The 2025 season was the Buffalo Bills' 56th in the National Football League (NFL), their 66th overall, their eleventh full season under the ownership of Terry and Kim Pegula, their ninth under general manager Brandon Beane, and their ninth and final under head coach Sean McDermott. The Bills started the season 4âÂÂ0, but became the last undefeated team in the NFL to lose after a Week 5 loss to their division rival, the New England Patriots. It was the first time that no team reached 5âÂÂ0 since 2014.
Despite attaining their second straight season with at least 12 wins, sixth straight with at least 11, and seventh straight with at least 10, the Bills failed to match their 13 wins from 2024 following a Week 12 loss to the Houston Texans. Most notably, they failed to win the AFC East for the first time since 2019 after a Week 17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Nonetheless, the Bills qualified for the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season after the Indianapolis Colts lost in Week 16. With the Kansas City Chiefs failing to qualify, the Bills now hold the longest active playoff appearance streak in the NFL, appearing in every postseason since 2019. In addition to this, running back James Cook lead the league in rushing yards for the season, with 1,621 total rushing yards, becoming the first Bills player to achieve this since O.J. Simpson in 1976.
It was the Bills' final season playing their home games at their current Highmark Stadium, as their New Highmark Stadium is scheduled to open in time for the 2026 season. For the first time since 2016, safety Micah Hyde was not on the roster, as he announced his retirement on January 27. The team drew an average home attendance of 70,877 in 9 home games of the 2025 NFL season, a 1% increase from the previous year.
For the playoffs, the Bills secured the no. 6 seed, and won against the no. 3 seed Jacksonville Jaguars with a score of 27âÂÂ24 in the Wild Card Playoffs. This would be their first road playoff victory since 1992. They went on to play the no. 1 seed Denver Broncos in the Divisional Playoffs, losing 33âÂÂ30 in overtime.
The Buffalo Bills drew an average home attendance of 70,695, the 12th-highest of all NFL teams.
Draft trades
Notes
The Bills' training camp and preseason were featured on the HBO documentary series Hard Knocks.
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Beginning their final season in Highmark Stadium, the Bills started the game strong, charging down the field and ending the drive with a passing touchdown from Josh Allen to Dalton Kincaid. The defense also started off strong, only allowing the Ravens a field goal by Tyler Loop to start the game off 7âÂÂ3. However, things would begin to take a turn when the Ravens answered back as Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson scored rushing touchdowns in quick succession. The half would end with three consecutive field goals, two for the Bills by Matt Prater filling in for Tyler Bass, and one for the Ravens.
Going into the second half at 13âÂÂ20, the game turned into an offensive shootout. For the Ravens, Jackson would throw two touchdown passes to Zay Flowers and DeAndre Hopkins respectively, while Henry rushed for another touchdown that put the Bills down 25âÂÂ40. For the Bills, James Cook and Allen each scored rushing touchdowns, both scores having failed two-point conversion attempts to follow. In addition, Allen threw a touchdown pass to Keon Coleman that was deflected off the hands of another receiver. With just under four minutes of the game left and the Ravens with the ball, Ed Oliver forced Henry to fumble, setting up another Allen rushing touchdown to cut the deficit to 38âÂÂ40, with the Bills failing to get the two-point conversion once again. The Bills' defense forced another 3-and-out for Baltimore, and after receiving the punt, the offense charged downfield one last time with two decisive passes from Allen to Josh Palmer and Coleman, respectively, setting up a game-winning 32-yard field goal to defeat Baltimore 41âÂÂ40.
The Bills' win was their first when trailing by 15 points or more in the fourth quarter since 1967, as they scored their final 16 unanswered points in the final four minutes of the game. They would begin the season with a 1âÂÂ0 record and continue their home-field winning streak at 11 games. Allen also broke the record for most rushing touchdowns in Buffalo Bills franchise history, at a total of 67 and counting. This surpasses Thurman Thomas's record of 65.
After a down-to-the-wire win in Week 1, the Bills dominated the Jets in their first divisional game of the season, thanks to a strong rushing attack led by James Cook and a blitz-heavy defensive game plan, despite key defensive starters Ed Oliver and Taron Johnson missing the game due to injury. Notably, veteran cornerback Tre'Davious White made his first start with the Bills since 2023, having returned after a season-ending Achilles injury that year and playing the 2024 season on other teams. With a substantial lead in the fourth quarter, the Bills rested several starters as Jets backup quarterback and former Bill Tyrod Taylor threw a touchdown to Jeremy Ruckert in garbage time, filling in for starter Justin Fields, who struggled all game against the Bills' pass rush and left in the fourth quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. With their 30âÂÂ10 victory, the Bills improved to 2âÂÂ0.
Despite the Bills going into the game as heavy favorites, the Dolphins kept it close for much of the game. In the first quarter, Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon II scored on the opening drive, which would be answered back by the Bills with a touchdown pass from Josh Allen to Dalton Kincaid. The second quarter featured another touchdown pass from Allen to third-string tight end Jackson Hawes. With this pass, Allen earned his 200th regular season passing touchdown and 300th overall touchdown, the latter surpassing a record set by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for fastest to achieve that milestone. After a missed field goal by Matt Prater, the Dolphins drove down the field and tied the game 14âÂÂ14 at the half a with a touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Jaylen Waddle.
During the third quarter, the Bills would start off by marching down the field for a rushing touchdown by James Cook. After several three and outs by both teams, the Dolphins would answer back with a passing touchdown from Tagovailoa to Tyreek Hill. As the Bills were punting the ball back on their following offensive drive, Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler drew a penalty for roughing kicker Cameron Johnston, giving the Bills the ball back and allowing them to score another passing touchdown from Allen to Khalil Shakir. The Dolphins then marched down the field to try and tie the game, but Tagovailoa threw a costly interception to Terrel Bernard, allowing the Bills to seal the game with a field goal by Matt Prater. With their 7th win over the Dolphins, their 12th consecutive win at Highmark Stadium, the Bills improved to 3âÂÂ0.
Despite New Orleans covering the spread as a 15.5-point underdog and posing a challenge early on, which included forcing Josh Allen to throw his first interception of the year, Buffalo pulled away in the fourth quarter with ten unanswered points after Cameron Johnston drew another roughing the punter penalty, this time on the Saints. With the 31âÂÂ19 win, the Bills improved to 4âÂÂ0, becoming the last unbeaten team in the AFC and one of two remaining in the league, alongside the Philadelphia Eagles. The victory also marked the Bills' first home win against the Saints since the 1983 season.
The Bills put up a disappointing performance and were upset by the rival New England Patriots and former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs in a turnover-plagued 23âÂÂ20 loss, their first at home to New England since 2021. They became the final undefeated NFL team to fall after the Philadelphia Eagles fell to the Denver Broncos earlier that afternoon.
With the loss, the Bills saw their 14-game regular-season home winning streak come to an end, along with their 13-game overall home winning streak and they fell to 4âÂÂ1.
The Bills turned in another disappointing performance, with the defense allowing Falcons running back Bijan Robinson to rush for 170 yards on 19 carries and add six receptions for 68 yards, totaling a career-best 238 yards from scrimmage. Robinson also scored on an 81-yard touchdown run, the longest run of the season so far. Despite the defense holding in the second half, Buffalo's offense struggled, in addition to missing tight end Dalton Kincaid and losing Josh Palmer to a knee injury. The Bills lost to the Falcons 24âÂÂ14, falling to 4âÂÂ2 on the year, and to second place in the AFC East.
After back-to-back losses going into their bye week, the Bills dominated the Panthers with a 216-yard, two-touchdown rushing performance by James Cook and reinforcements on defense. Namely, defensive players Larry Ogunjobi, Michael Hoecht, and Maxwell Hairston made their debuts with the Bills, each helping Buffalo's defense stifle Carolina's rushing attack of Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle, in addition to forcing Panthers backup quarterback Andy Dalton into committing three turnovers. Unfortunately, Ed Oliver suffered another major injury, tearing his bicep tendon which required surgery.
With the 40âÂÂ9 win, the Bills improved to 5âÂÂ2, earning their ninth consecutive win after a bye week. In addition to Cook reaching a new career high in rushing yards in a game, Josh Allen broke the NFL record for most games with a passing and rushing touchdown, with 46, surpassing former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
In their sixth consecutive regular-season matchup, the Bills took a 21âÂÂ13 lead over the Chiefs at halftime, with touchdowns from Dalton Kincaid, Ty Johnson, and Josh Allen. The Chiefs were limited to a Rashee Rice rushing touchdown and two field goals, the latter coming after Buffalo stopped Kansas City at the one-yard line. In the second half, both teams managed just one touchdown apiece as defensive play tightened. Maxwell Hairston intercepted Patrick Mahomes in the fourth quarter while covering Xavier Worthy, setting up the Bills to run out the clock. However, Matt Prater missed a potential game-sealing field goal attempt. With 22 seconds remaining and no timeouts, Mahomes advanced the Chiefs near the Buffalo 40-yard line, but the Billsâ defense held to secure a 28âÂÂ21 victory, their fifth consecutive regular-season win over Kansas City, improving BuffaloâÂÂs record to 6âÂÂ2.
With his performance, Josh Allen broke multiple records. He set a new franchise mark for completion percentage in a game with at least 15 passing attempts, completing 23 of 26 passes for an 88.5% completion rate. In addition, he surpassed Cam Newton for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in NFL history, including the postseason, with 79. In contrast, Patrick Mahomes was limited by the Billsâ defense to a career-low 44.1% completion rate, completing just 15 of 34 passes.
Although the Bills entered the game as more than touchdown favorites (-8.5) they were dominated by the Dolphins, snapping their seven-game winning streak against Miami. This marked their first loss to the Dolphins since Week 3 of the 2022 NFL season. The Dolphins offense turned the ball over on their first drive - a Tua Tagovailoa throw intercepted by Cole Bishop - but quickly regrouped, out-gaining Buffalo 221 to 90 in the first half. The Bills offense stumbled against the Dolphins, not converting a first down until the third quarter, and not scoring until the fourth. The Dolphins took away the ball three times. Josh Allen performed poorly, giving the ball away twice, culminating in a QBR of just 28.7. He threw his sole interception in the end zone, picked off by Ifeatu Melifonwu. In addition, Dalton Kincaid and rookie defender Landon Jackson were injured during the game, with Jackson joining Michael Hoecht, who suffered a torn Achilles the previous game, on injured reserve due to multiple torn knee ligaments.
After a brutal loss to their division rival, the Bills hosted the Buccaneers in what would become a back-and-forth shootout. The Bills pulled ahead in the fourth quarter with back-to-back touchdowns as Josh Allen scored six total touchdowns. As Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield attempted a last-ditch comeback effort in the final moments, he was strip-sacked by Daquan Jones, with linebacker Dorian Williams recovering the fumble to clinch the win for Buffalo. With the 44âÂÂ32 victory, the Bills improved to 7âÂÂ3 record, also ensuring an undefeated record against the Buccaneers in Highmark Stadium.
Despite throwing two interceptions, including one on the Buffalo 5-yard line that set up Tampa Bay's first field goal, Josh Allen broke several more records, including matching Cam Newton's regular season rushing touchdown record at 75 and becoming the only player in NFL history to have two games with 3 passing and 3 rushing touchdowns. His first was in Week 14 at the Los Angeles Rams during the 2024 season. Head coach Sean McDermott also achieved his 100th career win across both the regular and postseason.
The Texansâ defense, featuring pass rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, dominated the Billsâ offensive line, sacking Josh Allen eight times and intercepting him near the endzone to snuff out Buffalo's final drive which included a 44-yard hook and ladder on a fourth-and-27 play involving receivers Josh Palmer and Khalil Shakir. With the loss, the Bills fell to 7âÂÂ4 and lost their sixth consecutive game in Houston. The Bills dropped to 2âÂÂ3 on the road.
Coming off another tough loss, the Bills started off slow on offense against the Steelers, as Josh Allen threw an early pick and James Cook lost a fumble, setting up Jaylen WarrenâÂÂs short touchdown run. Buffalo trailed 7âÂÂ3 at halftime but erupted after the break. Pass rusher Joey Bosa strip-sacked Aaron Rodgers on Pittsburgh's first play from scrimmage in the third quarter as cornerback Christian Benford returned the fumble for a score. Benford then intercepted backup Mason Rudolph, who came into the game temporarily as Rodgers was injured, leading to AllenâÂÂs 1-yard strike to Keon Coleman. Allen added an 8-yard rushing touchdown, and Matt Prater nailed two field goals.
Despite starting offensive tackles Spencer Brown and Dion Dawkins both missing the game due to injury, BuffaloâÂÂs ground game overwhelmed Pittsburgh, piling up 249 rushing yards â a record for a visiting team at Acrisure Stadium â by often using the same rushing play repeatedly, as the Bills offense held the ball for nearly 42 minutes. The 26âÂÂ7 win lifted the Bills to 8âÂÂ4. It was also the most rushing yards allowed by the Steelers since 1975, when the Bills recorded 310 yards on the ground. Josh Allen recorded his 76th rushing touchdown, surpassing Cam NewtonâÂÂs mark for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in NFL history.
Following a dominant win the previous week, the Bills faced Joe Burrow and the Bengals in a snowy shootout game. Burrow and the Bengals scored touchdowns on each of their first three offensive drives, holding the lead for much of the game by as much as 10 points at times, in addition to forcing James Cook to fumble twice in the red zone. However, Buffalo took the lead after scoring 21 points in just four-and-a-half minutes in the fourth quarter, as Josh Allen scored on a 40-yard scramble and Burrow threw his first two interceptions of the year shortly afterwards, namely to Christian Benford, who scored a 63-yard pick-six touchdown, and edge rusher A. J. Epenesa, who set up Allen's passing score to Jackson Hawes. Cincinnati answered back quickly to cut the Bills' lead to 39âÂÂ34, but Buffalo clinched the win on the ensuing drive as Allen rushed for 17 yards on a 3rd-and-15 play.
With the win, which was also Allen's first over Burrow, the Bills improved to 9âÂÂ4, earning their seventh consecutive winning season and their eighth over the past nine seasons. They also improved to 3âÂÂ0 against the AFC North on the season.
Looking to remain in contention for their sixth straight AFC East title, the Bills struggled in the first half, allowing the Patriots to build a 21âÂÂ0 lead behind a strong rushing attack. However, similar to their previous two games, Buffalo surged from that point on, outscoring New England 28âÂÂ3 to retake the lead early in the fourth quarter as the defense limited Drake Maye and the Patriotsâ passing attack. Despite surrendering a long touchdown run to TreVeyon Henderson shortly thereafter, the Bills took the lead for good on a James Cook rushing touchdown. With the 35âÂÂ31 victory, Buffalo improved to 10âÂÂ4 and snapped the Patriotsâ 10-game winning streak.
The 21-point comeback was the Billsâ largest since overcoming a similar 21âÂÂ0 first-half deficit against the Patriots during the 2011 season. The 21-point comeback is the largest by a visiting team in the history of Gillette Stadium. With two touchdown receptions, tight end Dawson Knox set a new Bills franchise record for receiving touchdowns by a tight end (26), surpassing Pete Metzelaars.
With the Kansas City Chiefs eliminated from the playoffs, the Buffalo Bills now hold the NFLâÂÂs longest active playoff streak, having qualified for the postseason in every season since 2019.
With their win and the following dayâÂÂs loss by the Indianapolis Colts to the San Francisco 49ers, the Bills clinched a playoff berth, marking their seventh consecutive postseason appearance and the longest active playoff streak in the NFL. The Bills would also be the only AFC East team to sweep the AFC North and become the 5th NFL team to have 6 consecutive seasons with 11 or more wins. Buffalo would finish 5-3 on the road.
Trailing the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles 13âÂÂ0 entering the fourth quarter, the Bills managed to mount a late rally to bring themselves back into the game. Josh Allen's two-yard touchdown run got Buffalo on the board with 5:11 remaining, but Matt Prater's extra point would be blocked, which would prove critical later in the game. After the Bills stopped the Eagles on defense, Allen scored his second touchdown to pull within one point with five seconds remaining. The Bills elected to go for two to try and win, but Allen's pass for Khalil Shakir sailed off-target and out of the end zone, sealing what would ultimately be Buffalo's last regular season loss at Highmark Stadium.
With the upset loss, the Buffalo Billsâ five-year streak of clinching the AFC East was snapped, as the Patriots secured the division title.
Entering their final planned game at Highmark Stadium, the Bills mostly rested their starters, but still dominated the Jets for the much of the game, scoring 35 points behind backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and running back Ray Davis. The Bills defeated the Jets in what was the final game at Highmark Stadium. The Bills finished the regular season at 12âÂÂ5, 4âÂÂ2 against the AFC East, and 7âÂÂ2 at home.
The victory, combined with the Chargersâ loss at Denver, allowed Buffalo to move up one spot and clinch the No. 6 seed, and they were scheduled to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card Round.
|- ! | January 11 | at Jacksonville Jaguars (3) | W 27âÂÂ24 | 1âÂÂ0 | EverBank Stadium | Recap |- ! | | at Denver Broncos (1) | L 30âÂÂ33 | 1âÂÂ1 | Empower Field at Mile High | Recap
Going into the playoffs as a wild card team for the first time in six years, the Bills were slight underdogs entering their first game of the postseason. The Bills took a 10âÂÂ7 halftime lead in a defensive battle, exchanging a turnover apiece with the Jaguars with numerous punts as Josh Allen was checked by the Bills' medical staff twice. The Jaguars failed to capitalize on two scoring opportunities, as quarterback Trevor Lawrence was stopped short on fourth down inside the Bills' 10-yard line after Jacksonville recovered a fumbled kickoff return by Ray Davis, and kicker Cam Little missed a 54-yard field goal at the end of the half.
After exchanging field goals in the third quarter, Buffalo and Jacksonville combined for four touchdowns in the fourth quarter, switching leads with each score. Despite two passing touchdowns from Lawrence to Parker Washington and Travis Etienne, Allen passed for one to Dalton Kincaid and rushed for one to put the Bills in the lead with just over a minute left. With no timeouts remaining for Jacksonville, Lawrence was intercepted by Cole Bishop off a deflected pass on the ensuing drive, sealing the win for Buffalo.
With the 27âÂÂ24 win, which was also their first road playoff win since 1992, the Bills advanced to the Divisional Round for the sixth consecutive year. In addition, this was also the first time the Bills defeated the Jaguars in the playoffs.
With the overtime loss, the Bills' season ended with their fourth Divisional Round exit in the last five years. This would be Sean McDermott's final game as Buffalo's head coach, as he would end up being fired two days later.
This game reached an average of approximately 39.6 million viewers, with a peak of approximately 51.3 million viewers during overtime. It became the most-watched Saturday sports telecast since the 1994 Winter Olympics, and also became the most-watched Saturday afternoon telecast in American television history.