The 2013 season was the Buffalo Bills' 44th in the National Football League (NFL) and their first under head coach Doug Marrone. It was also their final season under the ownership of Ralph Wilson, who died on March 25, 2014, at the age of 95. The team equaled their record from 2012 and missed the playoffs, increasing their playoff drought to 14 seasons. This was the first year of renewed leases on Ralph Wilson Stadium and for the Bills Toronto Series, both of which were signed in the preceding offseason.
The Toronto series was originally set to expire in 2017, but was cancelled in December 2014; the lease on Ralph Wilson Stadium expired in 2022 and was presumably the last long-term agreement with the aging stadium, as the lease specifies that the process of exploring a new stadium began during the lease period. The Bills also started the 2013 season with a new starting quarterback, first-round draft pick EJ Manuel, after previous starter Ryan Fitzpatrick refused a pay cut and was subsequently released.
As of the 2025 season, this is the most recent season the Bills finished in last place in the AFC East.
After one season, the team's defensive coordinator, Mike Pettine, left to go to the Cleveland Browns to be their head coach, taking Jim Leonhard with him.
Notes
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
<span style="border: solid 2px #f00; background: #00f; color: white; font-weight: bold;"> # </span> Indicates that the game was part of the Bills Toronto Series.
Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 35-yard field goal with five seconds left to give the Patriots the win.
With the loss, the Bills began the season 0âÂÂ1.
Buffalo trailed for most of their Week 2 game against the Panthers but took the lead with two seconds left after Stevie Johnson caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from EJ Manuel. Dan Carpenter kicked the extra point to give the Bills a 24âÂÂ23 win.
With the win, Buffalo improved to 1âÂÂ1.
With the loss, the Bills fell to 1âÂÂ2.
The Bills defense intercepted Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco five times in this game, as Flacco completed only 50% of his passes. Despite the five turnovers, the game was still somewhat close, but the Bills won the game 23âÂÂ20.
With the win, the Bills improved to 2âÂÂ2.
EJ Manuel left the game for the Bills with a knee injury, and was replaced by Jeff Tuel. The Bills had a 24âÂÂ17 lead in the third quarter, but the Browns, who also lost quarterback Brian Hoyer, won the game with Brandon Weeden at the helm. T. J. Ward returned an interception 44 yards to seal the game.
With the loss, the Bills fell to 2âÂÂ3.
The Bills trailed 24âÂÂ10 in the fourth quarter, but came back to tie the game after Marquise Goodwin caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Thad Lewis and force overtime. In the extra period, the Bills got the ball first, but were forced to punt after they went three-and-out. The Bengals returned the punt 39 yards to set them up in field goal range. A couple of plays later, Mike Nugent kicked the game winning 43-yard field goal.
With the tough loss, the Bills fell to 2âÂÂ4.
With the win, the Bills improved to 3âÂÂ4.
This marked the Bills' only game outside of the Eastern time zone during the 2013 season.
Despite Buffalo's defense not allowing a touchdown, the offense gave up two turnover returns for touchdowns in the second half. With the loss, the Bills fell to 3âÂÂ6.
With the loss, the Bills fell to 3âÂÂ7 and they finished 1-3 against the AFC North.
With the win, the Bills improved to 4âÂÂ7.
With the loss, the Bills fell to 4âÂÂ8.
With the loss, the Bills fell to 4âÂÂ9 and they finished 1-3 against the NFC South.
With the win, the Bills improved to 5âÂÂ9, but were eliminated from playoff contention with the Miami Dolphins' win over the New England Patriots.
With the win, the Bills improved to 6âÂÂ9. This was also the last home game that the Bills didn't sell out. Since the next game (Week 2 of the 2014 season against the Dolphins), every Bills home game has been sold out.
With the loss, the Bills ended their season at 6âÂÂ10.