A look at Buffalo Bills players who were "up" and those who were "down" in Thursday's 22-17 victory over the New York Jets:
UP
Rex Ryan: He told his players Monday that this was like any other game -- a challenge on the road against a divisional opponent, which it was -- but there was obviously added meaning for Ryan, both on and off the field. On the field, his defense proved that it was capable of being dominant by stopping the Jets on four downs to prevent what would have been the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter. Off the field, Ryan showed a national television audience that he was better than the coach who didn't have a winning record among the final four seasons of his Jets tenure. Center Eric Wood awarded Ryan the game ball and running back LeSean McCoy gave a loud shout-out to Ryan in the locker room after the game.
Bacarri Rambo: The Bills' backup safety sparked Ryan's victory celebration by intercepting Ryan Fitzpatrick in the final moments. It was the third turnover forced by Rambo in the game; he also jarred the ball from Jets kick returner Devin Smith for a touchdown in the second quarter and added another forced fumble in the third quarter. It was Rambo's biggest game since his two-interception outing against Aaron Rodgers in December.
LeSean McCoy: After beginning the season with several ups and downs as he battled a hamstring injury, McCoy has now posted back-to-back 100-yard rushing games for the first time since Weeks 12 and 13 of last season. He averaged 5.9 yards per rush against the Jets, taking advantage of large rushing lanes on some plays but showing his trademark burst and agility on others -- including gaining a tough four yards for a first down in the second quarter.
DOWN
Colton Schmidt: The Bills' punter, solid all season to this point, struggled Thursday. Schmidt is lucky the Bills' defense held strong in the red zone in the final minutes because Schmidt's dropped snap from Garrison Sanborn on a fourth-quarter punt was disastrous. It gave the Jets the ball at the Buffalo 13-yard line and was the second special-teams mishap for the Bills in the game.
Dan Carpenter: The first special-teams mishap belonged to Carpenter, whose extra point following Duke Williams' touchdown went wide left. Points after are not gimmes given the NFL's new rules this season, but it's the second time Carpenter has missed an extra point this season, and in a relatively low-scoring, defensive battle such as Thursday's, it could have been costly.
Nickell Robey: The Bills' undersized slot corner drew a tough matchup against Eric Decker and lost a few key battles. Robey was part of the coverage on a 19-yard completion to Decker on fourth-and-4 in the fourth quarter and then trailed Decker in coverage on a 31-yard touchdown two plays later, a score that brought the Jets to within five points of the Bills.