New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills game inactive

The adjective for the Jets’ week just past is “whirlwind.” The Green and White fell below .500 with their second straight loss, this time against the Vikings in London. Three days later, Jets owner Woody Johnson replaced head coach Robert Saleh with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.

The “Brick” Jets’ first test will be on Monday night in prime time against their long-time division foe, the Buffalo Bills. And they've regained the services of two injured starters to help them in the fight.

Still, the Jets and their fans should be excited about what lies ahead. A win over the Bills means the Jets can finish Week 6 of the NFL by moving into first place in the AFC East, despite the wind that hit them after their Week 5 loss.

The Jets and Bills would be tied at 3-3, ahead of the Dolphins (2-3 after their bye week) and the Patriots (1-5 after their home loss to Houston). That would be the fourth time since 2002 that the Jets would be alone or tied for first place after six weeks of a season. The last season in first place was 2012.

And since division realignment in 2002, if a team leads (or is tied) its division after Week 6, it has made the playoffs 72.8% of the time. Over the last five seasons, the rate has been even higher: a team that was leading its division or tied after Week 6 made the playoffs 83.0% of the time (39 of 47).

Add to that the fact that an MNF win for the Jets, coupled with their 24-3 triumph over the Patriots in their Week 3 home opener, would give them their first 2-0 start in the division since 2012 and 2010 before that. Anyway, the Jets have won their last two primetime games at MetLife Stadium against the Bills: at TNF in 2017 and in the season opener last year.

But you'll have to work hard to get a jet. Although the Bills will be playing their third straight road game with losses at Baltimore and Houston in the last two weeks, they are 3-2 and have a potentially explosive offense – their 28.4 points per game are No. 1 after Sunday's games. 5 in the league. QB Josh Allen hasn't thrown an interception in his 131 passes, the longest streak without a pick to start an NFL season since 2016. The Bills' plus-7 turnover margin is tied for second.