No matter what your feelings about the 2009 Buffalo Bills - what your viewpoints of the future of the franchise are, or the coaching staff, or the quarterback, or anything else - it's still fun to see Rex Ryan's sad face.
Buffalo ended a three-game losing streak, as well as an eight-game losing streak in the AFC East, by scraping a 16-13 overtime win over Ryan's New York Jets in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
It's difficult to believe Buffalo pulled off a victory in this game when considering the fact that Trent Edwards left the game in the second quarter with a concussion, and the fact that the Jets ran for a whopping 318 yards. Helped out by five interceptions on Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez - who was several kinds of terrible on the day - Buffalo did enough to stay in it through three quarters. Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Lee Evans on a 37-yard scoring strike to tie the game in that stanza.
The Bills had an opportunity to win the game at the end of regulation, but some conservative play-calling on Buffalo's part left Rian Lindell with an impossible-to-make 46-yard field goal attempt into stiff winds at The Meadowlands - which the kicker pushed well to the right, sending the game to overtime. Lindell made up for it with 2:44 left in OT, knocking in a 47-yarder after essentially the same setup from Buffalo's offense - except this time, he had the wind, and the kick snuck through.
Buffalo may not have had the opportunity at Lindell's winning field goal had the Jets not mishandled a snap on a Jay Feely field goal attempt that never happened. The muffed attempt led to an ugly throw from holder Steve Weatherford, and the attempt was intercepted by reserve safety John Wendling for the Bills' sixth interception on the day.
We'll have more on the game tomorrow, including proper acknowledgement to rookie safety Jairus Byrd, who is quite the player, folks. That's decidedly not the way Buffalo drew it up. The run defense was putrid, and the offense, while improved overall, still was extremely underwhelming. But in the NFL, a win is a win - and this is not a poor opponent the Bills just beat. Savor it. It's not clear how many more we'll see this year. And no matter what, never, ever forget Rex Ryan's sad face.