Although unable to match their 13–3 record from theprevious season, the Bills clinched theAFC East for a second consecutive year, their first consecutive division title since1991. They finished the regular season at 11–6 to obtain the #3 seed for the playoffs, also marking their third consecutive postseason berth and fourth in five years. Statistically, the Bills had the No. 1-ranked defense, as well as the highestpoint differential and margin of victory.[1] All of the team's victories were by multiple possessions, but with the exception of their week 11 loss to theIndianapolis Colts, they lost every game that was within one possession.
The Bills defeated their AFC East rivalNew England Patriots in the wild card round, a game marked by them becoming the first NFL team to score a touchdown on every offensive drive. Facing theKansas City Chiefs in aDivisional Round matchup, the Bills lost amid a quarterback duel between Buffalo'sJosh Allen and Kansas City'sPatrick Mahomes. Although the Bills were able to take a three-point lead with 13 seconds remaining, the Chiefs scored a game-tying field goal on their following drive and won in overtime, with Josh Allen and the Bills' offense never getting to touch the ball in overtime. The defeat marked the second consecutive year the Bills were eliminated by the Chiefs.
The season also sawPittsburgh-based health insurance companyHighmark purchase the rights to the Bills' stadium, resulting in it being namedHighmark Stadium.[2]
Despite a 10–0 halftime lead and a strong performance from the Buffalo defense, the Bills' hopes for a third straight Week 1 victory were dashed after Pittsburgh scored 20 unanswered points in the second half, including a blocked punt returned for a touchdown. The Bills were also hurt by several penalties throughout the game. With the loss, Buffalo began the season 0–1 for the first time since 2018.[3]
Buffalo rebounded from its loss the prior week with the most dominant win over division rival Miami in franchise history. Despite another mediocre performance by quarterbackJosh Allen, a strong performance from running backsDevin Singletary andZack Moss, as well as the defense, allowed the Bills to win 35–0. Dolphins quarterbacksTua Tagovailoa andJacoby Brissett were sacked six times, with Tagovailoa leaving the game in the first quarter after a rib injury.[4]
Josh Allen and the Bills' passing game enjoyed a strong performance, as Allen accounted for five total touchdowns and surpassed 300 passing yards for the first time in the season. Aside from a 73-yard scoring reception by running backAntonio Gibson and two scores from quarterbackTaylor Heinicke set up by a Buffalo special teams gaffe andgarbage time, respectively, Washington's offense struggled against the Bills defense. With another win, Buffalo improved to 2–1.[5]
Buffalo faced Houston for the first time since a 22–19 overtime loss in the2019–20 NFL playoffs. Despite an early interception, Allen completed two touchdown passes to tight endDawson Knox and led the Bills to 33 points before backupMitchell Trubisky was substituted on in the fourth quarter. The Bills defense limited the Texans' rookie quarterbackDavis Mills, filling in for former Bills starterTyrod Taylor, to just 87 passing yards and intercepted him four times. The Texans finished with just 109 total offensive yards. With the 40–0 victory, their second shutout win of the season, the Bills improved to 3–1.[6]
The Bills returned to Arrowhead Stadium for a Sunday night rematch of theprevious season's AFC Championship game looking to avenge a 38–24 loss; in that same season, the Bills had also lost in the regular season to Kansas City. In a game nationally anticipated as a potential bellwether for AFC contention, the Bills scored 38 points, and they were dominant on both sides of the ball throughout the game. While Allen earned a 139.1 passer rating and threw for 315 yards (averaging 21 yards per pass completion), the Bills defense sackedPatrick Mahomes twice and forced him into three turnovers, with one being returned for a touchdown. The game was affected greatly by weather conditions, as a rain delay extended halftime by over an hour, and by numerous penalties, as the two teams combined for 158 penalty yards.[7]
This was Buffalo's first win over Kansas City since2017 and their first win with Mahomes as the Chiefs' starting quarterback. The win improved the Bills to 4–1.
The Bills attempted to avenge a 42–16 loss to the Titans from the previous season, which was rescheduled several times due to aCOVID-19 outbreak in the Titans organization.[8] In the final moments of a back-and-forth shootout onMonday Night Football, in which the lead changed seven times, the Titans defensive line stopped Josh Allen on a fourth-downquarterback sneak at the Tennessee 3-yard line, and Buffalo narrowly lost 34–31, falling to 4–2 ahead of its bye week.[9]
The Dolphins, who entered the game at 1–6, dominated the time of possession in the first half and limited Buffalo's offense to a field goal; however, they also squandered two scoring opportunities in the red zone, culminating in a 3–3 tie at halftime. The Bills would score two unanswered touchdowns toGabe Davis andStefon Diggs after halftime en route to a 26–11 win, their seventh straight over Miami.[10]
The Bills entered this game as 14.5-point favorites over the 1–6 Jacksonville Jaguars.[11] Nevertheless, the game was a defensive struggle, with neither team finding the end zone. Despite outgaining Jacksonville by 83 yards, the Bills lost the turnover battle 1–3, with all of their turnovers coming from quarterback Josh Allen (two interceptions and a lost fumble). Allen was sacked four times for 35 yards, and Buffalo was penalized 12 times for 118 yards. After allowing field goals on each of their first two drives, the Jaguars defense had their way with the Bills offensive line, which was missingJon Feliciano andSpencer Brown due to injury. Notably, Josh Allen'snamesake on the Jaguars sacked, intercepted, and recovered a fumble from his Bills counterpart, marking the first time in NFL history where a defensive player had done all of this to a quarterback with the same name.[12] Jacksonville pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season, defeating Buffalo 9–6 and winning their first game inNorth America since Week 1 of the 2020 season.[13] With the stunning loss, Buffalo fell to 5–3, with their division lead over theNew England Patriots shrinking to just half a game.
Buffalo rebounded against the divisional rival New York Jets, scoring six touchdowns after being held out of the endzone the week prior, with two of those touchdowns accounted for by third string running backMatt Breida. On defense, all five starting defensive backs for the Bills, namelyTaron Johnson,Micah Hyde,Tre'Davious White,Levi Wallace, andJordan Poyer, recorded a turnover off the Jets' offense, stifling quarterbackMike White.[14] With the 45–17 win, Buffalo improved to 6–3.[15]
The Bills defense, missing key run-stoppersStar Lotulelei andTremaine Edmunds, struggled to contain Colts RBJonathan Taylor, who scored five total touchdowns from scrimmage.[16] To make matters worse, the Buffalo offense and special teams unit committed key turnovers, contributing to a 41–15 blowout loss. Buffalo fell to 6–4, also falling to second place in the AFC East as the Patriots had won earlier that week.[17] This was the first NFL game to ever end in the score of 15–41, ascorigami.[18][19]
In their secondThanksgiving Day game in three years, the Bills traveled south to play the injury-depleted Saints. Josh Allen continued to struggle with interceptions, throwing two in the second quarter, but also threw four touchdown passes, including two to Dawson Knox, as Buffalo routed New Orleans 31–6 to improve to 7–4.[21] They also lost Tre'Davious White for the season to atorn ACL suffered during the game.[22]
In a game affected by winds greater than 40 miles per hour, divisional rival New England ran the ball 46 times and only threw three passes, accumulating over 200 rushing yards and just 19 passing yards. The Bills also tried a run-heavy approach but relied more on the passing game late in the game despite the heavy winds affecting several of Josh Allen's passes. New England never trailed after taking the early lead with a 64-yard rushing touchdown byDamien Harris, and Buffalo finished just 1 for 4 on redzone possessions, leading to a 14–10 loss to the Patriots.[23]
The Buccaneers raced to a 24–3 halftime lead under former Patriots quarterbackTom Brady, along with a strong first-half performance by running backLeonard Fournette and a furious pass rush that largely shut down Josh Allen and the Bills' offense, which did not hand off the ball to a running back in the first half, the first time an NFL team had not done so since1991. However, the Bills mounted a comeback, outscoring Tampa Bay 24–3 in the second half, to force overtime. After a three and out on the first series of the extra period, a 63-yard punt fromMatt Haack pushed Tampa Bay to its own 6-yard line. A controversialpass interference call on Levi Wallace allowed Tampa Bay to convert a 3rd-and-long, and the Buccaneers sealed the game minutes later with a 58-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass from Brady toBreshad Perriman, sending Buffalo to a 7–6 record with the loss.[24] Allen became just the fourth quarterback in NFL history with 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in the same game, playing through a sprained ankle suffered in the fourth quarter.[25]
Buffalo avenged its Monday Night loss to the Patriots earlier in December, as Josh Allen passed for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns and was not sacked during the game. Despite receiversCole Beasley and Gabe Davis coming down withCOVID-19 and missing the game, utility playerIsaiah McKenzie had a dominant performance in Beasley's place. New England relied heavily on its run game again, with Damien Harris scoring 3 touchdowns, but was forced to pass more with rookie quarterbackMac Jones, who completed less than 50 percent of his throws and was intercepted twice by Micah Hyde. With the 33–21 win, Buffalo improved to 9–6 and retook the division lead from New England.[26]
Despite Allen turning in one of the worst passing performances of his career, he and running back Devin Singletary combined for four rushing touchdowns as Buffalo overcame 3 turnovers and a Falcons lead at halftime to win 29–15, clinching a playoff berth for the fourth time in five years.[27]
BUF – Devin Singletary 5-yard pass from Josh Allen (Tyler Bass kick), 3:53.Bills 27–10.Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 3:31.
Top passers
NYJ – Zach Wilson – 7/20, 87 yards, TD
BUF – Josh Allen – 24/45, 239 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
NYJ – Zach Wilson – 2 rushes, 24 yards
BUF – Devin Singletary – 19 rushes, 88 yards, TD
Top receivers
NYJ – Keelan Cole – 3 receptions, 54 yards, TD
BUF – Stefon Diggs – 9 receptions, 81 yards, TD
The Bills held the lead the whole way during the game, holding the Jets offense to just 53 total yards on offense and recording nine quarterback sacks en route to a 27–10 win, which assured them the division title. Had they lost, they would have needed the Patriots to lose to Miami to clinch the division.[28] A New England loss, combined with a subsequent victory by theLas Vegas Raiders late that night, sealed the 3rd seed for the Bills, and the Patriots as their opponent for the Wild Card game.
^abTennessee finished ahead of Kansas City based on head-to-head victory, claiming the No. 1 seed.
^abLas Vegas claimed the No. 5 seed over New England based on win percentage in common games (5–1 vs. 2–4 against: Miami, Dallas, LA Chargers, Cleveland, and Indianapolis).
^abcIndianapolis finished ahead of Miami and Los Angeles based on conference record (7–5 vs. 6–6).
^abMiami finished ahead of LA Chargers based on win percentage in common games (5–1 vs. 2–4 against: New England, Las Vegas, Houston, Baltimore, and NY Giants).
^abCleveland finished ahead of Baltimore based on division record (3–3 vs. 1–5).
^abNY Jets finished ahead of Houston based on head-to-head victory.
^When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.
The Bills became the first team in the Super Bowl era to score a touchdown on each of their first seven drives of a playoff game. Additionally, they became the only team in NFL history to not attempt a field goal, punt, or commit a turnover in a single game (regular season or postseason).[29]
AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) Kansas City Chiefs
KC –Byron Pringle 2-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker kick), 1:52.Chiefs 14–7.Drive: 12 plays, 86 yards, 6:51.
BUF –Gabe Davis 18-yard pass fromJosh Allen (Tyler Bass kick), 0:37.Tied 14–14.Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 1:15.
Third quarter
KC – Harrison Butker 39-yard field goal, 7:01.Chiefs 17–14.Drive: 13 plays, 54 yards, 7:59.
KC –Mecole Hardman 25-yard run (kick failed, hit left upright), 2:06.Chiefs 23–14.Drive: 5 plays, 61 yards, 2:43.
BUF – Gabe Davis 75-yard pass from Josh Allen (Tyler Bass kick), 1:56.Chiefs 23–21.Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:10.
Fourth quarter
KC – Harrison Butker 28-yard field goal, 8:55.Chiefs 26–21.Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 2:33.
BUF – Gabe Davis 27-yard pass from Josh Allen (Josh Allen–Stefon Diggs pass), 1:54.Bills 29–26.Drive: 17 plays, 75 yards, 7:01.
KC –Tyreek Hill 64-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker kick), 1:02.Chiefs 33–29.Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 0:52.
BUF – Gabe Davis 19-yard pass from Josh Allen (Tyler Bass kick), 0:13.Bills 36–33.Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 0:49.
KC – Harrison Butker 49-yard field goal, 0:00.Tied 36–36.Drive: 3 plays, 44 yards, 0:13.
Overtime
KC –Travis Kelce 8-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes, 10:45.Chiefs 42–36.Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:15.
Top passers
BUF – Josh Allen – 27/37, 329 yards, 4 TD
KC – Patrick Mahomes – 33/44, 378 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
BUF – Josh Allen – 11 rushes, 68 yards
KC – Patrick Mahomes – 7 rushes, 69 yards, TD
Top receivers
BUF – Gabe Davis – 8 receptions, 201 yards, 4 TD
KC – Tyreek Hill – 11 receptions, 150 yards, TD
After a back-and-forth first half, Kansas City took a 9-point lead in the third quarter with aMecole Hardman rushing touchdown before Buffalo struck back on the next play with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen to Gabe Davis. The Chiefs led 26–21 in the 4th quarter afterTyreek Hill set up a field goal with a 45-yard punt return. Allen then led the Bills on a 7-minute, 75-yard drive to retake the lead, scoring the first 8 points of 25 by both teams in the final two minutes of the game; the lead would change twice afterwards, with Kansas City and Buffalo scoring quick touchdowns within seconds of each other.
Buffalo took a 36–33 lead with 13 seconds left, but controversially opted to eschew asquib kick for a traditional kickoff out of the endzone for atouchback setting up the Chiefs at their own 25-yard-line with all three of their timeouts remaining. Chiefs quarterbackPatrick Mahomes completed a 19-yard pass to Hill that ran just 5 seconds off the clock, then threw a 25-yard pass toTravis Kelce, giving Kansas City a first down on the Bills 31-yard line after running down another 5 seconds. On the next play, Butker's 49-yard field goal sent the game into overtime.
Getting the ball first in overtime, Mahomes rushed for 4 yards and completed 5/5 passes for 50 yards, including a 16-yard pass to McKinnon and a 26-yard throw to Hardman. He finished the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Kelce that sealed the win for Kansas City and eliminated the Bills from the playoffs for the second season in a row, ending their season.
