Bills are back, crush Cowboys; Jets’ postseason drought continues

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🏈 Football Five

🦬 Good morning to everyone but especially …

THE BUFFALO BILLS

Two weeks ago, the Bills were reeling. Another blown lead. Another one-score loss. A 6-6 record and a season fading fast.

But these Bills are not those Bills. Buffalo bullied the Cowboys in a 31-10 win — its second straight victory over a bonafide Super Bowl contender, a group the Bills might now be considered to be among.

The Bills have defeated the Chiefs and Cowboys in consecutive weeks. The defense — battered after a slew of injuries — has been terrific in both games. Allen has been turnover-free in both, too.

This was an A+ performance all the way around, Garrett Podell writes in our weekly grades. The Bills look the part of an extremely dangerous playoff team — if they can get there.

🔥 Honorable mentions ✈️ And not such a good morning for … Getty Images

THE NEW YORK JETS

Zach Wilson was coming off the best game of his career. There was reason to be hopeful about Aaron Rodgers’ potenial return. And Tyreek Hill (ankle) was declared out. So maybe there was one teeny, tiny glimmer of hope for the Jets.

And then it all went downhill in a very sad, very weird, very Jets way: an abysmal 30-0 loss to the Dolphins that included Wilson leaving early. 

More importantly, this loss officially eliminates the Jets from the playoffs and should also officially eliminate any chance of Rodgers returning this season — even if that possibility was always minuscule.

This marks the 13th straight season the Jets will miss the postseason, the longest active streak in the four major sports leagues. And 2023 was an absolute roller coaster. There was the Rodgers trade this offseason, the feel-good Hard Knocks episodes fueling the hype and then Rodgers’ catastrophic Achilles tear after only a handful of plays in Week 1. Then there were three more quarterbacks — Wilson, Siemian and Tim Boyle — and a report that Wilson was reluctant to even suit up. All along, there was the looming spectacle of Rodgers and his will-he or won’t-he return drama.

Now it’s onto next season, and everything needs evaluating. It’s much more than Rodgers. The offensive line needs a makeover. There are upcoming free agents all over the roster. Will the coaching staff remain? Sunday was yet another display of how far away they are … still. 

😣 Not so honorable mentions 🏈 Playoff picture: Buffalo rising in crowded AFC Getty Images

We’re just three weeks from the close of the regular season, and so we’ll be featuring our playoff picture in this newsletter every Monday. Let’s start in the ridiculously crowded AFC:

The Texans and Bills are eighth and ninth, respectively, both at 8-6. Then come the Broncos and Steelers at 7-7. Yeah, it’s crowded.

And over in the NFC …

There’s a whole host of teams in the hunt, including the 7-7 Saints — who conveniently face the Rams on Thursday — and the 6-7 Seahawks, who will host the Eagles tonight.

The playoff picture updates automatically here, and we have full analysis here.

🏀 Big Ten, Kentucky impress in huge college basketball weekend Getty Images

Down goes No. 1 again, this time thanks to a former No. 1.

No. 3 Purdue beat top-ranked Arizona, 92-84, the Boilermakers’ first win over a No. 1 since 2000 … also against Arizona. Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Zach Edey combined for 75 points. It’s that big three that will determine how far the Boilermakers go this season after last year’s loss to 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson in the NCAA Tournament. The early returns this season, especially on Smith, are extremely promising. The Boilermakers are back atop Gary Parrish’s Top 25 And 1.

The Big Ten didn’t stop there: Michigan State blew out No. 6 Baylor, 88-64, the Spartans’ largest win over a top-10 team ever. Tom Izzo’s squad was one of Saturday’s biggest winners. The Big Ten almost had one of its best days in recent memory, but Indiana blew a double-digit second-half lead against No. 2 Kansas.

Finally, No. 14 Kentucky topped No. 9 North Carolina, 87-83, with four different freshmen scoring in double figures. Gary says the young Wildcats are growing up.

🏈 Transfer portal updates amid bowl season Getty Images

Bowl season is here! We had seven bowls over the weekend and have another today — shout out to the Famous Toastery Bowl — but wins came on and off the field as transfer portal action heated up. Among the headlines:

If you feel like we’re just counting up transfers and counting down days until the College Football Playoff semifinals — two weeks from today! — you’re not alone. But there are still plenty of meaningful bowl games without national title implications. Dean Straka examined the non-CFP teams with the most to gain this bowl season, including …

📺 What we’re watching Monday

🏈 Famous Toastery Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion, 2:30 p.m. on ESPN🏈 Eagles at Seahawks, 8:15 p.m. on ABC/ESPN🏀 Mavericks at Nuggets, 9 p.m. on NBA TV