The2010 season was theBuffalo Bills' 51st season in theNational Football League (NFL), It was Buffalo's first season withBuddy Nix in the role of general manager and head coachChan Gailey. The Bills hoped to improve on their 6–10 record from the2009 season, and attempt to make the playoffs for the first time since1999. The Bills had the 9th pick in the first round of the2010 NFL draft selectingC. J. Spiller, arunning back fromClemson. This season marked the first 0–8 start since1984, in which they finished 2–14. They were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 12, extending their playoff drought to 11 seasons. Despite the poor start, Buffalo became largely competitive after the bye in Week 9.

Their next four losses were by only three points each, all to teams that made the playoffs that year—Baltimore, Kansas City, Chicago and Pittsburgh (three of these losses went to overtime). The Bills eventually won four of their final eight games, which carried over into a strong start to the2011 season. The 2010 season was marked by the emergence of wide receiverStevie Johnson, who gained 1,073 receiving yards andnose tackleKyle Williams, anAll-Pro in 2010 who gained status as an elite defensive tackle.^[1][2][3]

The Bills had fired head coachDick Jauron after Week 10 of the 2009 season; he had been replaced on an interim basis by defensive coordinatorPerry Fewell. The remainder of the Jauron coaching staff was released at the end of the year, including Fewell. FormerDallas Cowboys andGeorgia Tech head coachChan Gailey was hired as the Bills' new head coach andBuddy Nix had taken over as general manager replacing Russ Brandon, who stayed on as CEO. Gailey installed the3-4 defense (although the team would play in a4–3 on certain downs)^[4] and the "Pistol" offensive formation.George Edwards was named defensive coordinator, and though Gailey stated he would call the offensive plays,Curtis Modkins was named the nominal offensive coordinator. On February 18, 2010, starting right tackleBrad Butler announced his retirement from professional football. Butler suffered a season ending (ultimately a career ending) knee injury vs. theTampa Bay Buccaneers in week 2 of the 2009 season. The Bills held an open competition for the startingquarterback position betweenTrent Edwards,Ryan Fitzpatrick andBrian Brohm during training camp. Edwards was named starter prior to the first preseason game, but was released from the team after two poor performances. Fitzpatrick took over in Week 3 and, in 13 games, became the first Bills quarterback to throw for 3,000 passing yards in a season sinceJ. P. Losman in2006.^[5][6]

Come week three Fitzpatrick was named starter against the Patriots as Edwards was benched. In the game Fitzpatrick had surpassed Edwards' statistics for the first two games. This resulted in Edwards' release from the roster the following day on Monday, a day after the game, when his success in the preseason did not continue into the first two games of the regular season.^[7] He was picked up by theJacksonville Jaguars off waivers the next day on Tuesday.^[8]

Similarly,Marshawn Lynch was one of the starting running backs at the beginning of the regular season. He was only to be traded to theSeattle Seahawks after four games into the regular season with the rise of running backsFred Jackson and first-round draft pick C. J. Spiller created a logjam. The draft picks were at first undisclosed. It was later announced that the Bills would receive a fourth-round draft pick in the 2011 draft and a conditional pick in the 2012 draft.^[9]

The Bills preseason schedule was announced on March 31, 2010. The second preseason game, against the Indianapolis Colts, was held at theRogers Centre in Toronto as part of theBills Toronto Series.^[10]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	August 13	atWashington Redskins	L 17–42	0–1	FedExField	Recap
2	August 19	Indianapolis Colts	W 34–21	1–1	Rogers Centre(Toronto)	Recap
3	August 28	Cincinnati Bengals	W 35–20	2–1	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
4	September 2	atDetroit Lions	L 23–28	2–2	Ford Field	Recap

Football statistics siteFootball Outsiders calculated that the Bills had the toughest schedule in the league in 2010, based on strength of opponent,^[11] whilstPro Football Reference argued that the 2010 Bills had the toughest schedule for any NFL team since1971, with nine games against opponents 10–6 or better.^[12] Apart from theirAFC East division games, the Bills played against theAFC North andNFC North according to the conference rotation, and playedthe Chiefs andJaguars based on 2009 divisional positions.

Though the Bills were the last team to record their first win in 2010, starting the season with eight consecutive losses, they improved greatly in the second half of the season, with a record of 4–4 to finish the year. Nine of the Bills' twelve losses were to teams that qualified for the postseason, including both representatives inSuper Bowl XLV – Pittsburgh and Green Bay. Six of the twelve losses were by eight points or less. Four Buffalo losses had a margin of three points or less and three losses were in overtime, all to eventual playoff teams (Week 7 at Baltimore, Week 8 at Kansas City and Week 12 vs. Pittsburgh).

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	September 12	Miami Dolphins	L 10–15	0–1	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
2	September 19	atGreen Bay Packers	L 7–34	0–2	Lambeau Field	Recap
3	September 26	atNew England Patriots	L 30–38	0–3	Gillette Stadium	Recap
4	October 3	New York Jets	L 14–38	0–4	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
5	October 10	Jacksonville Jaguars	L 26–36	0–5	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
6	Bye
7	October 24	atBaltimore Ravens	L 34–37(OT)	0–6	M&T Bank Stadium	Recap
8	October 31	atKansas City Chiefs	L 10–13(OT)	0–7	Arrowhead Stadium	Recap
9	November 7	Chicago Bears	L 19–22	0–8	Rogers Centre(Toronto)	Recap
10	November 14	Detroit Lions	W 14–12	1–8	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
11	November 21	atCincinnati Bengals	W 49–31	2–8	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
12	November 28	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 16–19(OT)	2–9	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
13	December 5	atMinnesota Vikings	L 14–38	2–10	Mall of America Field	Recap
14	December 12	Cleveland Browns	W 13–6	3–10	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
15	December 19	atMiami Dolphins	W 17–14	4–10	Sun Life Stadium	Recap
16	December 26	New England Patriots	L 3–34	4–11	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
17	January 2	atNew York Jets	L 7–38	4–12	New Meadowlands Stadium	Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text.

The Buffalo Bills began their season at home with an AFC East duel with theMiami Dolphins. In the 1st quarter, Buffalo trailed early when Dolphins kickerDan Carpenter nailed a 32-yard field goal. The deficit was increased in the 2nd quarter when running backRonnie Brown got a 1-yard TD run. The Bills eventually replied when kickerRian Lindell made a 51-yard field goal.

In the 4th quarter, Miami increased their lead with Carpenter hitting a 43-yard field goal. Buffalo replied with a touchdown pass from quarterbackTrent Edwards making a 31-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverRoscoe Parrish. The final score was made when long snapperGarrison Sanborn snapped the ball toBrian Moorman out of bounds for a safety, giving the Dolphins 2 more points and the Bills a loss.

With the loss, the Bills began at 0–1.

Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Dolphins, the Bills flew toLambeau Field for an interconference duel with the Packers. In the 1st quarter Buffalo trailed early as kickerMason Crosby made a 44 and a 24-yard field goal, followed by RBBrandon Jackson getting a 1-yard TD run. The Bills made their only score of the game in the 2nd quarter when RBFred Jackson made a 3-yard TD run. In the third quarter the Bills struggled further when QBAaron Rodgers completed a 7-yard TD pass to WRDonald Driver, followed by Rodgers scrambling 9 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. The Packers increased their lead in the fourth when Rodgers made a 30-yard touchdown pass to WRJames Jones.

With the loss, Buffalo fell to 0–2.

Still looking for a win the Bills flew toGillette Stadium for an AFC East rivalry match against the Patriots. In the first quarter Buffalo took the early lead when kickerRian Lindell nailed a 39-yard field goal. Then they fell behind when QBTom Brady made a 7-yard TD pass to WRRandy Moss. The Bills replied in the second quarter with Lindell making another 39-yard field goal, which was followed by QBRyan Fitzpatrick getting a 5-yard TD pass to RBC. J. Spiller. The Patriots replied and took the narrow lead whenDanny Woodhead made a 22-yard TD run. The Bills got the lead back when Lindell made a 34-yard field goal, which didn't last very long after kickerStephen Gostkowski kicked a 43-yard field goal. The Bills fell further behind in the third quarter when Brady found Moss again on a 35-yard TD pass, but straight after the PAT, Buffalo scored whenC. J. Spiller returned a kickoff and ran 95 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. The Patriots increased their narrow lead when Brady made a 5-yard TD pass to TERob Gronkowski, followed in the fourth quarter by RBBenJarvis Green-Ellis getting a 7-yard TD run. The Bills tried to come back into the game when Fitzpatrick made a 37-yard touchdown pass to WRStevie Johnson, but the Patriots defense prevented anything else from happening, giving the Bills a loss and their 14th straight vs. the Patriots.

With the loss, Buffalo fell to 0–3. The next day Trent Edwards was released. He was picked up by theJacksonville Jaguars off wavers the next day.^[8]

Still looking for their first win of the season, the Bills went home, donned their throwback uniforms, and played a Week 4 AFC East duel with theNew York Jets. Buffalo would trail early in the first quarter as Jets running backLaDainian Tomlinson got a 1-yard touchdown run. New York would add onto their lead in the second quarter as kickerNick Folk nailed a 19-yard field goal, followed by quarterbackMark Sanchez completing a 41-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverBraylon Edwards. Buffalo would close out the half as quarterbackRyan Fitzpatrick connected with tight endDavid Martin on a 4-yard touchdown pass.

In the third quarter, the Jets would greatly extend their lead with tight endDustin Keller catching a 3-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver/quarterbackBrad Smith, followed by his 2-yard touchdown reception from Sanchez. Afterwards, Tomlinson would help secure the win for New York with his 26-yard touchdown run. The Bills would close out the game in the fourth quarter as Fitzpatrick completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverStevie Johnson.

With the loss, Buffalo fell to 0–4. Two days later,Marshawn Lynch was traded to theSeattle Seahawks in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick in the 2011 draft and a conditional pick in the 2012 draft, and tackleJamon Meredith was waived.

Still looking for a win the Bills played on home ground for an AFC duel with the Jaguars. In the first quarter the Bills took the lead as QBRyan Fitzpatrick made a 45-yard TD pass to WRLee Evans; followed by kickerRian Lindell making a 29-yard field goal. The Jaguars replied with kickerJosh Scobee nailing a 49-yard field goal, but in the second quarter the lead had expanded again with Lindell's 22-yard field goal. After that, the Jaguars rallied with Scobee getting another 49-yard field goal, then QBDavid Garrard made a 1-yard TD pass to TEMarcedes Lewis; followed in the third quarter by Garrard again finding Lewis on a 27-yard TD pass. Buffalo re-tied the game with Fitzpatrick completing a 5-yard TD pass to WRStevie Johnson, but the Jaguars pulled away with Garrard making a 7-yard TD pass to WRMike Sims-Walker, followed in the fourth quarter by Scobee making a 34, 40 and a 46-yard field goal. Buffalo tried to tie the game with Fitzpatrick making a 7-yard TD pass to Johnson, but with a failed 2-point conversion, it became a 2-possession game which in turn became very difficult for Buffalo to recover.

With the loss, Buffalo entered their bye week with their first 0–5 start since 1985.

Still looking for a win the Bills flew toM&T Bank Stadium for an AFC duel against the Ravens. In the 1st quarter the Bills trailed early as kickerBilly Cundiff made a 41-yard field goal. But they pulled ahead with QBRyan Fitzpatrick completing a 33-yard TD pass to WRLee Evans, followed by kickerRian Lindell hitting a 21-yard field goal. The lead was increased in the second quarter with Fitzpatrick finding WRStevie Johnson on a 33-yard TD pass. The Ravens replied with QBJoe Flacco making a 26-yard TD pass to TETodd Heap. Then Fitzpatrick found Evans again on a 20-yard TD pass to put the Bills up 24–10. The lead was narrowed when Cundiff hit a 48-yard field goal, followed by Flacco throwing a 14-yard TD pass to Heap. In the third quarter the Bills fell behind with Flacco completing a 34-yard TD pass to WRAnquan Boldin, followed by RBWillis McGahee getting a 2-yard TD run. The Bills managed to tie the game in the 4th quarter with Fitzpatrick making a 17-yard TD pass to Evans, and with Lindell getting a 50-yard field goal. After overtime, the decision was made when Cundiff successfully put away a 38-yard field goal to keep the Bills winless after 6 games.

With the loss, the Bills fell to 0–6. After a win by theCarolina Panthers the same week, the Bills became the only team still in contention for animperfect season.

Still looking for a win the Bills flew toArrowhead Stadium for an AFC duel with the Chiefs. In the First quarter the Bills trailed early as QBMatt Cassel got a 1-yard TD pass to WRDwayne Bowe. The Bills narrowed the lead in the third quarter with kickerRian Lindell making a 43-yard field goal. The Chiefs scored with kickerRyan Succop getting a 28-yard field goal. The Bills responded and tied the game withRyan Fitzpatrick throwing a 4-yard TD pass to WRStevie Johnson. At overtime, Succop missed a 38-yarder with 3:38 in the OT. Rian Lindell then kicked a 53-yard field goal, which supposedly would've given the Bills the win, but KC called a timeout. Lindell's second kick hit the right upright and bounced off. The decision was made with Succop successfully hitting a 35-yard field goal with 3 seconds left on the clock to keep the Bills winless after 7 games. And their first 0–7 start since 1984.

Starting offensive tackleCornell Green was placed on injured reserve to clear a roster spot for linebackerShawne Merriman, who the Bills picked up on waivers from theSan Diego Chargers on November 3.

Still searching for their first win of the season, the Bills flew to theRogers Centre for their Week 9 interconference duel with theChicago Bears. After a scoreless first quarter, Buffalo trailed in the second quarter as Bears quarterbackJay Cutler completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight endGreg Olsen. The Bills answered with quarterbackRyan Fitzpatrick hooked up with wide receiverRoscoe Parrish on a 14-yard touchdown pass.

Chicago retook the lead as running backChester Taylor got a 1-yard touchdown run. The Bills responded with a 4-yard touchdown run from running backFred Jackson (with a blocked extra point). Buffalo took the lead in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run from fullbackCorey McIntyre (with a failed two-point conversion), but the Bears got the last laugh with Cutler completing a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverEarl Bennett, along with a two-point conversion pass to running backMatt Forté.

With the loss, the Bills fell to their first 0–8 start since 1984. And became the first team to start out a season 0–8 since the Bengals and Lions in 2008.

Still on the hunt for their first win of the season the Bills played on home ground for an interconference duel with the Lions. In the 2nd quarter the Bills took the lead after RBFred Jackson got a 1-yard TD run. In that quarter the Lions only came away with a 25-yard field goal byDave Rayner. The Bills increased their lead in the third quarter with QBRyan Fitzpatrick completing a 16-yard TD pass to Jackson. The Lions tried to come back in the 4th quarter with Rayner making a 45-yard field goal and with QBShaun Hill throwing a 20-yard TD pass to WRCalvin Johnson. Thetwo-point conversion attempt failed, giving the Bills their first victory of the season and eliminating their chances of a winless season.

With the win, the Bills improved to 1–8.

After coming away with their first win the Bills flew toPaul Brown Stadium for an AFC duel with the Bengals. Ryan Fitzpatrick matched his career high with four touchdown passes during Buffalo's biggest comeback in 13 years, and the Bills won their second consecutive game Sunday, 49–31 over the bumbling Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals (2–8) appeared to be in control after Johnathan Joseph's interception return put them ahead 28–7 in the second quarter. The Bengals' smallest crowd since 2003 saw a vintage collapse. Buffalo (2–8) took advantage of Cincinnati's depleted secondary—Joseph and safety Chris Crocker went out late in the first half—for its biggest comeback since it overcame a 26–0 deficit and topped the Indianapolis Colts 37–35 on Sep 21, 1997, according to STATS LLC. Steve Johnson caught three of the touchdown passes, including an 11-yarder that put Buffalo ahead 35–31 early in the fourth quarter. Johnson finished with eight catches for 137 yards and 3 touchdowns.

With the win, Buffalo improved to 2–8 and are still in postseason contention.

After Week 11, The Buffalo Bills won the GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Week and now are nominated for the Never Say Never moment of the 2010 season.

Coming off their win over the Bengals, the Bills went home, donned their throwbacks, and played a Week 13 intraconference duel with thePittsburgh Steelers. This was head coachChan Gailey's first time facing the Steelers since leaving team in 1998 to become the new head coach of theDallas Cowboys. Gailey served as the Steelers' wide receiver coach from 1994 to 1995 and as offensive coordinator from 1996 to 1997. Buffalo trailed early in the first quarter as Steelers running backRashard Mendenhall got a 1-yard touchdown run. Pittsburgh added onto their lead in the second quarter with kickerShaun Suisham getting a 45-yard and a 46-yard field goal.

The Bills answered in the third quarter as quarterbackRyan Fitzpatrick found running backFred Jackson on a 65-yard touchdown reception. Buffalo would tie the game in the fourth quarter with a 29-yard and a 32-yard field goal from kickerRian Lindell. The Steelers would regain the lead as Suisham made a 48-yard field goal, yet the Bills tied the game again with Lindell's 49-yard field goal. Wide Receiver Stevie Johnson dropped what would have been a 40-yard, game-ending touchdown pass in overtime. However, Pittsburgh got the last laugh in overtime as Suisham booted the game-winning 41-yard field goal.

With the loss, the Bills fell to 2–9 and were eliminated from postseason contention.

The Bills' twelfth game was an interconference duel with the Vikings. It featured Bills LBArthur Moats' hit on Vikings QBBrett Favre, which would end thelongest streak of quarterback starts in NFL history at 297 games. The Bills took the lead with CBDrayton Florence returning an interception 40 yards for a touchdown. They soon fell behind with Vikings backup QB Tarvaris Jackson throwing a 31-yard TD pass to WRSidney Rice. Followed in the second quarter by RBAdrian Peterson getting a 2 and a 3-yard TD run. Then Jackson found Rice again on a 6-yard TD pass, followed by kickerRyan Longwell nailing a 38-yard field goal. They continued to struggle in the fourth quarter when Peterson ran 43 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. The Bills responded with QBRyan Fitzpatrick getting a 12-yard TD pass to TEDavid Martin.

With the loss, Buffalo fell to 2–10.

Hoping to snap a two-game losing streak the Bills played on home ground for an AFC duel against the Browns. The Bills trailed early as kickerPhil Dawson got a 19-yard field goal, but they took the lead in the second quarter as QBRyan Fitzpatrick completed an 11-yard TD pass to WRDavid Nelson. The lead was narrowed when Dawson made a 25-yard field goal, but was expanded after kickerRian Lindell nailed a 30 and a 19-yard field goal.

With the win, the Bills improved to 3–10.

Coming off their win over the Browns the Bills flew south toSun Life Stadium for an AFC East rivalry rematch against the Dolphins. The second quarter saw the Bills taking the early advantage with QBRyan Fitzpatrick completing an 18-yard TD pass to WRDavid Nelson. This was followed by kickerRian Lindell nailing a 29-yard field goal. The Dolphins responded with RBRonnie Brown getting a 6-yard TD run, but the Bills increased their lead in the third quarter with Fitzpatrick throwing a 15-yard TD pass to WRStevie Johnson. The lead was narrowed in the fourth quarter with QBChad Henne getting a 9-yard TD pass to WRBrandon Marshall, but the Bills defense was solid enough to hang them on for the win.

With the win, Buffalo improved to 4–10.

Coming off their win over the Dolphins the Bills played an AFC East rivalry rematch against the Patriots. In the first quarter the Bills had the early lead as kickerRian Lindell hit a 26-yard field goal, but failed to maintain this lead as the Patriots dominated the rest of the game withDanny Woodhead getting a 29-yard TD run, followed by QBTom Brady completing an 8-yard TD pass to TERob Gronkowski, then with kickerShayne Graham nailing a 34-yard field goal, and with Brady completing a 4 and an 8-yard TD pass to TEAlge Crumpler and to Gronkowski. After that Graham made a 26-yard field goal.

With their 15th loss in a row to the Patriots, the Bills fell to 4–11.

The Bills' final game was a division rivalry rematch against the Jets. The Bills trailed early with kickerNick Folk making a 28-yard field goal. Their offense struggled as CBMarquice Cole returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown, which was then followed by QBMark Brunell making a 17-yard TD pass to WRSantonio Holmes. The Bills made their only score of the game with FSJairus Byrd returning an interception 37 yards for a touchdown, but they fell further behind after Brunell found WRBraylon Edwards on a 52-yard TD pass. This was followed by QBKellen Clemens scrambling 10 yards for a touchdown, then with RBJohn Conner getting a 16-yard TD run.

With the loss, the Bills finish with a 4–12 record.

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