Jets start game against Bills in worst possible way

It took all of three seconds on Sunday for the New York Jets to start New York Jets’ing.

The Jets’ Week 11 matchup against the division rival Buffalo Bills got off on the wrongest possible foot. Right from the very opening kickoff, the Benny Hill theme began to play for the Jets. Kick returner Xavier Gipson caught the ball inside his own ten-yard line and promptly ran into a concrete wall named Reggie Gilliam. A violent blow from Gilliam dislodged the pigskin from Gipson’s grasp, and the Bills recovered it at the Jets’ 20-yard line.

Here is the video.

What a start for the Bills!

📺: #NYJvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/jckqnJwdb2 pic.twitter.com/QQhaDs20XQ

— NFL (@NFL) November 19, 2023

In fairness to Gipson, not even Bigfoot would have been able to withstand that hit from Gilliam. But somebody on the Jets’ special teams unit clearly missed the block, laying out the red carpet for Gilliam to go full speed ahead.

The Jets were fortunate that the Bills only managed to come away with a field goal on the ensuing drive. But for a team that entered Sunday as the losers of back-to-back games (thereby necessitating some fairly drastic measures), gunning for the Guinness World Record for the quickest turnover ever was not what the Jets had in mind.