Bills try to avoid first 3-game skid with Allen as starter and face Jets led by interim Ulbrich

Buffalo (3-2) at New York Jets (2-3)

Monday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN.

BetMGM NFL odds: Bills by 2 1/2.

Series record: Bills lead 69-58.

Against the spread: Bills 2-3, Jets 2-3.

Last meeting: Bills beat Jets 32-6 on Nov. 19, 2023, in Buffalo.

Last week: Bills lost to Texans 23-23; Jets lost to Vikings 23-17.

Bills offense: overall (22), rush (14), pass (24t), scoring (3).

Bills defense: overall (20), rush (26), pass (14), scoring (12t).

Jets offense: overall (27), rush (32), pass (19), scoring (25).

Jets defense: overall (2), rush (14), pass (2), scoring (5t).

Turnover differential: Bills plus-7; Jets even.

Bills player to watch

WR Khalil Shakir. If he returns after missing last week with a right ankle injury, the third-year receiver could help settle the Bills’ passing attack. Shakir has been Josh Allen’s most reliable option, having caught 18 of 19 passes thrown in his direction with a team-leading 230 yards receiving and two touchdowns. If he doesn’t return, the question remains which of Buffalo’s other receivers can step up after the position group combined for four catches on 18 targets last week.

Jets player to watch

QB Aaron Rodgers. The 40-year-old quarterback is dealing with a sprained left ankle and sore hamstring a week after having a sore left knee. A lot of the Jets’ success on offense is tied to how healthy and effective Rodgers can be. The past two weeks, he has been sacked eight times and hit 25 times, so the offensive line needs to help keep Rodgers upright. He’ll face the Bills for the first time since tearing his left Achilles tendon four snaps into the season opener last year, also in a “Monday Night Football” game.

Key matchup

Allen vs. Jets’ passing defense. Allen hasn’t thrown an interception this season, a career-best run, but the Bills have also been in a bit of a rut with their passing game. Their 42 passing first downs through five games are their fewest since having 33 in 2018. And opponents have outscored Buffalo 38-6 in the first half. Now the Bills face a Jets defense that has been stingy against the pass, ranking second in the NFL.

Key injuries

The Bills are getting healthier, though several new players bear monitoring after RB James Cook (foot/toe) and WR Curtis Samuel (foot/toe) didn’t practice Wednesday. ... Starting S Taylor Rapp was cleared from concussion protocol after missing one game. ... CB Taron Johnson (right forearm) could return after missing four games. ... Shakir and DT Ed Oliver (hamstring) are uncertain to play after missing last week. ... Jets CB Michael Carter II has a back ailment that was being evaluated through the week. ... DL Leki Fotu returned to practice last week after four weeks on IR with a hamstring injury, but wasn’t activated. ... RT Morgan Moses (knee) has missed two games in a row and LB C.J. Mosley (toe) three straight.

Series notes

The teams have split the past two season series, with each winning at home during that span. ... Buffalo is 15-8 in the past 23 meetings since snapping a six-game skid spanning the 2009-12 seasons.

Stats and stuff

The Jets could move into a tie with the Bills for first place in the AFC East with a victory. ... The Bills have never lost three straight with Allen as their starter. The previous time they dropped three in a row was a four-game skid in 2018, which coincided with Allen missing three of those games with an injury to his throwing elbow. The losing streak ended with Matt Barkley starting and beating the Jets 41-10. ... Buffalo is 18-6 following a loss since the start of the 2019 season. ... Allen hasn’t thrown an interception this season, a career-best run, after being picked off a career-high 18 times last year. His two lost fumbles account for both of Buffalo’s giveaways this year. ... Allen is set to play in his 100th game. His 231 touchdowns (passing, rushing and receiving) are tied with Patrick Mahomes for the most by a player in his first seven seasons. ... Cook is Buffalo’s first player topping 300 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving through the team’s first five games since Fred Jackson in 2013. ... Against Houston, the Bills dropped to 14-3 when topping 100 yards rushing since the start of 2023. ... Buffalo has been held under 300 yards three times (including a win over Miami), matching the number of times that has happened since the start of the 2022 season. ... Buffalo’s 42 passing first downs through five games are the fewest since having 33 in 2018. ... The Jets will play their first game with Jeff Ulbrich serving as the interim head coach after Robert Saleh was fired Tuesday. Ulbrich, who played linebacker for 10 seasons with San Francisco, has been New York’s defensive coordinator since 2021. ... Ulbrich replaced offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett with passing game coordinator Todd Downing as the play caller on offense. ... Rodgers is coming off his worst game with the Jets after he tied a career worst with three interceptions, including one for a pick-6 in the first quarter and another on New York’s final drive to seal the loss in London. ... Rodgers became the ninth player in NFL history to throw for 60,000 yards in regular-season games. He now has 60,148. Rodgers also passed Dan Marino for seventh on the NFL’s list for total yards passing in both regular-season and playoff games. ... New York’s running game ranks last in the NFL and RB Breece Hall is averaging just 3 yards per carry, far off his career average of 4.5. ... After a slow start to the season, WR Garrett Wilson caught a career-high 13 passes for a season-high 101 yards on a personal-best 22 targets last week. No Jets player has had 10 or more receptions in consecutive games since Keyshawn Johnson in 1999. ... Edge rusher Will McDonald is tied for second in the NFL with a career-high six sacks to go along with 22 quarterback pressures. He has at least four pressures in four straight games. ... The Jets have held four opponents to 300 yards or fewer this season, tied with Miami for the most in the NFL. ... New York had six penalties on defense last week, including three on CB Sauce Gardner and two on CB D.J. Reed. ... The Jets have recovered a fumble on defense in four straight games, their longest such streak since doing so four consecutive games between Week 17 in 2014 and Week 3 in 2015.

Fantasy tip

Wilson’s big performance last week in London marked his re-emergence as a WR1 after he and Rodgers were slow to build an on-field rapport. Wilson, who has 211 receptions in just 39 games, remains a must-start in fantasy lineups despite the inconsistent start by Rodgers and the offense.

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