3 Stats to Know | More on Breece Hall’s Big Game, Grand Season & Long Run

Title on the Line
The Jets’ season finale at Buffalo will be their final game as visitors in the Orchard Park, NY, stadium variously known since 1973 as Rich Stadium, Ralph Wilson Stadium, New Era Field, Bills Stadium and Highmark Stadium before the Bills move to their new digs next season.

Besides Buffalo’s playoff aspirations being on display for Sunday’s 4:25 pm ET kickoff, at least one NFL statistical title appears to be on the line. The league’s top 2, or make that top 3, kickoff returners will be vying for the top spot in the NFL record book under the heading of 2025 KO return average.

The leader is Buffalo’s Ray Davis, averaging 30.7 yards on his 30 returns. No. 2 is Isaiah Williams, the fully redeemed Jet who’s right behind Davis at 30.2 on 23 returns. Then there’s versatile Jets RB Kene Nwangwu, whose 6 carries Sunday were not only a personal game high but also was just one more carry than his 5 career KO-return touchdowns.

Nwangwu has 18 returns, and to qualify for the leaders list, he’ll need 1.25 returns for every team game or 22 total returns. Nwangwu had 3 returns vs. the Patriots. If he can muster 4 more at Buffalo, he may well be the ’25 record holder. Nwangwu’s average is 33.6, which, if we lower the qualifying bar to 10 returns, leads the NFL this week.

Fake, Fake, Fake, Fake
Actually the Jets tried only two fake punts vs. the Patriots. They converted the first when P Austin McNamara threw his first NFL pass for his first pro completion, to rookie safety/upback Malachi Moore, who made his first pro reception, a 3-yarder that converted fourth-and-2 from the Jets 43.

McNamara became the fifth consecutive punter to complete a pass for a successful fake punt at some point in his Jets tenure, following the path set by Ryan Quigley, Lachlan Edwards, Braden Mann and Thomas Morstead.

Four plays after A-Mac-to-Moore, the Jets tried another fake, this one on fourth-and-6 from the 50. The Patriots were ready this time, dropping RB Isaiah Davis for a 3-yard loss. While this play ended Jets streaks of 4 consecutive fake punts converted since last year and 8 of 9 converted since ’22, it marked the first time the Jets attempted 2 fakes in the same game. In 2010 at Miami, P Steve Weatherford scooted 19 yards on fourth-and-6 and upback Brad Smith followed suit with a 12-yard run on fourth-and-3.