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A dreadful preseason is over, and New York Jets fans will have their first bona fide opportunity to see their team for real on Sunday when the Jets open the 2012 NFL season by hosting the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium. Game time is 1 p.m. ET.
There's an awful lot of unanswered questions about the Jets heading into their first game. Is the offensive unit that didn't score a touchdown through three preseason games -- and even when it did find the end zone, that was with third-stringer Greg McElroy and not starter Mark Sanchez -- really as bad as it seemed in exhibitions? Is the defense even close to the one that allowed the team to reach two straight AFC Championship games? Will Tim Tebow Tim Tebow Tim Tebow Tim Tebow?
So far, the Jets have been a lightning rod for criticism, but nobody knows how the team will actually pan out, with prognosticators putting New York anywhere from second in the AFC East and perhaps a wild card spot to last. A good barometer will be the team's opener against Buffalo. New York has handled the Bills in the last five meetings including two regular season sweeps, but with the addition of Mario Williams to a team that has had a solid offense of late behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, it is looking to contend for relevance, with hopes of making the playoffs for the first time in this century and ending the league's longest active drought.
Here's the info on how to catch the game:
Game time: 1 p.m., Sunday
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
TV: CBS
For more on the Jets, head over to Gang Green Nation, and stick to SB Nation New York for all the latest updates on the team throughout the course of the season.