Mission remains same for Jets, Jeff Ulbrich: Corral Bills QB Josh Allen

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The week began with Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich preparing his players for Josh Allen.

The week ended with Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich preparing his players for Josh Allen.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

“He’s still growing as a quarterback and you’re starting to see this evolution of a guy that really understands when to protect [the football] and he’s doing an excellent job with the ball,” Ulbrich said of the Bills’ quarterback on Saturday. “We got an amazing challenge on Monday night.”

That is an understatement.

The Jets (2-3) will host Allen and a reconfigured Buffalo offensive unit at MetLife Stadium on Monday night.

The Bills (3-2) are one of the highest-scoring teams in the league. They enter the game ranked fifth in the NFL in points scored per game (28.4) despite ranking 22nd in yards per game (299.4) and 24th in passing yards (181.6).

“They’ve done a really good job,” defensive backs coach Marquand Manuel said. “They are mixing it up, which makes it a little more difficult on this side to stop them. We have to do a good job of understanding how they are going to try to manipulate us down the field.”

That starts with Allen, who has a career record of 7-4 against the Jets but has lost two of his last four games against them.

Through five games, Allen has thrown for eight touchdowns and 945 yards (79-for-131; 60.3% completion) without tossing an interception. That’s a big change for him. Entering the season, Allen had thrown 78 interceptions in 94 games.

So what changed? Was it the offseason trade of big-play wide receiver Stefon Diggs to Houston for three draft picks?

In part, yes.

“A renewed dedication to the run game,” Ulbrich said of the Bills, whose 118.2 rushing yards per game ranks 13th in the league. “There [were] times in past years where they dedicated themselves to it. There’s times they didn’t. This year, they want to be a physical run team. You feel that.”

The Bills have said that running back James Cook (toe) and wide receiver Khail Shakir (ankle) are questionable for Monday night.

If Cook and Shakir can’t play or are limited, that could force Allen to be more of a running threat. He has carried the ball 26 times for 160 yards and has scored two touchdowns but has fumbled three times.

Clemons vs. Dawkins II

The game marks the first time that Jets defensive end Micheal Clemons and Buffalo offensive tackle Dion Dawkins will take the field against each other since the Bills’ 32-6 win at Highmark Stadium on Nov. 19, 2023.

In the fourth quarter of that game, Clemons and Dawkins got into an on-field scuffle that carried over after the game. When asked about the fracas during an interview with VLADTV in February, Dawkins said Clemons was talking to Allen and other Bills players.

“Don’t talk to my quarterback,” Dawkins said. “Stay over there . . . He went down the whole team. Everybody on the field. Pointing at us and just yapping his beak.”

Dawkins knocked Clemons to the ground on a running play in the fourth quarter and jumped onto him. After the two got to their feet, Clemons shoved Dawkins and received an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty on the play.

As both teams left the field after the game, the two had an altercation in the tunnel, with players keeping Dawkins and Clemons separated.

“When it comes to sports, there are people that play the sport because they love the sport and then there’s people that play the sport just to try to be cool,” Dawkins said.

He made certain to point out that that was not solely an assessment of one individual. “I hate them,” Dawkins said of the Jets.

Clemons was not available in the locker room after practice.

Injury list

Nickel back Michael Carter II will miss his second straight game with a hamstring injury. Tight end Tyler Conklin (hip) and linebacker C.J. Mosley (toe) are questionable. Buffalo DT Ed Oliver (hamstring) is out. DT Austin Johnson (oblique) and CB Taron Johnson (forearm) are questionable.