Rex Ryan takes blame for Bills' 10-man fail on Dolphins' decisive OT run
Jay Ajayi ripped off 57 yards in overtime, which set up the Dolphins' game-winning field goal
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Rex Ryan's time in Buffalo appears to be coming to a close. Through 31 games with the Bills, Ryan has gone 15-16. A win over the Jets on Sunday would improve Ryan's record to .500, but that probably won't be enough to save his job. The Bills' 34-31 overtime loss to the Dolphins on Saturday likely sealed his fate.
Fittingly, Ryan provided a signature moment during the loss -- a moment that perfectly sums up just how awful his time in Buffalo went. When Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi ripped off a 57-yard run in overtime, which set up the game-winning field goal, he did so against an undermanned defense.
Specifically, the Bills used only 10 men on that game-deciding play. Oops.
ESPN Ron Jaworski was the first to point out the Bills' blunder.
Wow!
— Ron Jaworski (@jawsespn) December 26, 2016
Watching bills/ dolphins tape.
Bills had 10 men on field on ajayi 57 yard run it OT.
Visual proof:
Ryan ended up taking responsibility.
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen and it should never happen but it did happen," he said, per NFL.com. "And it cost us the game. That's how I'll look at it."
That play might be the perfect representation of Ryan's two seasons spent in Buffalo. He arrived as an alleged defensive mastermind, but the defense only regressed under his command. In 2014, the Bills' defense -- helmed by Jim Schwartz at the time -- ranked fourth in points allowed and fourth in yards allowed. In 2015, Ryan's defense ranked 15th in points allowed and 19th in yards allowed. They're ranked exactly the same through 15 games this year. So, at least he's consistent.
It's also worth noting that with 4:09 remaining in overtime of Saturday's game, Ryan passed up a fourth-and-2 at the Bills' 41-yard line -- even though he needed a win to remain alive in the playoff hunt, even though his offense is actually the strength of his team, and even though he has LeSean McCoy on his roster.
But Ryan punted, his defense trotted out 10 men for Ajayi's 57-yard run, and he lost a game he had no business losing. Afterward, he complained about not getting the timeout he thought he called on the Dolphins' game-tying kick at the end of regulation. The officials were correct, by the way. He called the timeout a split-second too late.
That entire paragraph might be the most Rex Ryan thing I've ever written.
