Bills' Stefon Diggs On Jets: 'Hell of a Defense!'

The Buffalo Bills only averaged 18.5 points per game against the New York Jets last season. Stefon Diggs is out to change that.

Few defenses gave the Buffalo Bills offense more trouble than the New York Jets' last season. Now, the Bills may find themselves playing an even better version of the Jets on Monday.

"They had a real good team last year [and] they didn't do anything but get better,'' Bills receiver Stefon Diggs said. Especially defensively, it's another year in that system. They have an amazing head coach(in Robert Saleh) ...They've got a hell of a defense."

New York's defense was fourth in points allowed per game (18.6), fourth in yards allowed per game (311.1) and tied for seventh in sacks with 45. Offensively, the Jets squandered their elite defense by only averaging 17.4 points per game, the fourth worst in the NFL. 

In their first meeting last season on Nov. 6, New York held Buffalo to just three points in the second half en route to a 20-17 win. Seventeen points was the fewest Buffalo scored in the regular season in 2022.

Josh Allen ran for two touchdowns in the first half, but he was consistently under pressure throughout the game when he dropped back to pass. He was 18 of 34 for 205 yards and threw two interceptions. Allen was also sacked five times and injured his elbow after being hit as he threw by Bryce Huff with under a minute left in the game.

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

"They made some adjustments," Diggs said. "They did a great job. I feel like they had a great plan. It's playing chess out there.''

Diggs added, while being careful to avoid excuses: "Josh got injured. That's a huge blow. The injury he had was very rare, but it's a quarterback injury, so it's hard to throw ... It's no shade. I think their defense is one of the great ones we've got right now, especially going against them year-in and year-out."

Buffalo fared much better in the second meeting on Dec. 11, scoring 13 unanswered points in the third quarter in a 20-12 win. Buffalo's 20 points was its third-fewest scored in the regular season last year. 

With the addition of rookie defensive end Will McDonald and an offense much more capable of pulling its weight with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, the Bills might have their hands full again as they play the Jets on Monday Night Football at MetLife Stadium at 8:15 p.m. ET.