New York Jets Set for Tumultuous Week in Preparation for Buffalo Bills

The New York Jets enter Monday’s game with the Buffalo Bills at a fork-in-the-road after the firing of coach Robert Saleh.

Feb 3, 2024; Mobile, AL, USA; National head coach Jeff Ulbrich of the New York Jets talks with staff during the first half of the 2024 Senior Bowl football game at Hancock Whitney Stadium. / Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

It’s safe to say this is going to be a unique week of preparation for the New York Jets as they gear up for a Monday night showdown with the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium.

It’s not every day your head coach gets fired. But Jets owner Woody Johnson made a move that reportedly stunned Robert Saleh by letting the fourth-year coach go with one more year left on his contract.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will be the interim head coach. His first order of business is to try and jolt a moribund Jets (2-3) offense, which has been at the root of the team’s last two losses.

Johnson believes he has the best team he’s ever had as team owner. It’s up to Ulbrich, the rest of the staff and the players to prove him right.

The Bills (3-2) are coming off a loss to Houston on Sunday, one in which the Bills made some highly questionable decisions. Buffalo has its own questions and the Bills’ slow start means the AFC East race is still wide open.

That likely played a role in Johnson’s decision on Tuesday.

Here is a preview of the Jets and Bills.

Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets

MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.

Time, Day: 8:20 p.m., ET, Monday

TV: ESPN

Radio: 104.3 FM (flagship)

Records: Jets: 2-3; Bills: 3-2.

Last week: New York Jets lost to Minnesota, 23-17; Buffalo lost to Houston, 23-20.

Coaches: Jets — Jeff Ulbrich (interim, 0-0, head-coaching debut); Bills — Sean McDermott (eighth year, 76-43 with Bills, 76-43 career).

Fun fact: Ulbrich was changing colleges before it was cool. He played for San Jose State, Gavilan CC in California and Hawai’i before he played 10 years in the NFL, all with San Francisco.

All-Times Series: Buffalo leads series, 69-58.

Last meeting: Buffalo 32, New York Jets 6 (Nov. 19, 2023)

Series notes: The Jets have lost six of their last eight to the Bills. As long as they’ve been in the same league (AFL) and division, the two teams have only met in the playoffs once — Dec. 27, 1981, with the Bills winning, 31-27.

About the Jets: So the locals wanted Saleh out and they got their wish. But is that actually going to solve the problem? Because the problem is the offense, not the Jets defense, which has only allowed two touchdowns in the last three games.

Ulbrich said to reporters on Tuesday that he intends to examine everything about the offense and, frankly, he doesn’t have much time. Game planning begins on Thursday and there a potential decision to be made on play-caller (Saleh was reportedly going to make a chance at play-caller before he was canned) and on the offensive scheme (which is tailor-made for quarterback Aaron Rodgers).

Linebacker Quincy Williams called for accountability on Sunday’s loss. In some respect, he got it. But if the offense doesn’t change or become more productive, then firing Saleh just made some Jets fans feel better for a beat. The legacy of this unusual move (Johnson has never fired a coach during the season) is yet to be written.

About the Bills: Things are kind of weird in Buffalo, too. In a tie game with less than a minute, the Bills were on their own 3-yard-line and opted to pass it three straight times, all of which landed incomplete. Per ESPN research, the Bills were the only team in the last 45 years to be tied or leading in the final minute of the game, inside their own 5-yard line and throw three straight passes. The Texans got the ball back and won on a  59-yard field goal.

McDermott took responsibility for the loss. But, given how tepid the rest of the AFC East has come out of the gate, the Bills have squandered chances to put real distance between themselves and the rest of the division.

Quarterback Josh Allen is also coming off an epically bad game. He had the lowest completion percentage in a game with at least 30 pass attempts in the past 30 seasons.

So was all that a one-off? The Bills will find out on Monday night.

Next Up: The Jets travel to Pittsburgh on Oct. 20. The Bills host Tennessee on Oct. 20.