Two surprising AFC East rivals meet in prime time.

The Bills and the Jets were both supposed to be tanking their 2017 seasons in hopes of a high draft pick next spring. Instead, each team is surprisingly in the hunt for a playoff spot halfway through the season. One of these teams will take another step toward the postseason in Week 9 when the two meet on Thursday Night Football. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:25 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NFL Network and CBS (live stream).

A punishing defense and an efficient, if limited, performance from quarterback Tyrod Taylor has Buffalo in position to tie New England atop the AFC East standings Thursday night. New York, behind a suddenly rejuvenated Josh McCown, needs another big performance from the veteran to stem a three-game losing streak. His limited cast of playmakers could make that a problem, even in the friendly confines of MetLife Stadium.

Time, TV channel, and streaming info

• Time: 8:25 p.m. ET
• Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
• TV: NFL Network
• Streaming: NFLN Online
• Odds: The Bills are 3.5-point favorites.

Pregame reading:

• The Bills were busy before the trade deadline, moving former All-Pro Marcell Dareus to Jacksonville. Here’s why.

The salary cap is rising faster than franchises are spending, and that means more room than ever for moves. Fifteen teams currently have at least $10 million in space and only two have less than $1 million.

According to The Ringer, just 13 teams had at least $5 million in space during the 2014 season.

There’s much more room to work with now and a handful of teams with gobs of money to throw at players like Dareus and Garoppolo.

• They also brought WR Kelvin Benjamin from the Panthers.
• Yes, the Jets should ABSOLUTELY regret not drafting Deshaun Watson.

McCown has been consistent early in games, but seems to wear down as games go on. The Jets had the chance to beat the Patriots in Week 6, but couldn’t pull off the last-minute comeback. McCown threw a game-sealing interception to end the Week 7 loss to the Dolphins. This week, the Jets were trailing by five points and McCown had just over a minute to try to get into the end zone against the Falcons. He didn’t.

• The Bills have been amazing at home, but can their offensive mastery apply in New Jersey?

Buffalo (4-0), the Philadelphia Eagles (4-0), and the Seattle Seahawks (3-0) are the only teams with undefeated records at home, but the Bills have something else to be proud of when it comes to playing before the rowdy and raucous fans of Western New York: the Bills have the longest active streak of games scoring 20-plus points at home, having surpassed 20 points in their last 13 games in Orchard Park.

• Jeremy Kerley, one of the few Jets receivers you can probably name, isn’t having a great year.

According to multiple reports Jets wide receiver Jeremy Kerley is expected to be suspended by the NFL for violating league policy. The exact nature of the violations and the length and start date of the expected suspension are unknown at this time.

Can New York’s anonymous offense deliver against a top 3 scoring defense?

Josh McCown’s revival has been the early highlight of the Jets’ season, even with a lineup littered with other team’s castoffs at the skill positions. Jermaine Kearse remains his top option, and while the platoon of Bilal Powell and Matt Forte has been effective, the two veterans are hardly going to strike fear into the hearts of opponents.

Especially not Buffalo, whose surge has relied on a defense that’s allowed just 16.4 points per game this fall. No team in the league is better at forcing turnovers than the Bills — and that could be enough to send New York back into rebuild mode.