This is their first season since 2019 without wide receiver Stefon Diggs, as he was traded to the Houston Texans. The team also released several veterans such as center Mitch Morse, cornerback Tre'Davious White, and safety Jordan Poyer, several players who had been key contributors during the McDermott era, among others.
With a Week 11 win over the then-undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, the Bills secured their sixth consecutive winning season. The Bills clinched their fifth consecutive AFC East title with a Week 13 win over the San Fransisco 49ers, breaking the franchise record set from 1988–1991.[1] Their 10–2 record at the time was also their best start to a season since 1991.
^ abcdefThe Bills traded first- (28th overall), fourth- (133rd overall) and seventh- (248th overall) round selections to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for first- (32nd overall), third- (95th overall) and seventh- (221st overall) round selections.[49]
^ abcdThe Bills traded first- (32nd overall) and sixth- (200th overall) round selections to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for second- (33rd overall) and fifth- (141st overall) round selections.[50]
^ abThe Bills traded a third-round selection (91st overall) to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for CB Rasul Douglas and a fifth-round selection (160th overall).[51]
^The Bills traded a fifth-round selection (144th overall) to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round selection.[52]
^The Bills traded C Ryan Bates to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a fifth-round selection (144th overall).[45]
^ abcThe Bills traded a fifth-round selection (163rd overall) to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for fifth- (168th overall) and sixth- (219th overall) round selections.[52]
^The Bills traded WR Stefon Diggs, 2024 sixth- (189th overall) and 2025 fifth-round selections to the Houston Texans in exchange for a 2025 second-round selection (via MIN).[46]
^The Bills traded a 2023 sixth-round selection to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for 2023 seventh- and 2024 sixth-round selections (189th overall).[53]
^The Bills traded a 2023 sixth-round selection to the Houston Texans in exchange for 2023 seventh- and 2024 sixth-round selections (200th overall).[53]
Notes
The Bills received a fourth-round compensatory selection (133rd overall) for LB Tremaine Edmunds signing with the Chicago Bears last offseason.[54]
Trailing 17–3 at one point in the second quarter, the Bills stormed back in the second half with 21 unanswered points to take the lead. The Cardinals had one last chance to win after the Bills expanded their lead to 34–28, but quarterback Kyler Murray's last second Hail Mary pass attempt was denied by Bills cornerback Ja'Marcus Ingram, preventing a repeat of the Hail Murray from the 2020 season.[59] Bills quarterback Josh Allen had four total touchdowns in the win, tallying his fourth career game with multiple rushing and passing touchdowns, tied for the most in league history with Steve Young.[60] The Bills would begin their season with a 1–0 record.
The Bills cruised to a 31–10 win over the rival Dolphins, thanks to three total touchdowns by running back James Cook and the defense intercepting Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa three times. However, the win was overshadowed by Tagovailoa suffering a concussion after running into contact with safety Damar Hamlin. This was Tagovailoa's third officially reported concussion in two years.[61] With this win, the Bills improved to 2–0.
The Bills turned in a strong performance against the Jaguars in Week 3 on Monday Night Football. Buffalo's defensive line only allowed Jacksonville a field goal and a touchdown in the game, with Bills safety Damar Hamlin picking off Jaguar quarterback Trevor Lawrence for his first interception. Rookies Keon Coleman and Ray Davis scored their first career NFL touchdowns, with Coleman catching a 24-yard pass from Josh Allen and Davis running for a 3-yard touchdown. Davis' fellow halfbacks James Cook and Ty Johnson also scored touchdowns as the Bills improved their record to 3–0.
After three consecutive wins to open the season, the Bills took a sour loss from the Ravens on Sunday Night Football. The defense was unable to contain Baltimore running back Derrick Henry, but was able to force a few turnovers in the second half of the game. The offense also had trouble, turning over the ball several times, culminating in the Bills' first loss of the 2024 season as they fell to 3–1.
The Bills faced off against former receiver Stefon Diggs for the first time since they traded him to the Texans in the offseason. The game started off with a 38-yard Tyler Bass field goal, only for Texans running back Cam Akers to rush for a 15-yard touchdown and Houston quarterback C. J. Stroud to throw a 67-yard pass touchdown pass to wide receiver Nico Collins. The Bills would ultimately turn around in the second half with touchdowns from James Cook and Keon Coleman, and another Tyler Bass field goal put the Bills in a tied situation against the Texans. However, in what was seen as a major gaffe, the Bills opted to pass three consecutive times from their own end zone with just seconds left in regulation, resulting in three incompletions from Josh Allen, who finished with a career-worst 30% completion percentage. Buffalo punted with 16 seconds left in the game and Houston retaining all three of its timeouts. After a quick gain to get into field goal range and a timeout taken by Houston, Kaʻimi Fairbairn kicked a 59-yard field goal just as time expired, denying Buffalo’s attempt to come back. With the loss, Buffalo dropped back-to-back games and fell to 3–2 on the season.
Head coach Sean McDermott took the blame for deciding to pass in the waning moments of the game instead of running, which would have forced the Texans to burn their timeouts and likely taken the game to overtime,[62] and the team's training staff was criticized for allowing Allen back into the game after he suffered what appeared to be a concussion at first glance, though a later review found no violation of the NFL's concussion protocol.[63]
After suffering back-to-back losses, the Bills started this Monday Night Football game against the division rival Jets with a strong rushing attack, despite missing starting tailback James Cook due to a toe injury, and Josh Allen scoring three touchdowns in the first half, namely a one-yard rushing touchdown and scoring passes to Mack Hollins and Dawson Knox. The defense struggled to contain Aaron Rodgers and Breece Hall at times, despite the returns of cornerback Taron Johnson and safety Taylor Rapp, culminating in the Jets keeping the score close, with Rodgers throwing a 52-yard Hail Mary pass to Allen Lazard as time expired in the first half. During a low-scoring second half, Bills kicker Tyler Bass kicked a go-ahead field goal with just three minutes to go, and Rodgers was intercepted by Johnson on the ensuing drive, sealing Buffalo’s fourth win in the 2024 season.
Ray Davis filled in admirably for Cook, rushing for 97 yards overall. Khalil Shakir also returned to play in limited snaps after missing the week prior due to an injury he suffered in the Ravens game two weeks prior. Both Bass and Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein struggled in the game, missing two kicks apiece, and the two teams combined for 22 accepted penalty flags for 204 yards in a sloppy, tension-filled game.[64] The Bills improved to 4–2, with their first win in three weeks.
Despite Tennessee leading 10-0 at one point in the second quarter, Buffalo ultimately took control in the second half, overcoming consecutive three-and-out possessions in the first half to score 34 unanswered points. All three of Buffalo's active halfbacks, namely James Cook, Ty Johnson, and Ray Davis, scored touchdowns, in addition to newly-acquired receiver Amari Cooper. With the win, Buffalo improved to 5–2 in Josh Allen's 100th career game. [65]
Buffalo's dominance continued once more against Seattle, with the Seahawks' defense unable to contain the Bills' offense, resulting in the Bills gaining 31 unanswered points. Buffalo got touchdowns from Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid, while James Cook rushed for two touchdowns and Tyler Bass successfully made a 27-yard field goal. Buffalo's defensive line only allowed Seattle a field goal and a touchdown. However, Josh Allen's streak of no interceptions in 2024 ended when Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe picked him off. Despite that interception, the Bills improved to 6–2.[66]
The Bills opened the scoring in their second regular-season meeting with the Dolphins, with Tyler Bass making a 40-yard field goal. The Buffalo defense allowed Miami to put points on the board in two consecutive drives. The Dolphins took advantage of Josh Allen's second interception of the season, where a pass intended for Keon Coleman bounced off of the receiver's hands and was picked off by Miami cornerback Jalen Ramsey on the 3-yard line. Miami drove 97 yards to score their first touchdown of the game, putting them ahead 10-3. The Bills were forced to settle for a 49-yard field goal from Bass to end the first half after two consecutive plays ending in touchdowns were negated by holding penalties. The Dolphins received the kickoff to start the second half, but their first drive ended in a forced fumble by Taron Johnson, with Kaiir Elam recovering the ball for the Bills. Miami and Buffalo traded scores through the third and fourth quarter, leading to a 27-27 score in the final moments. The Bills got into field goal range on their final drive of the game with the help of a personal foul penalty called on Miami safety (and former Bill) Jordan Poyer after he hit Coleman in the head.[67] The penalty set the Bills up for a game-winning, 61-yard field goal by Bass,[68] setting a new record for the longest field goal in Bills history.[69] The Dolphins were unable to score in the time remaining, improving Buffalo's record to 7–2. This was the Bills' fourth consecutive victory and their fifth consecutive regular-season victory against Miami.
The Bills started this matchup against the Colts with a pick six by Taron Johnson, who intercepted a pass from Indianapolis backup quarterback Joe Flacco, and a 29-yard Tyler Bass field goal. Both teams put up a strong performance against each other, although Josh Allen threw his third and fourth interceptions of 2024 to Colts linebacker E. J. Speed and cornerback Kenny Moore II. The Bills' defense at times struggled to contain the Colts' offense, with Matt Gay kicking two field goals and Flacco throwing a touchdown pass to Tyler Goodson to put the Colts ahead by three points in the second quarter. However, a 13-yard touchdown run by Allen and a 47-yard field goal from Bass put the Bills ahead again by seven points. Buffalo put the game out of reach in the final quarter, as James Cook ran for a two-yard touchdown and Bass kicked his third field goal of the game, this time for 28 yards. The Bills improved to 8-2 on the season and secured their first win in Indianapolis since 1998.
With his 13-yard touchdown, Allen became tied for second in Bills franchise history for rushing touchdowns at 57. Furthermore, the Bills had no passing touchdowns in the game. Also this was first time when the Bills won five consecutive games in a 8–2 record since 1993. [70]
The Buffalo Bills hosted the Kansas City Chiefs for their fifth consecutive regular season matchup. The Chiefs received the ball to start, but the Bills defense forced a turnover on the second play of the game. Taylor Rapp picked off a pass thrown by Patrick Mahomes as he was being tackled by DaQuan Jones, and the Bills capitalized on the takeaway with an 8-play, 65-yard drive to go up 6-0. There were four lead changes during the second quarter of the tame, beginning with the Chiefs driving 88 yards for a touchdown to make it 7-6 and the Bills answering with a 70-yard touchdown drive to go up 13-7. The Chiefs took advantage of a miscue to make it 14-13 after picking off Josh Allen, and the Bills ended the first half with a 33-yard field goal to bring the score to 16-14.
After trading punts on the first four plays of the second half, the Bills held onto the ball for 6:03 on their longest touchdown drive of the game, putting them two scores ahead of the Chiefs at 23-14. The Chiefs responded with a touchdown, bringing the game within 2 points. Facing 4th & 2 on the Chiefs' 26 yard line, Josh Allen took control of the game and brought his team to 30-21 with a 26-yard rushing touchdown. The Chiefs attempted to bring the game within one score, but with 1:17 left to play, Terrel Bernard intercepted a pass intended for Travis Kelce and clinched the game for Buffalo. The Bills ended the Chiefs' undefeated season and their 15-game win streak, and the Bills became the first team to score 28 or more points against Kansas City since the 2022 season.[71] Josh Allen's rushing touchdown put him in 2nd place for most rushing touchdowns in Bills history, with 58.[72] He also tied Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly for the most total touchdowns, at 244.[73] With their fourth consecutive win against Kansas City, and first home win against the Chiefs since 2012, the Bills entered their bye week at 9–2. It was the first time this particular matchup had been decided by more than one score since Week 5 of the 2021 season.
The game was watched by 31.2 million viewers, becoming the highest-rated football game of the 2024 NFL season. It was the highest-rated regular season and non-holiday game since the Week 9 matchup of the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts during the 2007 NFL season.
The Bills’ Sunday Night Football matchup against the 49ers saw Buffalo cruise to their 7th consecutive victory and 10th overall victory in 2024. They did so in a dominant fashion, with the Bills Defense Line only allowing San Francisco a field goal and a touchdown. Meanwhile, the Bills offense gained 35 points with 28 of them unanswered, with rushing touchdowns from Ray Davis, James Cook, and Josh Allen, while Allen and Mack Hollis scored passing touchdowns. Allen also became the first quarterback in NFL history to score passing, receiving, and rushing touchdowns all in the same game. This game would improve the Bills to 10–2 and win their fifth consecutive AFC East Title. It is the fastest an NFL team has clinched their division since the 2009 Indianapolis Colts, a complete opposite scenario compared to the Bills 2023 season where they clinched their division in the last regular season game. This marks the team's best start to a season since 1991.[74]
^ abNY Jets wins tie break over Tennessee based on head-to-head victory.
^ abJacksonville wins tie break over Las Vegas based on conference record.
^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.
Legend
w — Clinched wild card
x — Clinched playoff berth
y — Clinched division
z — Clinched first-round bye and home-field advantage
