and it now includes NFL Network across devices. Fans can upgrade to NFL+ Premium for $14.99/month or $99.99/year, and get all of the content and features of NFL+ as well as full and condensed game replays, the All-22 Coaches Film, and now NFL RedZone.
Also, for a limited time only, NFL Media is offering a 20% discount off the yearly subscription price for both NFL+ and NFL+ Premium. With it, you’ll be able to watch every local game on Sunday and the national games on Monday and Thursday nights as well as the playoffs and the Super Bowl.
You can also stream if you have subscriptions to DirecTV, fuboTV, NFL+, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV.
On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Jets game
You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on channel 88 (Bills) and channel 388 (Jets), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:
- Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)
- Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)
- Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)
- Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)
- Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)
- Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)
- Newark (WACK 1420 AM)
- Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)
- Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)
- Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)
- Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)
Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana and on Threads @salmaiorana1. To subscribe to Sal's newsletter, Bills Blast, which will come out every Friday during training camp, please follow this link:https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
