Rex Ryan Comments on Bills' Upcoming Matchups vs. Cardinals, Patriots

While a two-game stretch against the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots doesn't appear to be the perfect tonic for the 0-2 Buffalo Bills, head coach Rex Ryan is playing the role of eternal optimist.

"This might be the exact team we need to play," he said of the 1-1 Cardinals on Monday, per the Buffalo News' Nick Veronica. "This might be the best team in the league. And maybe this is the exact team we need to play."

Ryan added that the Bills could benefit from getting the Cardinals and Patriots in consecutive weeks:

"

And it's back-to-back weeks, by the way.

So you got (Cardinals coach) Bruce Arians this week and (Patriots coach Bill) Belichick next week. So it's like, OK. I mean, probably there's a few easier options than those two. But maybe this is exactly what we need.

"

Ahead of Sunday's matchup against Arizona, Ryan is sitting on the hottest seat in the NFL.

Following the Bills' Week 2 loss to the New York Jets, he fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman on Friday, saying the decision was "my move, without question," per ESPN.com's Mike Rodak.

However, Sporting News' Alex Marvez reported the Bills front office pressed Ryan to shake up his coaching staff after the team's poor performance against New York. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport also reported team ownership met with members of the offense prior to Roman's firing.

ESPN.com's Rich Cimini questioned whether the offense has been the problem:

On one hand, beating the Cardinals and Patriots could turn the Bills' season around. Getting two wins in a row against strong competition would allay some of the fears fans have about the team.

On the other hand, an 0-4 start would all but doom the team's postseason chances. Only one team in NFL history—the 1992 San Diego Chargers—has made the playoffs after going 0-4 to begin a season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info).

If Buffalo goes another season without playoff football, Ryan would almost certainly be out of a job by the end of the year.