The
2019 season was the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
' 60th overall, 50th in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL), fifth full under the ownership of
Terry
Terry is a unisex given name, derived from French Thierry and Theodoric. It can also be used as a diminutive nickname for the names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence (given name), Terence or Terrier (masculine).
People
Male
* Terry Albrit ...
and
Kim Pegula
Kim S. Pegula ( née Kerr; born June 7, 1969) is an American businesswoman and with her husband Terry Pegula, one of the principal owners of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. She is also the president of Pegula Sports and Enterta ...
and third under the
head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
/
general manager
A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
tandem of
Sean McDermott
Sean Michael McDermott (born March 21, 1974) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL coaching career as an assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2001, ...
and
Brandon Beane
Brandon Beane (born July 27, 1976) is an American football executive who is the general manager for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL), a position he has held since 2017. Prior to joining the Bills, Beane served in the pers ...
.
During the offseason, Buffalo acquired several players who would make major contributions on offense. The Bills improved on their 6–10 record from
the previous season with a 37–20 win over
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
in Week 11, then clinched their second winning season in three years with a 26–15 win over the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
on Thanksgiving Day. Despite losing 24–17 to the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
in Week 14, the Bills' 9–4 record marked the first time since
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
(during the
Marv Levy
Marvin Daniel Levy (; born August 3, 1925) is an American former football coach and executive who was a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for seventeen seasons. He spent most of his head coaching career with the Buffalo Bills, lea ...
/
Jim Kelly
James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the United State ...
era) that the team won at least nine of their first 13 games and matching their highest full-season win total (
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
,
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
and
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
) in the 21st century with four games remaining.
With a 17–10 win over the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
in Week 15, not only did the Bills clinch their second playoff berth in three years, but they reached 10 wins for the first time since winning 11 in
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
, which was also the last time the team made the playoffs until
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
.
The Bills defense finished an impressive season with just 259 points allowed, second in the league behind only the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
. The defense allowed more than 20 points just five times all season, and more than 30 points only once (in Week 8 against the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
). Overall, the Bills had the lowest-scoring games in the league with just 573 total points scored and allowed.
The #5 seed Bills attempted to win their first playoff game since
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
in the Wild Card round, but were defeated by the #4 seed
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
22–19 in overtime after giving up a 16–0 lead. The loss extended their playoff win drought to 25 years.
Transactions
Free agency
The Bills freed up cap space after paying off the dead money for players from the
Doug Whaley
Douglass G. Whaley (born December 16, 1972) is an American football executive and former collegiate player. He is the current Senior Vice President of Player Personnel for the XFL and from 2013 to 2017 was the general manager of the Buffalo Bil ...
era they had either cut or traded over the past two offseasons, including WR
Sammy Watkins, CB
Ronald Darby
Ronald Darby (born January 2, 1994) is an American football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2015 ...
and DT
Marcell Dareus
Marcell Dareus (born March 13, 1990) is an American football defensive tackle who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills third overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. Dareus has also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college fo ...
. To address the team's offensive woes from the previous season, numerous offensive players such as WRs
John Brown John Brown most often refers to:
*John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859
John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to:
Academia
* John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
,
Cole Beasley
Cole Dickson Beasley (born April 26, 1989) is an American football wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Southern Methodist University and was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as ...
and
Andre Roberts, C
Mitch Morse
Mitchell Morse (born April 21, 1992) is an American football center for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Missouri.
Professional career
Kansas City Chiefs
Morse was drafted by the Kansas Ci ...
, RBs
Frank Gore
Franklin Gore Sr. (born May 14, 1983) is an American former American football, football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. A member of the San Francisco 49ers during most of his career, he ranks third ...
and
T. J. Yeldon
Timothy Antonio "T. J." Yeldon Jr. (born October 2, 1993) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alabama.
Ear ...
and others were added in free agency, with Beane angrily dismissing the notion that "free agents don't want to play for Buffalo."
Arrivals
Departures
NFL Draft
Notes
*The Bills traded their second fifth round pick (number 158 overall) to
Oakland
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
for G
Cody Ford
Cody Ford (born December 28, 1996) is an American football offensive guard for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma. He has played in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinal ...
.
*The Bills traded both their fourth round picks (number 113 and 132 overall) to
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
for TE
Dawson Knox
Dawson Alan Knox (born November 14, 1996) is an American football tight end for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ole Miss.
Early years
Knox attended St. Paul Christian Academy and Brentwood ...
.
Staff
Final roster
Preseason
The Bills went undefeated in their preseason games for the first time in franchise history. The team had only once before won their first three preseason games in
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
before losing the preseason finale.
Regular season
Schedule
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: at New York Jets
Despite four first-half turnovers, two of which were interceptions by QB
Josh Allen Josh or Joshua Allen may refer to:
* Josh Allen (offensive lineman) (born 1991), former American football player
* Josh Allen (quarterback) (born 1996), American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills since 2018
* Josh Allen (defen ...
and being down 16–0 in the third quarter, the Bills scored on three consecutive drives afterwards, with the defense stifling Jets QB
Sam Darnold
Samuel Richard Darnold (born June 5, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC, where he became the first freshman to win the Archie Griffin Awar ...
and RB
Le'Veon Bell
Le'Veon Andrew Bell Sr. ( ; born February 18, 1992) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted 48th overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2013 ...
for the most part, but it was an injury to Jets LB
C. J. Mosley, along with misses on an extra point and a field goal by Jets K
Kaare Vedvik
Kaare Vedvik (born March 16, 1994) is a Norwegian professional gridiron football placekicker and punter for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Marshall and signed with the Baltimore ...
(ultimately leading to his subsequent release), that paved the way for Buffalo's largest comeback win since Week 3 of the
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
season, when the Bills came back from a 21–0 first-half deficit to upset the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
34–31.
Week 2: at New York Giants
With the win, not only did Buffalo earn its first 2–0 start since
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, but also became the first team to win back-to-back road games in the same stadium since the
2006 Chicago Bears
The 2006 season was the Chicago Bears' 87th in the National Football League (NFL). The team improved on their 11–5 record from 2005 and finished with a 13–3 record; the best in the NFC. The Bears retained their NFC North divisional title, a ...
, who ultimately went on to lose
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League (NFL) champio ...
to the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
.
Week 3: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Buffalo dominated the first half, holding the Bengals offense to just 76 yards and occupying 22:57 of ball possession, compared to just 7:03 for Cincinnati, but were only able to hold a 14–0 lead due to some miscues on offense, including a
T. J. Yeldon
Timothy Antonio "T. J." Yeldon Jr. (born October 2, 1993) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alabama.
Ear ...
fumble in the red zone. After Allen threw an interception to the Bengals defense in the third quarter, Cincinnati surged to 17 unanswered points, but Buffalo scored on its final drive, which featured a 49-yard pass from Allen to rookie TE
Dawson Knox
Dawson Alan Knox (born November 14, 1996) is an American football tight end for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ole Miss.
Early years
Knox attended St. Paul Christian Academy and Brentwood ...
in which Knox broke two tackles and was capped by a touchdown run by RB
Frank Gore
Franklin Gore Sr. (born May 14, 1983) is an American former American football, football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. A member of the San Francisco 49ers during most of his career, he ranks third ...
. Bengals QB
Andy Dalton
Andrew Gregory Dalton (born October 29, 1987) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Red Rifle", Dalton previously played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, and ...
was intercepted by CB
Tre'Davious White for the second time on Cincinnati's ensuing drive, sealing a 21–17 victory for Buffalo. With the win, the Bills earned their first 3–0 start since
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
.
Week 4: vs. New England Patriots
The game was a defensive battle, as both Allen and Patriots QB
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...
struggled throughout the game. However, the Patriots took an early 13–0 lead following a
Brandon Bolden
Brandon Bolden (born January 26, 1990) is an American football running back for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ole Miss. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2012 by the New Eng ...
rushing touchdown and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown. After leading the Bills to 10 points, Allen was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter after sustaining a helmet-to-helmet hit with Patriots CB
Jonathan Jones during a scramble. The Patriots defense stifled backup quarterback
Matt Barkley
Matthew Montgomery Barkley (born September 8, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC, and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth roun ...
, keeping the Bills offense out of the end zone for the rest of the game. With their first loss of the season, the Bills fell to 3–1, failing to earn their first 4–0 start since
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
. On a positive note, Gore became the fourth running back in NFL history to attain 15,000 career rushing yards.
Week 5: at Tennessee Titans
In another defensive game, Buffalo scored first with an Allen pass to TE
Lee Smith Lee Smith is the name of:
Arts, entertainment and media
*Lee Smith (fiction author) (born 1944), American author of fiction
*Lee Smith (film editor) (born 1960), Australian film editor
*Lee Smith (musician) (born 1983), American drummer
*Lee Smith ...
in the second quarter, while Titans QB
Marcus Mariota
Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota (born October 30, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted second overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL Draft. Mariota play ...
was sacked four times in the first half. The Titans responded in the third quarter with a
Derrick Henry
Derrick Lamar Henry Jr. (born January 4, 1994) is an American football running back for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). His imposing rushing game and larger stature than the average running back earned him the nickna ...
rushing touchdown and were on the way to taking the lead in the fourth quarter. However, in a reversal of luck compared to the
Music City Miracle
The Music City Miracle was an American football play that took place on January 8, 2000, during the National Football League's (NFL) 1999–2000 playoffs. It occurred at the end of the American Football Conference (AFC) Wild Card playoff game be ...
from 20 years earlier, the Titans were denied a Mariota passing touchdown when it was determined that Mariota crossed the line of scrimmage prior to making a
forward pass
In several forms of football, a forward pass is the throwing of the ball in the direction in which the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line. The forward pass is one of the main distinguishers between gridiron ...
. The resulting penalty forced the Titans to settle for a field goal by K
Cairo Santos
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
, which was blocked by the Bills defense. Santos wound up missing his other three field goal attempts, finishing 0-for-4 on the day (ultimately leading to his subsequent release). Following the miss, the Bills drove 80 yards down the field, capitalizing with a go-ahead touchdown from Allen to receiver
Duke Williams as Tennessee was unable to respond. With the win, Buffalo improved to 4–1 heading into the bye week. WR
Zay Jones
Isaiah Avery "Zay" Jones (born March 30, 1995) is an American football wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at East Carolina. Jones is the all-time NCAA Division I career r ...
was traded to the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
the day after this game.
Week 7: vs. Miami Dolphins
Against the winless Dolphins, the Bills trailed at halftime 14–9 following a strong second quarter from Miami QB
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick (born November 24, 1982) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. During his career, Fitzpatrick started at quarterback for nine different teams, the most ...
, who was Buffalo's starter from
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
-
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
. The Dolphins looked to extend their lead in the third quarter, but White intercepted Fitzpatrick at the Buffalo 2-yard line. The Bills then regained the lead with two Allen touchdown passes to WRs
John Brown John Brown most often refers to:
*John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859
John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to:
Academia
* John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
and
Cole Beasley
Cole Dickson Beasley (born April 26, 1989) is an American football wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Southern Methodist University and was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as ...
, respectively, with the latter occurring after White forced the Dolphins to fumble near their 30-yard line. Though the Dolphins scored again later in the fourth quarter, the Bills iced the game after safety
Micah Hyde returned Miami's ensuing
onside kick
In gridiron football, an onside kick is a kickoff deliberately kicked short in an attempt by the kicking team to regain possession of the ball. This is in contrast with a typical kickoff, in which the kicking team intends to give the ball to the o ...
for a 45-yard touchdown. With the win, the Bills improved to 5–1 for the first time since
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
.
Week 8: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
During a rain-swept, windy game, the Bills took an early 7–3 lead, but after an Allen fumble shortly before halftime, the Eagles stormed back, outscoring the Bills 28–6 afterwards and finishing with 218 rushing yards under RBs
Jordan Howard
Jordan Reginald Howard (born November 2, 1994) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at UAB and Indiana.
High school career
Howard played high school football at Gardendale High School in Gardenda ...
and
Miles Sanders
Miles Adam Sanders (born May 1, 1997), nicknamed "Boobie Miles", is an American football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Eagles in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft afte ...
. With the loss, the Bills fall to 5–2. It was the only game all season, including the playoffs, in which the Bills defense allowed more than three touchdowns, or more than 25 points.
Week 9: vs. Washington Redskins
The Bills won against the Redskins with 140 total yards from rookie RB
Devin Singletary
Devin Singletary (born September 3, 1997), nicknamed "Motor", is an American football running back for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida Atlantic Owls football, Florida Atlantic. As a ...
, improving to 6–2, making this their best start since
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
, also the same year the Bills last made a Super Bowl.
Week 10: at Cleveland Browns
In a game featuring a showdown between Allen and fellow 2018 draftee
Baker Mayfield
Baker Reagan Mayfield (born April 14, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). Following a stint with Texas Tech, Mayfield played college football at Oklahoma, where he won the Hei ...
, Cleveland scored first with a Mayfield touchdown pass to
Jarvis Landry
Jarvis Charles Landry (born November 28, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the second round o ...
and dominated the time of possession in the first half, but the Bills defense provided two goal-line stands in the second quarter, causing a turnover on downs and limiting the Browns to a field goal, respectively. Allen passed for a career-high 266 yards and had two rushing scores, the second of which gave Buffalo a 16–12 lead late in the fourth quarter, but Mayfield then drove Cleveland down the field to retake the lead with a touchdown pass to
Rashard Higgins
Rashard Malick Higgins (born October 7, 1994), nicknamed "Hollywood", is an American football wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Colorado State.
Early years
Higgins atte ...
. The Bills drove to the Cleveland 35-yard line on the ensuing drive, but K
Stephen Hauschka
Stephen Theodore Hauschka (born June 29, 1985) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Middlebury College and NC State Wolfpack football, ...
missed the potential game-tying field goal attempt, sealing the loss for Buffalo and dropping them to 6–3 on the season.
Week 11: at Miami Dolphins
In the rematch against Miami, the Bills defense sacked Fitzpatrick seven times and limited the Dolphins to 23 rushing yards, but the special teams unit allowed a 101-yard kickoff return touchdown from Dolphins KR
Jakeem Grant and an onside kick. Offensively, Allen and Brown posted strong performances as the Bills cruised to over 400 total yards and Hauschka rebounded from his poor performance in Cleveland, making all three of his field goals with a long of 51 yards. With the dominating win, Buffalo improved to 7–3, improving on their 6–10 record from
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
.
Week 12: vs. Denver Broncos
Against a strong Broncos defense, Allen's streak of games without throwing an interception came to an end at five, as he threw one to Broncos S
Justin Simmons in the second quarter. Nonetheless, Allen still passed for two touchdowns and Buffalo's rushing offense recorded 244 yards. RBs Singletary and Gore each hit notable milestones, as Singletary recorded his first career 100-yard rushing game and Gore surpassed
Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders (born July 16, 1968) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL), from 1989 to 1998 for the Detroit Lions. Sanders led the league in rushing yards four times and ...
on the
NFL's all-time rushing list, taking over third place for career rushing yards. Defensively, the Bills had another strong performance and shut down the Denver offense, limiting the Broncos to just 134 net yards and a 45-yard field goal midway through the third quarter in addition to sacking QB
Brandon Allen four times. The Bills improved to 8–3 with the win.
Week 13: at Dallas Cowboys
Thanksgiving Day Game
Buffalo traveled to Dallas for its first
Thanksgiving game since
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
, when they lost 35–21 to the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. Despite an opening-drive touchdown pass from Cowboys QB
Dak Prescott
Rayne Dakota Prescott (born July 29, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Mississippi State, where he twice received first-team All- SEC honors, a ...
to TE
Jason Witten
Christopher Jason Witten (born May 6, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for 17 seasons, primarily for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Univers ...
, the Bills defense kept the Cowboys' top-ranked offense out of the end zone for the rest of the first half and most of the second half and forced two turnovers from Prescott. The Bills would respond in the second quarter when Beasley, making his first return to Dallas since signing with Buffalo in free agency, caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Allen. They took the lead for good when they scored on a trick play 28-yard pass from Brown to Singletary just before halftime. Buffalo wound up scoring 26 unanswered points before allowing a 15-yard touchdown pass from Prescott to
Ventell Bryant in garbage time. With the 26–15 win, the Bills improved to 9–3, clinching just their fourth winning season since
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
. Additionally, this was the first time since
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
that the Bills won the Thanksgiving game.
Week 14: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Against the top-ranked Ravens and MVP candidate
Lamar Jackson
Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (born January 7, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisville, where he won the Heisman Trophy during his soph ...
, the Bills defense limited the Ravens to less than 100 total yards in the first half with an interception of Jackson, but the Ravens defense likewise limited the Bills offense, scoring a touchdown after forcing Allen to fumble deep in Bills territory. Baltimore took a commanding 17–6 lead three plays into the third quarter after Jackson found TE
Hayden Hurst
Hayden Randle Hurst (born August 24, 1993) is an American football tight end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round ...
for a 61-yard touchdown through blown coverage and extended their lead with a long touchdown drive following a Bills field goal and a missed pass interference call after Ravens CB
Jimmy Smith pushed Bills WR
Robert Foster in the back. Buffalo would respond with an Allen touchdown pass to Beasley and successful two-point conversion and had one final chance to tie the game after penalties by Baltimore, but the drive stalled at the Baltimore 18-yard line when CB
Marcus Peters
Marcus Peters (born January 9, 1993) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft and was also a member of the Los Angeles Rams and the Baltimore Raven ...
batted down the ball with just over a minute to go, sealing a 24–17 loss that dropped the Bills to 9–4.
Week 15: at Pittsburgh Steelers
This game was originally scheduled to air at 1:00pm ET on CBS, but during the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
–
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
primetime game in Week 13, it was announced that the game would be
flexed to 8:20pm ET on NBC. This marked the first Sunday primetime game for the Bills since
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
, when they hosted the
Patriots (who were attempting to complete a perfect 16-0 regular season) and lost 56–10. The Bills won the defense-heavy game 17–10 as Brown led the Bills offense with 99 receiving yards. Defensively, the Bills forced five turnovers, including four interceptions of Steelers quarterback
Devlin Hodges
Devlin Patrick "Duck" Hodges (born April 12, 1996) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Samford, after playing at Mortimer Jordan High School. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free ...
. This win snapped a six-game losing streak against the Steelers dating back to
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
, and was the Bills’ first win at Pittsburgh since
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
.
With the win, Buffalo improved to 10–4, clinching both a playoff berth and its first season with 10 or more wins since 1999.
Week 16: at New England Patriots
Despite New England holding the ball for much of the first half, Buffalo tied it up at halftime after stopping a fourth-down conversion, then subsequently marching down the field in 38 seconds and capitalizing with a Josh Allen touchdown pass to offensive tackle
Dion Dawkins
Dion Dawkins (born April 26, 1994) is an American football offensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Temple.
Early years
Dawkins attended Rahway High School in Rahway, New Jersey ...
. The second half saw the Bills and Patriots alternate leads, with the Patriots scoring a go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter with a
Rex Burkhead
Rex Burkhead (born July 2, 1990) is an American football running back for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Nebraska and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2013 ...
touchdown run and subsequent two-point conversion. Similar to the game against the Ravens, Buffalo then drove down the field into the redzone on its final possession, but was unable to score the game-tying touchdown as the drive stalled at the New England 14-yard line. With the loss, the Bills fell to 10–5 and allowed New England to clinch the divisional title.
Later in the weekend, the other AFC teams contending for Wild Card spots in the playoffs, namely the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
and the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
, both lost to fall to 8–7. With only one game remaining, neither team could reach 10 wins and match the Bills' win total. Therefore, the Bills clinched the #5 seed and a road game against the #4 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Week 17: vs. New York Jets
The Bills' final regular season game against the Jets had no implications for their playoff seeding, as they had already locked up the #5 seed in the AFC. After initially announcing that many starters would play, head coach
Sean McDermott
Sean Michael McDermott (born March 21, 1974) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL coaching career as an assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2001, ...
limited playing time for many players in order to
rest up for the playoffs. The Bills played many of their reserves for much of the game, leading to a low-scoring contest which the Jets were able to win, 13–6.
Standings
Division
Conference
Postseason
Schedule
Game summaries
AFC Wild Card Playoffs: at (4) Houston Texans
In their third consecutive playoff game against the
AFC South
The American Football Conference – Southern Division or AFC South is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created before the 2002 NFL season, 2002 s ...
, the Bills jumped out to an early lead including a trick play touchdown from receiver
John Brown John Brown most often refers to:
*John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859
John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to:
Academia
* John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
to Josh Allen on their first drive, and were able to contain Texans quarterback
Deshaun Watson
Derrick Deshaun Watson (born September 14, 1995) is an American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players ...
in the first half. The Bills expanded their lead to 16–0 in the third quarter before the Texans came back with three straight scores to take a 19–16 lead. After exchanging
turnovers on downs, the Bills were able to get the ball back with just over a minute remaining and set up a field goal to force the game into overtime. Both teams punted on their first possession of overtime, although the Bills had made it into field goal range, they were pushed back by a blindside block penalty on offensive lineman
Cody Ford
Cody Ford (born December 28, 1996) is an American football offensive guard for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma. He has played in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinal ...
, forcing the punt. On the ensuing drive, the Texans advanced to the Bills' 44 yard line where, facing 2nd & 6, Watson escaped multiple Bills defenders to avoid a sack, and completed a pass to former Bill
Taiwan Jones
Taiwan Asti Eric Jones (born July 26, 1988) is an American football running back and return specialist who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at ...
to the Bills' 10 yard line, setting up the game-winning field goal kicked by
Ka'imi Fairbairn with 3:20 remaining in overtime. The Bills were eliminated with the loss, and the Texans advanced to play the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The tea ...
in the divisional round.
References
External links
*
{{2019 NFL season by team
Buffalo
Buffalo Bills seasons
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...