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NFL 2017: Who plays on Thursday Night Football in Week 9?

By Stephen Forsha

ORCHARD PARK, NY - OCTOBER 29: LeSean McCoy #25 of the Buffalo Bills runs the ball during the third quarter of an NFL game against the Oakland Raiders on October 29, 2017 at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NY - OCTOBER 29: LeSean McCoy #25 of the Buffalo Bills runs the ball during the third quarter of an NFL game against the Oakland Raiders on October 29, 2017 at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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Thursday Night Football for Week 9 features two AFC East teams who have already exceeded expectations and look to stay on that trajectory.

The Buffalo Bills have five wins and just two losses entering Week 9, and they will be on the road to face the also surprising New York Jets, who have three wins, for a battle to stay within reach of the New England Patriots in the AFC East standings.

For the Bills, their 5-2 start hasn’t been the best on the league stat sheet, with them being 25th in total offense, 22nd in total defense and 29th in passing, but they are ninth in rushing behind 521 yards and three touchdowns from LeSean McCoy and 178 yards and one touchdown by Mike Tolbert. Buffalo is coming off a big win over the Oakland Raiders, a game where McCoy rushed for 151 yards on 27 carries and one touchdown.

Even with the Bills being a surprise with five wins through their first seven games, the Jets are a surprise with three wins of their own, though they are coming off a 25-20 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

In this past Sunday’s loss, the Jets amassed just 279 total yards of offense, and their leading rusher was Bilal Powell with 33 yards. Josh McCown managed the game at quarterback for the Jets with 257 yards passing on 26 completions with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

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Though they have three wins, the Jets have been brought back to reality so to speak with three straight losses headed into Week 9, while the Bills are winners of their past two games and four of their past five.

This game for the Jets is a must-win if they want to have any chance to feel like this season can be a success. The Bills are the team who have a real opportunity to battle for a Wild Card spot with a win in this game.

Next: NFL 2017: 20 Bold predictions for Week 9

Realistically, they shouldn’t knock the Patriots off the top of the AFC East mountain, but a win would increase those chances and at least make the AFC Wild Card race exciting for the remainder of the season. The game will air on the NFL Network with an 8:25 p.m. ET kickoff.

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