Mark Gastineau vs Buffalo Bills

Lore & Background

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. 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, 73–58. The two teams have met once in the playoffs, with the Bills winning.

Reader's Guide

Notable moments include: 1960–1999: The Bills and Jets (then known as the Titans) played each other in the inaugural game for both franchises in 1960. 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. In 1973, O. J. Simpson eclipsed Jim Brown's rushing yards record to surpass 2,000 yards in a 34–6 Bills win.

In the 1981 AFC wild card game, the Bills had a 24–0 lead early, but the Jets came back, cutting their deficit to 31–24; a late game interception of Richard Todd sealed the win for the Bills. In the 1983 NFL draft, the Bills selected Jim Kelly whereas the Jets passed on Dan Marino in favor of Ken O'Brien. Kelly's first game against the Jets is remembered for a bench-clearing fist fight, as referee Ben Dreith penalized Jets defender Marty Lyons for 'giving [Kelly] the business'.

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. 2000–2017: In 2008, the Bills were coming off a 5–1 start, but lost 8 of their remaining ten games to finish 7–9; two of those losses came against the Jets, the latter including a J. P. Losman fumble returned for the Jets' game-winning touchdown. 2009–2016: In 2009, Mark Sanchez threw 5 interceptions to the Bills defense, losing a game in overtime for the Jets in which they rushed for 318 yards.

Later that year, the Jets avenged their loss with a 19–13 win in Toronto. In 2014, the second Bills–Jets game was played at Ford Field in Detroit due to a freak snowstorm; the Bills won 38–3. In 2015, Rex Ryan was hired as the Bills' head coach; the Bills won both games in 2015, knocking the Jets out of playoff contention. 2018–present: In the 2018 NFL draft, the Bills selected Josh Allen 7th overall and the Jets selected Sam Darnold 3rd overall.

On December 9, 2018, Darnold led a game-winning drive for the Jets. On September 8, 2019, the Bills overcame a 16–0 third quarter deficit to beat the Jets 17–16. In 2020, the Bills swept the series, winning 18–10 in the second matchup. In 2022, the Wilson-led Jets won the first matchup 20–17.