Dion Dawkins is not hiding how he feels about the New York Jets. As the Buffalo Bills prepare to renew their AFC East rivalry on Sunday, the veteran left tackle made it clear that this matchup means a little more to him.
“I take it personal when I play the Jets,” Dawkins said, via Terrin Waack.
That is hardly a surprise to anyone who has followed Dawkins’ history with Gang Green. A second-round pick in 2017, Dawkins has spent his entire career in Buffalo and has seen plenty of this rivalry. Back in November 2023, he got into a heated exchange with Jets defensive lineman Micheal Clemons that spilled into the tunnel after the game, with players having to hold the two apart.
Dawkins did not hold back when he looked back on the incident a few months later.
“Imma just keep it a buck. I hate [the Jets’ players]. All of them,” Dawkins said on VladTV at the time.
He also took aim at what he viewed as the Jets’ priorities, adding, “Those are a bunch of dudes who want to take pictures on Instagram…that’s wack. I play [football] because I die by it.”
This time around, the Bills enter the matchup as heavy favorites. Buffalo has won seven of its first eight games under head coach Joe Brady, most recently taking down the Minnesota Vikings 23-6 on Monday Night Football. The Jets, meanwhile, are just 2-7 and sit near the bottom of the AFC.
The bigger question for Buffalo might be the health of its offensive line. Dawkins missed Monday’s win over the Vikings with a rib injury and was limited in practice this week, while Spencer Brown, Alec Anderson and Connor McGovern were also limited.
If Dawkins is good to go on Sunday, he will surely bring some extra fire to MetLife Stadium. The two teams will meet again in the regular-season finale in Buffalo.