Jets’ injury recipe to revive Bills’ disappointing pass rush

The New York Jets are down to their third left tackle heading into their Week 17 visit to Highmark Stadium.

It’s certainly not ideal for the Jets, but it could be just what the Buffalo Bills’ pass rush needs to recover when the two division rivals face off on December 29.

The Bills rank 25th out of 32 teams in sack percentage (0.0659). Individually, neither starter AJ Epenesa nor veteran Von Miller have recorded a sack over the past four weeks, as content creator Joe Marino on X pointed out.

Meanwhile, the Jets have already lost two left tackles to season-ending injuries and their right side bookend is currently damaged.

First, perennial All-Pro Tyron Smith went on injured reserve, and first-round rookie Olu Fashanu stepped in as the starting left tackle. While proving more than serviceable, Fashanu suffered a foot injury on December 22 against the Los Angeles Rams. This forced the Jets to go down the depth chart and insert Max Mitchell on Aaron Rodgers’ blindside.

Mitchell, a fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft, has struggled to establish himself at the NFL level. He replaced Fashanu in last week’s loss, but appears to be at a physical disadvantage against high-level rushers.

On the other side, grizzled veteran Morgan Moses is dealing with a knee injury. After back-to-back days of practice on the sidelines, Moses became a limited participant Friday. Although his play is officially questionable, he seems likely to give it a shot. Moses was on the injury report leading up to the Week 16 game against Los Angeles and started playing every snap.

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If Moses is indeed somewhat compromised, Miller could have a chance to wreak havoc on that front. Miller was the Bills’ highest-rated defensive player (83.0) against New England in Week 16 according to Focus on professional footballwhich credited him with five runs.

With Mitchell and a banged-up Moses manning the Jets’ tackle spots, and an immobile Rodgers nursing a sprained MCL, the stage is set for Buffalo’s pass rush to eat in Week 17.

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