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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- No matter what uniform Ryan Fitzpatrick wears, Rex Ryan has his number. Fitzpatrick enters Thursday night's game against the Bills a woeful 2-8 in 10 starts against Ryan since Ryan became a head coach with the Jets in 2009. The Fitzpatrick-led Cincinnati Bengals (one game), Bills (seven games) and Jets (two games) have scored more than 17 points just three times in those 10 games.
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A deeper dive into the numbers reveals just how Ryan's defenses have dominated Fitzpatrick, who has completed 47.1 percent of his passes while averaging 171.5 yards per game and throwing 15 touchdowns against 12 interceptions (1.25 touchdowns for every interception) in the 10 games.
Overall in his 11-year NFL career, Fitzpatrick has completed 60 percent of his passes while averaging 205 yards per game. His touchdown-to-interception ratio, meanwhile, is 1.33/1.
Fitzpatrick admitted Tuesday that Ryan has gotten the best of him over the last seven-plus seasons but expressed confidence that his issues against Ryan were fixable.
"I know I've got to do better," Fitzpatrick said. "There's just a lot of stuff, in terms of thought process, in terms of making the right throws, that I've just got to come in and do. I don't know that it's necessarily his defense versus my quarterback play. It's just me going out there and making smart decisions and good throws."
--The Jets have not been must-see TV on Thursday nights.
When the Jets visit the Buffalo Bills and old friend Rex Ryan on Thursday, they will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak on Thursday nights. The Jets have not won on Thursday night since beating the Cincinnati Bengals on Thanksgiving night in 2010. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have lost five straight Thursday night games since 2012, match the Jets' winless streak.
The Thursday night skid isn't a burden to be entirely shouldered by the current Jets -- only six players have been with the team for the entirety of the skid, which, of course, began with Ryan as head coach -- but it is worrisome nonetheless heading into what amounts to a must-win game.
Still, as Fitzpatrick noted, it is not as if the Jets will be playing at a disadvantage Thursday.
"I think physically it's always tough to play on Thursday," Fitzpatrick said. "The thing about that is they're doing the same thing. It evens out because the bumps and nicks and soreness and bruises that we're feeling, they're going to feel the same thing."
And if the Jets finally win on a Thursday, it won't feel like such a bad night after all.
"Then it's great," Fitzpatrick said. "You get the extra rest (and) you sit at 1-1."
NOTES: --TE Braedon Bowman was waived by the Jets on Tuesday afternoon. The transaction makes room on the 53-man roster for DE Sheldon Richardson, who returned from a one-game suspension on Monday, Bowman was claimed off waivers from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 4 but was inactive for the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. ... OLB Victor Ochi and WR Wendall Williams were signed to the Jets' practice squad on Monday.
