Rex Ryan Comments on IK Enemkpali's Fight with Geno Smith

The Buffalo Bills earned a huge 22-17 road win over the New York Jets on Thursday in head coach Rex Ryan's return to New York.

That was only one of the storylines of the evening.

Bills linebacker IK Enemkpali returned to New York for the first time since punching quarterback Geno Smith in August, breaking the quarterback's jaw, and being released by the Jets shortly thereafter. Ryan's Bills then claimed him off waivers.

Ryan named Enemkpali one of Buffalo's captains before Thursday's game, and even though the defender didn't record any numbers on the stat sheet, Ryan was just as happy for Enemkpali as he was for himself after the game, per Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News:

A $600 plane ticket was supposedly the reason Enemkpali broke Smith's jaw, which kept Smith out of action until Sept. 27. If you ask Smith, he'll tell you money wasn't the issue, even though he won't say why Enemkpali broke his jaw, per Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday. A former sixth-round pick, Enemkpali has recorded only two tackles so far this year.

It doesn't make much sense for Ryan to even address the situation since Enemkpali has hardly played for the Bills this year, but you can understand why he would feel that way. There was a lot of emotion in this win for the Bills, who are now 5-4 and tied with the Jets for second place in the AFC East.

In the grand scheme of things, the win was about more than a simple reunion or a broken jaw.