Sep 7, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields (7) celebrates a touchdown during the second half against the Pittsburgh Steelers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Bills must have plan for impressive Jets' rookie if they hope to win on road

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI | By Alex Brasky | Last updated Sep 13, 2025 9:12 AM ET

Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner, Quinnen Williams — just a few of the familiar faces on the New York Jets’ roster, each of whom the Buffalo Bills have spent plenty of time accounting for in past matchups between the two teams.

But beyond the big names, there is another budding superstar that made some noise for the Jets in Week 1 — rookie right tackle Armand Membou. And if the Bills hope to win their first divisional game of the season, they had better have a plan to attack the impressive first-year pro.

Selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Membou began his NFL career with a remarkable performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers, drawing praise from many across the league.

The rookie spent a boatload of time lined up across from Steelers All-Pro edge rusher T.J. Watt and performed well both in pass protection and while he was tasked with clearing the way for Jets’ ball carriers. Watt finished without a sack, while Membou was on the field for 26 pass-blocking snaps this past week and did not allow a quarterback pressure, QB hit or a sack. He also helped pave the way for an eight-yard touchdown run from running back Breece Hall to begin the second quarter.

“He was going against a player that we all know is one of the top players in this league,” said Jets Head Coach Aaron Glenn to reporters this week. “And for him to hold his ground and have the 1-on-1 situations. For him to be as aggressive and physical with that player really speaks for itself.”

The Bills’ defensive line and pass rush were a relative non-factor in Week 1, with now-injured defensive tackle Ed Oliver and linebacker Matt Milano coming away with sacks amid an otherwise dismal effort. Free-agent edge rusher Joey Bosa whiffed on a few opportunities, and EDGE Greg Rousseau left a bit to be desired, while rookies T.J. Sanders and Deone Walker failed to make much of an impact.

This week, if the Bills are to experience increased success defending against both the run and pass, they must devise a plan to attack Membou and the Jets’ offensive line more effectively than Pittsburgh was able to a week ago. The rookie helped lay the groundwork for what was an overall impressive performance from the Jets’ front five, which wasn’t always a strength a year ago.

New York is a run-heavy team, recording the second-most carries (39) of any team in the league a week ago. If the Bills, sans Oliver, cannot win their 1-on-1 matchups up front, it could be a long day for the Buffalo defense.

“They’re going to be a hard-nosed, physical team that runs the ball,” said Bills edge rusher A.J. Epenesa to WGR’s Sal Capaccio. “So we just got to try and cancel that culture and play our game.”