Getty Shaq Lawson makes a sack in a game against the New York Jets.
Sunday’s win against the New York Jets was more than a little personal for Shaq Lawson.
The Buffalo Bills defensive end turned in a key play against his former team, who cut him prior to the season finale last season. Lawson rejoined the Bills last offseason and has turned into a key member of the defensive line, but still holds plenty of animosity toward the Jets for the way his tenure with the team ended — and he let the emotions spill over during and after Sunday’s win.
Lawson’s Big Game
Lawson turned in a key play in Sunday’s 20-12 win over their divisional rival. After the Bills kicked a field goal early in the fourth quarter to take a 20-7 lead, the Jets were driving into Bills territory. On a first-and-10, Lawson sacked Jets quarterback Mike White for an 11-yard loss that helped lead to a punt.
Lawson celebrated his sack by gesturing toward the Jets’ sideline and delivering a message to his former team.
“I just let the whole sideline over there hear me and feel me,” Lawson said after the game. “After that sack, I probably ran 50 yards. I was just letting them know I still got it.”
The Bills drafted Lawson in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and he spent the first four seasons of his career with Buffalo before moving to the Miami Dolphins and then the Jets. After appearing in 14 games for the Jets last season and starting seven, he was released days before the season finale against the Bills.
Lawson said that was on his mind when the teams met on Sunday.
“This game was a little personal for me,” Lawson said. “I took this to heart. I got cut last year on the last game of the season before we played Buffalo. It was like a shot to my face.”
Lawson in Midst of Resurgent Season
As Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News noted, Lawson’s return to Buffalo was overshadowed by a much bigger free agency move. He signed a one-year deal for the veteran minimum just one day after the Bills signed Von Miller, and went into training camp with no guarantee he would earn a spot on the roster.
After a career low point when he was released by the Jets, Lawson said he was prepared to climb his way back.
“I knew it was going to be a humbling year,” Lawson told the Buffalo News in a December 8 interview. “I knew I signed for the league minimum. Nothing was going to be easy for me. I know I’ve got to earn everything. No money guaranteed, no position guaranteed – I just knew I had to earn everything. That’s the mindset I took.”
Lawson ended up securing a spot on the roster with a strong training camp, and after being a healthy scratch in the season-opening win over the Los Angeles Rams, he has become a key member of the defensive line rotation. As Skurski noted, he played just under 40 percent of the team’s snaps going into Sunday’s game and he could play an even bigger role with Miller now out for the season with an ACL tear.
Lawson said he’s up for the challenge.
“We’re in this dangerous sport. Injuries and things happen,” Lawson said. “All his leadership skills rubbed off on us. I’ve played a lot of ball. … We’ve got a lot of experience in the room still. We’ve got to come together and lead. It starts up front.”