AFC Notes: Bills, Jets, Patriots, Mac Jones

Bills

• Jay Skurski reports that Bills CB Kaiir Elam was a healthy scratch for Thursday’s game. 

• ESPN’s Field Yates reports the Bills converted $2,971,667 of CB Tre’Davious White‘s base salary into a signing bonus when they restructured his deal, adding about $2.2 million in additional cap space for 2022.

Jets

Jets HC Robert Saleh is confident in QB Mike White being able to continue playing at a high level, unlike last season when White got hurt and then tailed off after a hot start. 

“I think we’re better equipped on defense to allow us to not have to force and push the ball downfield the way we had to last year,” Saleh said, via The New York Post. “Against Buffalo, I think it was 17-3 at halftime and then 24-3 after their first drive, and then we turned the ball over three consecutive drives and that’s us trying to be aggressive to get the ball downfield. So, I think our run game affords us the opportunity to continue to play in the manner that we do. But [White will] get those opportunities and he’s going to continue to get those opportunities until we see fit, but we’ll see.” 

“That’s part of playing quarterback,” White said. “That’s part of handling the successes and turning the page and moving on. I think that’s where I got in trouble in the Buffalo game last year and I learned from that. Like I said earlier, you’ve got to learn from your lows and build upon that and just keep playing smart, winning football.” 

Saleh also said that the team will continue to start White while QB Zach Wilson makes adjustments.

“It’s a week-to-week deal, the full intent is to get Zach ready to play football again. I’ll make that decision when I’m ready,” Saleh added. “And while we’re going through this process, it’s Mike White’s opportunity to take advantage of every last play that he gets. We’re going to leave it at that. We’ll figure it out as we go.”

• Jets OC Mike LaFleur said Wilson is responding well to losing the starting job, though he didn’t offer any specifics: “You can see the improvement every single day.”  (Rich Cimini)

Patriots

Regarding a video showing Patriots QB Mac Jones yelling to throw more in Thursday’s game, Jones said his emotions got the better of him and elaborated that he wanted them to throw the ball deeper. 

“Obviously, just kind of let my emotions get to me but we’re kind of playing from behind,” Jones said, via ProFootballTalk. “What I said was about throwing it deeper in the short game. I got to execute that part better. But it’s the short game we kept going to, which is working. But I felt like we needed chunk plays. I shouted that out to kind of get everyone going. That’s emotional. That’s football. I’m passionate about this game. Obviously, you don’t want to let your emotions get the best of you. But yeah, I think that’s pretty much it. It wasn’t directed at anybody. Just emotion coming out and we kind of needed a spark.”

Jones said that his words weren’t directed at anyone and feels that their offense began picking up late in the game. 

“Yeah, I think it was just me at that point in the game like, ‘all right, we’re playing catch-up here, let’s go for it, let’s be aggressive, let’s take those shots, just go down fighting.’ Matty P. was on the same page,” Jones said. “We kind of did it there at the end and moved it a little bit more. At the end of the day we have to execute the plays and do a better job. Sometimes you’re just so competitive, right? You want to go out there, ‘hey, let’s get a 50-yard gain.’ Sometimes it doesn’t happen, but we might as well go down trying, and try to make it work.”