Week 4 preview

The AFC East plays shorthanded this Sunday as the Pats are off until Monday night. So on Sunday afternoon we get the Oakland Raiders heading down to Miami while the New York Jets actually play a game in New York, taking on the Bills in Buffalo.

The Jets-Bills matchup seems to favor the Jets, at least on paper. Once again the story for the Bills is injuries, as they lost two more starters last week. I think that makes it a bakers dozen on starters who have been lost due to injury. The remaining starters and backups will look to put the Bills into the win column against their division rivals. Buffalo will need a heavy dose of Marshawn Lynch if they want to win, so look for the rookie RB to get plenty of carries. Backup QB Trent Edwards showed flashes of good play last week, and he will need to continue to improve.

The Jets will be trying to get to .500 after their win over the Dolphins last week. QB Chad Pennington had a solid day, leading the Jets offense to 24 points in a 31-28 victory. The Jets D should have some interesting looks for the rookie Edwards, and I anticipate quite a few turnovers by the Jets. Also, the Jets should be able to move the ball on the ground fairly well, so watch RBs Thomas Jones and Leon Washington.

Down in Miami, the Dolphins try for their first win of the season against the annually awful Oakland Raiders. The Dolphins offense came to life in the second half of last week’s loss, especially RB Ronnie Brown, who is finally getting enough touches to effect the game. He will have trouble finding yards against a very good Raiders D, so QB Trent Green will need to stretch the field to open up some holes for the running game. WR Chris Chambers could be a key, and the offense would certainly get a boost if first-round pick Ted Ginn, Jr. could get some action, too. I anticipate this game being a “defensive struggle”, although it says more about both offenses than either defense in this case.