Buffalo Bills at New York Jets: First-half open thread

When the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets begin their game this afternoon, it will be a matchup marred by injuries even before the opening kickoff. Buffalo declared five players out on Friday, four of whom have been starters all season (and one, cornerback Cam Lewis, who claimed a starting role last week). The Jets, meanwhile, are without their kicker, Sam Ficken, and their best wide receiver, Jamison Crowder.

On the plus side, each team has its starting quarterback ready to roll, as Josh Allen faces off against his friend and 2018 NFL Draft classmate Sam Darnold for the fifth time (in 2018, Matt Barkley and Josh McCown were the starters in the first Bills-Jets contest). Darnold has missed the last two games with an AC joint injury in his shoulder, and while there was a possibility that veteran Joe Flacco would start again this week, Darnold is healthy enough to play.

Will the Bills be able to bounce back from consecutive losses against the AFC’s elite? Will the Jets be able to win a game? Will 37-year-old Frank Gore exact his revenge on the Bills? Can Stefon Diggs thrive with John Brown out? Will the teams be able to escape from East Rutherford without any more injuries? The answers to all these questions and more await us today.

Here is your first half open thread, ladies and gentlemen. Enjoy the game—go Bills!

After the game

Stick around tonight for our live postgame show with J Spence The King! We’ll post information on it in our postgame threads. It starts at 7 p.m. EDT.