Rex Ryan got his revenge on the New York Jets in his return to the Meadowlands as his Buffalo Bills defence stood firm and delivered.
Bacarri Rambo’s last-minute interception sealed a 22-17 victory for the Bills and drew an animated celebration from Ryan, full of fist-pumping and headset-spiking.
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The 52-year-old coach spent six seasons at the helm of the Jets before being fired in January. Ryan stayed in the division, however, and immediately took over for AFC East rivals Buffalo.
In the first of two meetings with the Jets this season, Ryan won round one.
“I can tell the truth, this thing is kind of like being dumped by some girl you have the hots for,” Ryan said.
“Every guy in this room has been dumped by a girl. You move on, and every now and then, they call you back. And they can’t have you back.
“It felt weird,” Ryan added. “Two things dawned on me that I am no longer the coach of the Jets: I was looking at the wrong side of the sheet when we were getting stats, and I spent six years coaching in green and white, and I look out there and my team is in red.”
Ryan received a mixed reception from the New York faithful in attendance, but the loudest boos were drawn by IK Enemkpali who was chosen by Ryan as one of the team captains for the game.
Enemkpali was cut by the Jets in the preseason after punching Geno Smith and breaking the quarterback’s jaw.
Whether or not there was any maliciousness behind the move, Ryan is known for making players captains against their former teams.
“The Enemkpali thing, you guys know me better than that,” Ryan said. “I’ve always done that. It would have been a story had I not made him a captain. And you know what? He’s not a bad kid.
Rex, back in Buffalo: “That was a big win because we’re chasing the Jets with the same goal, to make the playoffs.” pic.twitter.com/ApuUSBhVw3
— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) November 13, 2015
On Sammy vs Revis: “He knew where he had to be, sets him up, shakes him, spins him like a top. That doesn’t happen.” pic.twitter.com/2D5tIUL8jf
— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) November 13, 2015
“You think that’s the first fight that has ever happened in an NFL locker room? Every single team has had fights in their locker room, OK?
“You don’t think he thinks about that every single day? But he’s on our football team and I’m proud of him.”
The win for Buffalo pushes them to a 5-4 record, tied with the Jets, while also hurting New York’s playoff hopes. The Jets are now just 1-2 in the division, compared to 3-1 for the Bills.
Defence has been the barometer for Buffalo all season, swaying with inconsistency from game to game.
The Bills haven’t allowed more than 17 points in any of their five wins, while giving up an average of 33.0 points in the four losses.
Defence has been Ryan’s calling card over his career, but more than halfway through his first year with Buffalo, the team has dropped off from last season on that side of the ball.
In 2014, the Bills surrendered 312.2 total yards per game to rank fourth in the NFL, but have dropped to 13th this year with 349.6 yards allowed.
New York’s unit, meanwhile, has rebounded from a mediocre campaign in Ryan’s final season to be a top-10 defence this year under new coach Todd Bowels.
After back-to-back 17-point efforts though, Buffalo will head into its next game – a primetime showdown against the currently undefeated New England Patriots and the league’s top offence – with confidence gained.
