When the Jets, in search of their first win of the season, welcome the Buffalo Bills to MetLife Stadium on Sunday, one of the biggest things standing in their way will be Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
Quite literally, actually.
The 6-foot-5, 237-pound signal-caller is one of the true dual-threat quarterbacks in the league, rushing the ball 37 times already this season for 143 yards and three touchdowns to go along with his 1,711 passing yards and 16 scores through the air.
But even when he’s not running the ball, Allen is tough to take down for opposing defenses, and Jets’ outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins knows Gang Green must wrap up when they have a chance to bring Allen down on Sunday.
"You’ve got to tackle the guy when you get your chances," Jenkins said Thursday. "You’ve got to treat this guy like you’re tackling a tight end in the open field. The problem is a lot of guys go after him and they get ready to tackle him like a quarterback, but when he’s got the ball and he’s in the pocket, he’s not like a quarterback.
"He’s a bigger guy, he’s a stockier guy, he’s tougher guy, and you’ve got to have the mindset like he’s possible going to lower his shoulder on you and he’s not gonna sit there and do a little move to get away like some quarterbacks."
Jenkins and the Jets know firsthand how tough Allen can be to play against, as the Wyoming product threw for 312 yards and added another 57 on the ground with three total touchdowns in the Bills’ 27-17 win in Orchard Park, N.Y., back in Week 1.
"He’s gonna throw the contact your way, and you have to bring your feet with you," said Jenkins. "He’s not going to go down when he gets touched. He’s going to try to be physical to try to extend the play. You’ve got to come in knowing that he’s not going to go down easy, and you’ve got to just wrap up and keep running your feet."
Allen is 2-2 in his career vs. the Jets, though one of the losses on his record was the 2019 season finale in which he only attempted five passes before the Bills pulled him from the game as they prepared for the playoffs. In those four games, he’s completed 62.9 percent of his passes for 777 yards and added 196 yards on the ground.
If the Jets want to come away with their first win of the season, containing Allen will be the key.
