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The result of Sunday’s matchup between the Bills and Jets, a 27-11 New York win, certainly wasn’t totally unexpected, as the Jets have dominated the series since Rex Ryan became their coach. There was some hope on Buffalo’s side going into the game, as the Bills have gotten some big monkeys off their collective backs in getting off to a 5-2 start, the biggest being finally beating New England. But it wasn’t to be as the Jets, rested coming off their bye week, proved to be the more desperate team. Their defense was pretty dominant, holding Buffalo’s offense in check for the first time this season. Their offense did just enough to get the win, rushing for 126 yards and keeping drives alive by converting third downs all day long. The game featured some horrendous officiating by Ed Hochuli’s crew, as the Jets got away with numerous pass interference violations, both offensively and defensively, while the Bills were flagged for questionable interference calls. Two of those calls led directly to 14 Jet points, and while the officiating didn’t really change the outcome of the game, it certainly made the score much more lopsided than it should have been.

In their 3 losses so far this year, the Bills have followed the same formula – they’ve turned the ball over, failed to get any heat on the opposing quarterback and struggled to get off the field on third down on defense. In this game, the Bills’ defense holding the Jets to the 126 rush yards would normally be a positive, since it’s less than half of the 279 yard average per game they’ve given up to the Jets in recent meetings. However, it was still a game where, despite not breaking off any huge runs, the Jets seemed to get yards at will when they needed them on the ground to sustain drives. Contrast that with the Bills’ offense’s inability to convert 3rd and 4th downs needing less than a yard, and you have what would have been a relatively easy Jet victory even without the help from the zebras.

Still, the Bills shouldn’t be discouraged. Thanks to some late-game heroics by Eli Manning and the Giants at New England, they are now locked in a three-way tie atop the AFC East with identical 5-3 records. The Pats and Jets lock horns next Sunday night, so if the Bills can tough out a road win at Jerry Jones’ Palace in Dallas next week, they’ll still be right in the thick of the playoff race.

After picking 9 winners out of the 13 NFL games played last weekend, my season prediction record stands at 79 correct and 37 wrong. With the season reaching the halfway point, teams are starting to establish their 2011 identities, which should make it easier to pick winners, but that never seems to be the case. Here are my week 9 choices:

New York Jets at Buffalo – this would be a huge statement win for the Bills, but recent history shows that the Jets show up at the Ralph, play well and usually win easily, then the Bills return the favor and upset the Jets in New York. I’ll pick the Jets to win a close, low-scoring defensive game.

Seattle at Dallas – a game between 2 teams that are practically impossible to predict. I have to believe that the Cowboys will be focused and motivated after getting thrashed by the Eagles last week, and will win at  home .

Cleveland at Houston – the Browns cannot match the offensive firepower that the Texans have. This game looks like a mismatch on paper but the Browns’ defense should keep it reasonably close. However, the Texans will win.

Atlanta at Indianapolis – the Falcons are beginning to peak, while the Colts, Peyton Manning or not, are the biggest disappointment in the NFL this year. Atlanta wins easily.

Miami at Kansas City – the Chiefs  continue their amazing rise from the scrap heap by beating the  game but undermanned Dolphins at home .

Tampa Bay at New Orleans – the Saints got ambushed by the Rams last week, and should be ready to avenge a loss to the Bucs earlier this year. The loser of this game may be finished  as far as playoff possibilities, and I think the Saints, although they have a flawed defense, will win behind a rousing home crowd.

San Francisco at Washington – Jim Harbaugh’s Niners are becoming a juggernaut, and will beat the Redskins, who have major injury troubles and not much working on offense.

Denver at Oakland – the Raiders come off a bye week that enabled them to get new QB Carson Palmer familiar with the offense. After getting blasted by the Chiefs the Raider defense will be primed to shut down Tim Tebow and will win this game, although it should be a defensive struggle.

Cincinnati at Tennessee – both of these teams have been pleasant surprises this year. The Titans are especially tough at home, but the Bengals are one of the few teams with a defense that stops people and tackles well, so I’ll pick them to win here.

St. Louis at Arizona – the Rams will be flying high after finally winning this week, while the Cards have been a major disappointment. St. Louis wins their second in a row, this time against a division foe.

New York Giants at New England – it’s been a long time since the Giants shocked the Pats in the Super Bowl to ruin their perfect season, but in my mind, the Giants are a better team now than they were then, while the Patriots are not. The Giants win a huge road game to stay firmly on top of the NFC East.

Green Bay at San Diego – the Chargers really blew a sure victory on Monday night against the Chiefs, and this is the type of game they normally get pumped up for and actually play up to their potential. I’ll pick the Chargers to pull the upset here as the Pack, with a big lead in their division, gets caught taking a west coast vacation .

Baltimore at Pittsburgh – the Ravens crushed the Steelers on opening day and did a lot of trash talking afterwards. Pittsburgh has since righted their ship while the Ravens have been inconsistent. Pittsburgh evens the score with a tough, physical win at home.

Chicago at Philadelphia – the Eagles are finally on a roll now, and it will continue with a rousing Monday night win over the Bears, with Jay Cutler having a tough night.