The Bills–Jets rivalry is a rivalry between the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets in the National Football League. Both of these teams play in the same division (AFC East) and as a result, play two scheduled games each season. Both teams represent New York State, with the Bills having their primary fan base in Western New York, and the Jets in the New York City area.
![]() Bills and Jets face off during the 2009 season. | |
First meeting | September 11, 1960 Titans 27, Bills 3 |
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Latest meeting | November 19, 2023 Bills 32, Jets 6 |
Next meeting | October 14, 2024 |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 127[1] |
All-time series | Bills, 69–58 |
Postseason results | Bills, 1–0 (1981 AFC Wild Card)
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Largest victory | Jets: 42–3 (1985) Bills: 37–0 (1989) |
Longest win streak | Bills: 10 (1987–92) Jets: 6 (2009–12) |
Current win streak | Bills, 1 (2023–present) |
Playoff and Championship Success | |
AFL Championships (2)
Super Bowl Appearances (5) AFL Eastern Division Championships (5) (1960–1969) AFC East Divisional Championships (13) (1970–present)
AFC Wild Card Berths (18) (1970–present) |
This rivalry is fueled primarily by the differences between the greater New York City metropolitan area and the rest of New York State, but also by the Bills being the only team physically located in New York due to the Jets and their NFC counterparts the Giants playing their games in the New Jersey suburbs of New York City. However, the two teams have rarely been successful at the same time, and as such, their rivalry usually lacks the intensity that is present in other rivalries, such as the Bills' rivalry with the Dolphins and the Jets' with the Patriots. There have only been four seasons in which both the Bills and Jets finished with winning records.[3] Regardless, the two teams share a bond due to this seeming inability to field winning teams simultaneously, having been the two NFL teams coached by Rex Ryan, and their long histories playing twice yearly against one another going back to the first days of the AFL.
The Bills lead the overall series, 69–58. The Bills also won the only postseason meeting, defeating the Jets 31–27 in the 1981 AFC Wild Card round.
Notable moments
edit1960–99: Early History
editThere were a handful of memorable games in the early history of this rivalry. During the Jets' Super Bowl winning year in 1968, the Bills defense intercepted Joe Namath five times, including three pick-sixes, as Buffalo upset the Jets 37–35 for its only win that year.[4][5] In 1973, O. J. Simpson eclipsed Jim Brown's rushing yards record to surpass 2,000 yards in a 34–6 Bills win. Eight years later, the teams played their only playoff game together. In the 1981 AFC wild card game, the Bills had a 24–0 lead early in the game, but the Jets came back, cutting their deficit to 31–24. A late game interception of Richard Todd sealed the win for the Bills, however.[3]
In the quarterback-rich 1983 NFL draft, the Bills selected quarterback Jim Kelly whereas the Jets infamously passed on Dan Marino in favor of Ken O'Brien.[6] Despite Kelly not joining the Bills until 1986, as he played in the United States Football League instead until it ceased operations, his Bills tenure eventually saw a period of dominance over the Jets in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Kelly's first game against the Jets is remembered for a bench-clearing fist fight, as referee Ben Dreith famously penalized Jets defender Marty Lyons for "giving [Kelly] the business".[7]
The Jets and Bills played two regular season games with playoff implications in the 1990s. The 1993 season saw the Jets failing to secure a playoff berth by losing a game to the Bills via three missed field goals. In 1998, the Jets secured their first ever AFC East division title by beating the Bills.[3]
2000–17
editAs the 2000s approached, Buffalo collapsed from a perennial Super Bowl contender to one of the worst teams in the league, while the Jets maintained a level of success, making the playoffs 5 times despite a period of dominance by the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots. However, the Bills finally ended their league-leading playoff drought in 2017, while the Jets have yet to return to the playoffs since last qualifying in 2010.
In 2008, the Bills were coming off a 5–1 start, but lost 8 of their remaining ten games to finish 7–9 and out of the playoffs. Two of those losses came against the Jets; the latter included a J. P. Losman fumble returned for the Jets' game-winning touchdown as the Bills were trying to run out the clock.[8]
2009–2016: the Rex Ryan era
editIn 2009, the first year of Rex Ryan's six-year tenure as the Jets' head coach, Mark Sanchez threw 5 interceptions to the Bills defense, losing a game in overtime for the Jets in which they rushed for 318 yards.[9] Later that year, the Jets rematched the Bills in Toronto as part of the Bills Toronto Series, in which the Jets avenged their loss with a 19–13 win that kept their playoff hopes alive.[10]
During the 2013 NFL draft, the Bills and Jets once again selected quarterbacks with their early picks. EJ Manuel was picked by Buffalo in the first round while Geno Smith was chosen in the second round by the Jets. Ultimately, neither quarterback panned out and both were gone from their teams after 2016.[11]
In 2014, the second Bills–Jets game was played at Ford Field in Detroit due to a freak snowstorm in Buffalo. The Bills won 38–3.[12]
The 2015 offseason saw some notable personnel swaps between the teams. On January 12, Rex Ryan was hired as the head coach of the Bills shortly after his dismissal by the Jets, serving as Buffalo's head coach for the next two years.[13] In addition, the Jets hired former Bills head coach Chan Gailey as their offensive coordinator[14] and traded for former Bills starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick who later became their own starter.[15] The Bills also added former Jets Percy Harvin[16] and IK Enemkpali, the latter one day after he was released for breaking Geno Smith's jaw in a locker room altercation.[17] The Bills won both games in 2015, knocking the Jets out of playoff contention with their second win.[18] Tensions arose during the first game on Thursday Night Football when both teams were still in the hunt for a playoff spot, especially after Ryan made Enemkpali a team captain for that game.[19] Despite Ryan's short tenure as the Bills' coach and firing before the second Bills-Jets matchup of 2016, his presence on the Bills briefly re-energized the rivalry.[20]
2018–present: the Josh Allen era
editIn the 2018 NFL draft, the Bills and Jets each traded up in order to select a highly touted quarterback.[21] This resulted in Sam Darnold landing with the Jets 3rd overall and Josh Allen being selected by the Bills 7th overall.[22][23] Allen and Darnold met on the field for the first time as rivals on December 9, 2018, with both having missed the first Bills–Jets match-up that year due to injury. The Bills jumped to an early 14–3 lead under Allen, but the Jets fought back with good special teams play to set up short fields and tied the game at 20 by the fourth quarter. After the Bills scored a field goal to retake the lead with just over two minutes to go, Darnold led a game-winning drive for the Jets, including a 37-yard pass to Robby Anderson to set up the go-ahead touchdown run by Elijah McGuire.[24][25]
On September 8, 2019, the Bills overcame a 16–0 third quarter deficit and four turnovers to beat the Jets 17–16 at MetLife Stadium on opening day of the season. The Jets unraveled after losing linebacker C. J. Mosley to injury and were also hampered by ineffective placekicking from Kaare Vedvik.[26] The momentum would carry over as Buffalo wound up making the playoffs while New York was unable to overcome a 1–7 start, despite both teams being expected to be competitive that year. Having clinched a playoff spot by then, the Bills rested several starters during the week 17 rematch, which the Jets won 13–6.[27]
The second Bills–Jets matchup of the 2020 season was noteworthy as the then-winless Jets held a potent Bills offense out of the endzone, but Buffalo still prevailed 18–10 thanks to six field goals by rookie kicker Tyler Bass.[28] Not only did the Bills sweep the yearly series, but the franchises had nearly exact opposite years with the Bills finishing 13–3 but the Jets just 2–14 to begin the new decade, continuing a long general trend of the two teams being unable to be simultaneously successful. Allen had his best season thus far with a 107.2 passer rating and 37 touchdowns, while Darnold had his worst with a 72.7 rating and just 9 touchdowns in 12 games. The Jets traded Darnold to the Carolina Panthers following the season,[29] drafting Zach Wilson to replace him.[30]
After Allen and the Bills swept the Jets in 2021, the Wilson-led Jets won the first matchup in 2022, as a 6-minute-long drive that started at New York's 4-yard line set up the game winning field goal. With under 2 minutes left, the Bills were unable to respond, as a holding penalty against tackle Dion Dawkins and a strip sack of Allen that left him injured caused the Bills to turn the ball over on downs, allowing a 20–17 Jets upset win over the heavily-favored Bills.[31] This game was the first time since 2011 that both teams met with winning records.[32] By the time of the rematch, Wilson had been benched for Mike White, who had started one game against Buffalo the previous year, and the Jets were in the middle of what would become a six-game losing streak to end the year out of playoff contention while the Bills were in the middle of a seven-game winning streak to end the year. Just as in his previous start against Buffalo, White struggled and was injured during the 20–12 Bills win. During this game, he was knocked out of the game twice, suffering what was later revealed to be broken ribs, but decided to return to the game both times, earning the respect of fans and players from both teams.[33]
The following season, New York traded for longtime Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, setting up what would become a highly anticipated opening week game between the Bills and Jets on Monday Night Football. Unfortunately, Rodgers ruptured his Achilles tendon on just his fourth play in the game, but the Jets forced Allen to turn the ball over four times, and ended up winning in overtime 22–16 on Xavier Gipson's punt return touchdown.[34] Gipson's next touch against the Bills did not fare as well, as he fumbled the opening kickoff return in the rematch in Buffalo after being tackled by Bills fullback Reggie Gilliam.[35] This sparked a 32–6 Bills victory in what was considered a must-win game for both teams, as the Jets could not contain a refocused Allen and struggled on offense, leading to Zach Wilson being benched again. The game also saw tensions flare between several players, including Micheal Clemons and Dion Dawkins.[36]
Gallery
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Bills RB O. J. Simpson rushing against Jets in 1973
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Bills RB Joe Cribbs runs against Jets in 1981 Wild Card game
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Pre-snap activity between Bills and Jets in 2009
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Jets RB Thomas Jones runs for a long touchdown against Bills in 2009
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Players chatting following a game
Season-by-season results
editBuffalo Bills vs. New York Jets Season-by-Season Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1960s (Bills, 11–9)
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1970s (Tie, 10–10)
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1980s (Bills, 10–9)
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1990s (Bills, 14–6)
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2000s (Jets, 11–9)
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2010s (Jets, 11–9)
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2020s (Bills, 6–2)
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Summary of Results
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Connections between the teams
editCoaches
editThe most notable connection between the Bills and Jets has been Rex Ryan, who carried over many of his staff from the Jets when he was hired as the Bills' head coach.
Name | Position(s) | Years on Bills | Years on Jets |
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Rex Ryan | Head coach | 2015–16 | 2009–14 |
Mike Pettine | Defensive coordinator | 2013 | 2009–2012 |
David Lee | Quarterbacks coach | 2012, 2015–16 | 2013-14 |
Chan Gailey | Head coach/Offensive coordinator | 2010–2012 | 2015–2016 |
Anthony Lynn | Running backs coach/Offensive coordinator | 2015–16 | 2009–14 |
Dennis Thurman | Defensive backs coach/Defensive coordinator | 2015–16 | 2008–14 |
Rick Dennison | Offensive coordinator/Offensive line coach | 2017 | 2018 |
Gregg Williams | Head coach/Defensive coordinator | 2001–2003 | 2019–2020 |
Players
editSeveral players have been members of both teams during their careers, including:
Name | Position(s) | Years on Bills | Years on Jets |
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Brad Smith | Wide receiver/Kickoff returner | 2011–13 | 2006–10 |
Aaron Maybin | Linebacker/Defensive end | 2009–10 | 2011–12 |
Ryan Fitzpatrick | Quarterback | 2009–12 | 2015–16 |
David Nelson | Wide receiver | 2010–12 | 2013–14 |
Percy Harvin | Wide receiver | 2015–16 | 2014 |
IK Enemkpali | Linebacker | 2015–16 | 2014 |
Andre Roberts | Wide receiver/kick returner | 2019–2020 | 2018 |
Brian Winters | Guard | 2020 | 2013–2019 |
Shaq Lawson | Defensive end | 2016–2019, 2022–present | 2021 |
References
edit- ^ "Rivalry status".
- ^ a b c d e f "Buffalo Bills Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Jets Rivalry Profile: Buffalo Bills". Gang Green Nation. SB Nation. June 10, 2013.
- ^ Miller, Jeffrey J. (2018-10-06). "Pro Football Journal: The Bills Pick Off Broadway Joe Five Times To Secure The Greatest Upset In Team History". Pro Football Journal. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
- ^ "New York Jets at Buffalo Bills - September 29th, 1968". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
- ^ Jose Martinez, Gus Turner (8 September 2013). "A Lengthy History of New York Jets Fails". Complex Sports. Complex Media. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
- ^ Cimini, Rich (5 October 2016). "Famous 'giving him the business' call from Jets-Bills game turns 30 years old". ESPN.com.
- ^ "Jets escape costly defeat after scoring on late turnover". NFL.com. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- ^ "Sanchez's INTs overshadow Jones' career day as Jets lose third straight". October 19, 2009. Archived from the original on October 22, 2009.
- ^ Iorfida, Chris (4 December 2009). "Jets best Bills in Toronto". CBC Sports. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
- ^ Arledge, Ben (10 November 2015). "EJ Manuel, Geno Smith headline the worst QB draft of recent memory". ESPN. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
- ^ "Buffalo Bills dig out from snow storm, beat Jets in Detroit". Sports Illustrated. November 25, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- ^ "Buffalo Bills hire Rex Ryan as head coach". NFL.com.
- ^ Costello, Brian (January 20, 2015). "Bowles gets his man: Jets hire Chan Gailey as O-coordinator". New York Post.
- ^ Corbett, Jim (11 March 2015). "Texans trade QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to Jets". USA Today Sports.
- ^ WR Percy Harvin officially signs with Buffalo Archived March 16, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Rodak, Mike (August 13, 2015). "Bills claim IK Enemkpali after release by Jets for breaking Geno Smith's jaw". ESPN.
- ^ "Jets blow playoff chance with 22-17 loss to Bills". Associated Press. January 3, 2016.
- ^ Parlapiano, Amy (November 10, 2015). "Ryan naming Enemkpali captain is no joke". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ B, John (2022-11-06). "Jets vs. Bills: The rivalry that isn't". Gang Green Nation. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
- ^ Rodak, Mike (March 17, 2018). "Jets box out Bills in quarterback race by trading up to No. 3". ESPN.com.
- ^ Brady, James (28 April 2018). "NFL Draft results 2018: Full list of selections for all 7 rounds". SB Nation. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- ^ Roth, Leo (December 8, 2018). "Who got the better quarterback? Darnold vs. Allen Part I has arrived". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
- ^ Stypulkoski, Matt (9 December 2018). "Jets win 1st in 56 days with late TD against Buffalo Bills". NJ.com. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
- ^ Murphy, Sean (9 December 2018). "Buffalo Bills can't hang on, lose to New York Jets 27-23". Buffalo Rumblings. SB Nation. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
- ^ Louis-Jacques, Marcell (September 8, 2019). "Bills QB Josh Allen shakes off turnovers, leads comeback vs. Jets". ESPN.com. ESPN.
- ^ Wawrow, John (30 December 2019). "Jets rally to victory as Bills rest for playoffs". courant.com. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
- ^ Parrino, Matt (2020-10-25). "Bills win ugly vs. Jets, 18-10; Jerry Hughes sensational as defense steps up: Instant observations". syracuse.com. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
- ^ "Jets trade QB Darnold to Panthers for 3 picks". ESPN.com. 2021-04-05. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
- ^ Lange, Randy. "No Secret: Jets Select QB Zach Wilson with No. 2 Pick of NFL Draft". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
- ^ "Bills vs. Jets - Game Recap - November 6, 2022 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
- ^ "AFC-leading Bills face Jets, looking for fifth straight win". wgrz.com. November 5, 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
- ^ Molski •, Max (11 December 2022). "Jets' Mike White Taken to Hospital After Punishing Game Vs. Bills". NBC New York. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
- ^ Morgan, Emmanuel (2023-09-12). "After Rodgers's Injury, the Rest of the Jets Rally to Beat the Bills". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
- ^ "Jets' Xavier Gipson: Early fumble sets tone in loss". CBSSports.com. 2023-11-20. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
- ^ "Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins says he's 'not a fan of the Jets' after postgame skirmish". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2023-11-25.