ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Bills are playing for playoff position.
The Jets are playing out the string.
That is the matchup on Sunday in Western New York as the Jets and Bills meet for the 128th time.
The Bills (12-3) can secure the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs with a win.
The playoff dream was dashed weeks ago for the Jets (4-11).
They are now playing for pride.
Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers said this week that the team will find out who are the pros on the team by how much effort is put forth in these last two weeks against the Bills and Dolphins.
“I think sometimes you need to say things like that to remind guys how important it is to be a professional, and this is a 365-day-a-year job, at least that’s how you’ve got to approach it to stick around in the league for a long time,” Rodgers said. “I may be old, and been in 20 years and sound like a coach sometimes, but I just believe that the players that are the most motivated stick around the longest, and those players can inspire other players, so if I say something like that it’s because I want guys to finish things out the right way.”
The Jets are coming off a 19-9 loss to the Rams, their third game this season of scoring fewer than 10 points.
They now see a division rival that they have not beaten since Week 1 of the 2023 season.
Rodgers said people will be paying attention to see how much effort the Jets give.
“If I see somebody who is not doing it the right way, then I’ll say something,” Rodgers said, “but the beauty is that everybody is watching, this is an audition for all of us, there’s a new regime coming in, at least in the GM spot, and we’ve got to figure out who is going to be on the squad moving forward, and these are important times for all the guys.”
The Jets are 2-8 since Robert Saleh was fired in October.
It has been one of the most disappointing seasons in Jets history.
Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said this is when you learn about players and coaches.
“Adversity’s a gift because it really reveals peoples true identity and their true character,” Ulbrich said. “When you’re rolling and things are going well and you’re making a push for the playoffs, and you have things to play for regarding the postseason of course you’re going to get peoples best. In moments like this, it’s a really opportune time to look around and see how people respond, and that’s why I’m so confident we’re going to finish the way that we need to finish because of the character of this locker room.”