ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Can't we all get along?
Not if you're the New York Jets, according to Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins.
Dawkins has not been shy about expressing his feelings toward the Jets, a rivalry that he has stoked the flames of in the past.
The plan -- at least from Dawkins' perspective -- is to keep the rivalry going when the AFC East rivals meet in New Jersey on "Monday Night Football" (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN).
On Thursday, the Bills starting left tackle was asked about where that mindset against the Jets comes from. While he first pointed to sharing a division making the battles more intense, he also explained why the Jets create so much fire.
"The guys, they talk, we talk and we're entertainers and I'm for sure an entertainer. So, I'm going to entertain it. And why not? I like tension and that's what I do," Dawkins said. "'Showman is going to cause some tension cause that's what it is. Like who wants to play when, when everybody's friends? Like let's push ourselves.
"Let's see how it is when it's a rivalry, so then when we're done playing, the world will talk about this forever. Like the Jets never liked the Bills and the Bills never liked the Jets, and it was a great matchup, and that's all it is, creating the narrative that we want and that I want and go after it. Come out swinging, come for sure swinging."
Dawkins said he wished linebacker Jermaine Johnson, who is on injured reserve, was playing to have "great competition," as he likes to say, and that he prayed for his speedy recovery.
Since Sean McDermott became Buffalo's head coach in 2017, the Bills have gone 9-5 vs. the Jets. The teams have split the season series the past two years, including the Jets winning in Week 1 on "Monday Night Football" last year on a punt return in overtime, the same game quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered his season ending Achilles tear.
The Bills have lost the past two games at MetLife Stadium. In games quarterback Josh Allen has started, the Bills are 7-4 vs. the Jets.
"I would say over the years of playing the Jets over and over and over, twice every year, like how I mentioned, the tension is extremely high," Dawkins said.
The eight-year veteran has spoken out about the Jets before. In February, Dawkins specifically mentioned Jets defensive tackle Michael Clemons during an appearance on VladTV, where he expressed his disdain for his AFC East rival.
"I hate them, all of them, bro. ... When it comes to sports, there are people that play the sport because they love the sport. And then there's people that play the sport just to try to be cool," Dawkins said. "I feel like they play the sport to try to be cool. Those are a bunch of dudes that just want to take pictures on Instagram. That's whack."
He noted he did like defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
He also called Jets players "very disrespectful" after a postgame altercation following the Bills' win in Orchard Park last season.
Much will be on the line. The Jets (2-3) will play their first game since head coach Robert Saleh was fired, while the Bills (3-2) will look to avoid the team's first three-game losing streak since 2018.