Rex Ryan: Buffalo Bills might as well settle for Wild Card spot

With the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills set to meet for the second time on Monday, Rex Ryan's bravado is in its usual full force.

It's no surprise that the Patriots are taking some injury woes into this week's matchup, and Ryan, of course, had no sympathy. Julian Edelman will be out of the lineup -- his first extended absence from the Pats' lineup since 2012 -- giving Tom Brady one less offensive weapon to work with.

Rex on the Patriots injuries: "First off, let me cry because no team has injuries. We certainly didn't go through that at all."

— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) November 19, 2015

To be fair, nobody said that Ryan had to be sympathetic to the Patriots' plight.

Football coaches tend to have a distorted perception of reality, and Ryan is no exception. Every coach needs to adopt that Super Bowl-or-bust mentality into every season in order to find success, even if his team has virtually no shot at competing for the Lombardi Trophy.

But in speaking to reporters on Thursday, Ryan was uncharacteristically realistic about the Bills' playoff hopes. With a 5-4 record, the Bills are tied for second place in the division with the New York Jets. According to Ryan, there is no chance they can leapfrog the Pats and take control of the division. Via ProFootballTalk:

“Right now we’re second in the division,” Ryan said. “We’re gonna do whatever we can. Does that give us the opportunity to win the division? No. They’re gonna win the division. I don’t see them losing four games. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t see it happening.” 

Ryan was then asked if he’s conceding the AFC East to the Patriots. 

“No, I’m just telling you the facts. The only thing I’m focusing on is beating them right now, on Monday night. And we ain’t conceding that, I promise you,” Ryan said. 

Rex Ryan always has something to say, and this is especially true when he is set to put his all-time record of 4-10 against the Patriots on the line. Yet you don't always get to hear him basically concede the division, especially when his team's playoff window is as open as it is now.

Follow Rob Riches on Twitter @Riches61