EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Many of the players hate it … the coaches, too, though they’re more reluctant to admit it.
After all, each of the 32 National Football League teams play at least one Thursday night game each season, and two of them play twice on that evening.
Tonight, it’s the Bills’ and Jets’ opportunity and, for Buffalo, there’s plenty at stake at MetLife Stadium.
The Bills, 3-point favorites, are 5-2 and with a win tonight would be off to their best start since the 1993 team — which went to the Super Bowl — opened at 7-1.
They also will get 10 days off to prepare for a visit by the Saints to New Era Field, time to familiarize wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, a trade acquisition from Carolina that has left the front office giddy, with the offense.
Of course, this isn’t the gimme win for Buffalo that it appeared to be when the season started.
The Jets, rumored to be tanking the season in an effort to get the highest possible draft pick to possibly choose a franchise quarterback, answered that scenario in emphatic fashion.
They come into tonight 3-5, one of those losses to the Bills on the road in the season opener.
But after an 0-2 start, the Jets won three straight and could easily have doubled that streak. They were absolutely shafted when the NFL’s reviewers in New York nullified an obvious Jets’ TD late in a 24-17 loss to New England. It’s the consensus worst call of the year.
Next came a 31-28 defeat at Miami as they blew a 28-14 lead in the final 12 minutes.
And, finally, there was last Sunday’s 25-20 loss to the Falcons which New York led in the fourth quarter.
In short, this is a team that hasn’t come close to quitting on the season and it’s playing on its home field in a short week.
That reality points to the controversy over the NFL’s Thursday night games which critics claim are mere money grabs by the league with no concern for the players’ health.
Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams, in his 12th season, has been outspoken on the issue.
“It’s terrible,” he said of Thursday games. “I don’t like it, nobody likes it. It’s tough on players, it’s tough on coaches. I don’t think the quality of the game is up to snuff. There’s a whole laundry list of negatives about it.”
But Coach Sean McDermott was more measured in his comments.
“We just take them as they come,” he said. “I understand where Kyle is coming from. The thing we have to (do) is adjust to things. We’ve done a good job of adapting. We’ll just take it how it comes. (If) we have a Thursday night game, we’re playing Thursday night.”
And not all players feel the way Williams does.
Buffalo quarterback Tyrod Taylor admitted, “It’s a great opportunity. Night games just give you a different feeling. Of course, when you know everyone’s watching you, you look forward to those moments.
“Even with the short week, guys are preparing hard and looking forward to this opportunity to show the other team what we can do as well as show the people that are going to be watching — everyone’s going to be tuned into Thursday Night Football — to show that this team is for real.”
To which running back LeSean McCoy added, “It’s a normal game (for me). The cool thing about it is everybody’s watching. Any time you get to have a chance to perform on that stage, and do your best … we look forward for that matchup.
“We actually wear our best uniforms, you try and put different tape on, or different colors to stand out. It’s something that you get up for.”
Still, the preparation is different as safety Jordan Poyer pointed out.
“It’s a lot more mentally than it is physically,” he maintained, though pointing out that he didn’t play last week due to a knee injury. “(But) I know some of these guys (are) going through it with their bodies. (It’s) taking care of your body, staying in the tape room, and being prepared.
“The short week, it’s always hard to sprinkle in some new things. We believe we understand what the offense is going to try and do. We’re just going to go out there and play sound football.”
Of course, one factor that makes tonight’s game a bit less stressful is that these two teams played each other less than eight weeks ago.
“You’ve already game-planned for them once, you’re familiar with their looks,” center Eric Wood said. “You’ve got to learn what we’re going to do against them this time, the game plan obviously has to change a little bit. They’ve done some subtle things differently with their defense that we have to lock in on, but (having already played them) definitely helps on a short week.”
Taylor agreed.
“Any time that you get a chance to play a team for the second time, there’s pros and cons,” he said. “This is a team that we played in Week 1, so there are some new faces that we haven’t seen on the back end (secondary) but through a couple games, you’ve got a chance to get a feel for them on tape.
“This team has been playing very well and we’re looking forward to the matchup.”
Wide receiver Andre Holmes sees a benefit in already having played the Jets once and, as far as Thursday night games, he enjoys them.
“I think it helps the coaches out a lot as far as coming up with the game plan (in a short week) that’s always how it works whenever you’re playing teams within the division (twice),” he said.
“ We’re excited for this game; I know I’m excited. I love playing these games, I don’t like the stuff in between (practice). Short week … I get to go out there and play a game, which I love to do.”
Of course, neither team has a choice.
