Will Ryan Fitzpatrick get redemption against Buffalo Bills?
As the New York Jets prepare for the upcoming Buffalo Bills in Week 2 action on Thursday Night Football, will quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick finally get redemption?
It’s no secret that quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is the man of the hour. He was the hottest topic all offseason long for the New York Jets due to ongoing contract negotiations that went nowhere for the most part. Heck, no one had any idea if he would truly be back but in the final hour, a deal was struck on a one-year contract to the tune of $12M.
Despite their Week 1 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Fitzpatrick put up a decent game but once again, when it mattered most, he crumbled. His interception in the Jets’ final drive to possibly win their season-opener once again reminded many of his usual faults in these kinds of situations.
It’s no secret that Fitzpatrick can be a winner but his decision making, especially in either game-winning or game-tying drives, leaves much to be desired. Last season against the Buffalo Bills, some of his worst games came thanks to their intricate defense keeping him in check.
Bills’ head coach Rex Ryan easily has the number of the Jets and literally treats this AFC East rivalry game against his old team as if it’s the Super Bowl. He knows exactly how to not only get under the skin of the Jets but bring the heat to Fitzpatrick consistently.
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Even head coach Todd Bowles knows that Fitzpatrick must play better than what was displayed in their Week 1 loss.
As per the Media Relations Department of the Jets, here is what Bowles said about what Fitzpatrick needs to do this week as well as what awaits him from the Bills’ defense:
On what he has been doing to help Ryan Fitzpatrick prepare for Ryan’s defense…
He has to watch film. We have to prepare our offense for that. He understands what he has done in the past and going forward, you can’t hold on, you can learn from that and, at some point, it has to change. We just have to play better. He has to take better care of the football, guys have to get open, we have to block better – it’s not just him. We struggled on offense period.
On what specific challenges to Fitzpatrick are posed by Ryan’s defense…
Nothing specific, (Ryan is) good. They have a good defense. I know– everybody knows that – it’s a challenge every week when anybody plays one of Rex’s defenses, so that’s not just Ryan, that’s every quarterback. We just have to make sure we take care of the football and make the right decisions.
Overall, it will be hard for Fitzpatrick to get redemption against the Bills as they also lost their season-opener and will undoubtedly be looking to once again embarrass the Jets in front of millions on Thursday Night Football. The Bills need a win bad but Fitzpatrick needs a bounce-back game even more as the Jets can’t afford to start the season 0-2 with their $12M man looking like it was a bad decision to bring him back for 2016.