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.
Due to the roster turnover, many outlets went into the season expecting regression for the Bills. Despite this, the Bills finished the regular season with a record of 13–4, their best since the introduction of the 17-game season in 2021, also improving on their 11–6 record from the previous season.
Highlights of the regular season included a Week 11 win over the then-undefeated Kansas City Chiefs that clinched the Bills' sixth consecutive winning season. Two weeks later, they clinched their fifth consecutive AFC East title, as well as their sixth consecutive playoff appearance since 2019, with a Week 13 win over the San Francisco 49ers. This broke the franchise record set when they won four consecutive division titles from 1988–1991.[1] Lastly, a Week 17 win over the New York Jets helped the team secure the no. 2 seed in the AFC for the third consecutive year.
In addition, the Bills won all eight of their home games for the first time since 1990 and scored a franchise-record 525 points, surpassing their total from 2020. The team drew an average home attendance of 70,696 in 8 home games in the 2024 NFL season, a 9.8% increase from the previous year.
In the playoffs, the Bills defeated the seventh seed Denver Broncos 31–7 in the Wild Card Round, followed by a close 27–25 win against the third seed Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round to advance to the AFC Championship for the first time since 2020.[2] In the championship, they are set to face the first seed Kansas City Chiefs for the fourth time over the course of five consecutive postseasons.
^ 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.[51]
^ 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.[52]
^ 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).[53]
^The Bills traded a fifth-round selection (144th overall) to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round selection.[54]
^The Bills traded C Ryan Bates to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a fifth-round selection (144th overall).[47]
^ 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.[54]
^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).[48]
^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).[55]
^The Bills traded a 2023 sixth-round selection to the Houston Texans in exchange for 2023 seventh- and 2024 sixth-round selections (200th overall).[55]
Notes
The Bills received a fourth-round compensatory selection (133rd overall) for LB Tremaine Edmunds signing with the Chicago Bears last offseason.[56]
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.[61] 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.[62] 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.[63] 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. With the defense missing several key players due to ongoing injuries, they were unable to contain Baltimore running back Derrick Henry as he rushed for 199 yards. The offense was outgained 236 to 427 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,[64] 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.[65]
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.[66] 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.[67]
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.[68]
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.[69] The penalty set the Bills up for a game-winning, 61-yard field goal by Bass,[70] setting a new record for the longest field goal in Bills history.[71] 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.[72]
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.[73] Josh Allen's rushing touchdown put him in 2nd place for most rushing touchdowns in Bills history, with 58.[74] He also tied Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly for the most total touchdowns, at 244.[75] 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. These points included 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.[76]
LAR – Puka Nacua 19-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (kick failed, wide left), 1:54. Rams 44–35. Drive: 11 plays, 71 yards, 6:55.
BUF – Josh Allen 1-yard run (Tyler Bass kick), 1:00. Rams 44–42. Drive: 8 plays, 70 yards, 0:54.
Top passers
BUF – Josh Allen – 22/37, 342 yards, 3 TD
LAR – Matthew Stafford – 23/30, 320 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
BUF – Josh Allen – 10 rushes, 82 yards, 3 TD
LAR – Kyren Williams – 29 rushes, 87 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
BUF – Khalil Shakir – 5 receptions, 106 yards, TD
LAR – Puka Nacua – 12 receptions, 162 yards, TD
Following seven consecutive victories, Buffalo’s dominance took a hard loss from the Rams with Buffalo’s defense constantly struggling to contain the Matthew Stafford led Rams offense with the team gaining multiple points, including a blocked punt by Rams tight end, Hunter Long. The Bills would attempt to come back with touchdowns by Josh Allen, Ty Johnson, Khalil Shakir, and Mack Hollins, but it wouldn’t be enough as an attempted punt return would be stopped as time expired in the game, dropping their record to 10–3.[77] Despite this, Allen had yet another record-breaking performance, including becoming the first player in modern NFL history to score three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in a single game.
DET – Amon-Ra St. Brown – 14 receptions, 193 yards, TD
Following a hard loss the week prior, Buffalo utilized their strong rushing attack in game to gain multiple points. Despite the rare scenario of being the underdogs of the match, Buffalo would start the game off with a 14–0 lead. However, from there, both teams put up good performances against each other during the game, consistently scoring points back and forth. For the Bills, Josh Allen and James Cook rushed for two touchdowns each, Khalil Shakir and Ray Davis each caught passing touchdowns and Tyler Bass made two of his three attempted field goals. However, it would ultimately be Bass’ two field goals that played a factor in the Bills putting the game out of reach of Detroit. To finish it off, Taron Johnson narrowly recovered an onside kick with twelve seconds left in the game, giving the Bills the win. This victory would raise them to an 11–3 record.
BUF – Taron Johnson fumble recovery in the end zone (Tyler Bass kick), 10:10. Bills 24–14.
NE – Hunter Henry 9-yard pass from Drake Maye (Joey Slye kick), 1:13. Bills 24–21. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 3:16.
Top passers
NE – Drake Maye – 22/36, 260 yards, 2 TD, INT
BUF – Josh Allen – 16/29, 154 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
NE – Rhamondre Stevenson – 12 rushes, 60 yards, TD
BUF – James Cook – 11 rushes, 100 yards, TD
Top receivers
NE – Kayshon Boutte – 5 receptions, 95 yards, TD
BUF – James Cook – 3 receptions, 26 yards, TD
After earning an explosive win the previous week, Buffalo began their first meeting of the season against their division rival sluggishly, as both the offense and defense struggled against New England. After trailing 14–0, Buffalo managed to find rhythm and scored 24 unanswered points to make it a two-score game. These points included a rushing touchdown by James Cook, a field goal by Tyler Bass, a passing touchdown from Josh Allen to Cook, and a 0-yard fumble return touchdown by Taron Johnson. New England answered back with another touchdown towards the end of the game, but were unable to recover their onside kick. From there, Buffalo secured enough first-downs to run out the game clock and secure the win. The Bills would now go up to a record of 12–3, improving upon their regular season record from the previous year.
After a close game with the Jets earlier in the season, the Bills approached their rematch with dominance by shutting the Jets out 33–0 by the end of the third quarter. Josh Allen scored one rushing touchdown and two passing touchdowns, the latter being caught by Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman. A safety by A.J. Epenesa and a field goal by Tyler Bass contributed to the lead as well. With this performance, the Bills would rest their starters. Shortly after doing so, they scored a 69-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell Trubisky to Tyrell Shavers to make it 40–0. The Jets responded back with two touchdowns, but ultimately had no shot of making a comeback. With this win, the Bills would rise to a 13–3 record and secure the no. 2 seed in the AFC for the third consecutive year.
In addition to this, Allen became the first quarterback in NFL history with 40+ touchdowns in five consecutive seasons, while Cooper eclipsed 10,000 receiving yards across his career. Franchise milestones were also achieved, such as the Bills going undefeated at home for the first time since 1990.
With the no. 2 seed in the AFC secured, the Bills largely played their backups in the final matchup of the regular season, though Josh Allen got the start and played one snap, a hand-off, to continue his active starts streak.[78] Backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky led the Bills to 16 points including a James Cook touchdown run, which helped Cook tie O. J. Simpson's franchise record for rushing touchdowns in a season.[79] However, the backup defense allowed the Patriots offense, led by backup quarterback Joe Milton III, to score 23 points, resulting in a win for New England that cost them the number one pick in the 2025 NFL draft.[80]
With the loss, the Bills finished the regular season with a 13–4 record. In addition to this, they would score 525 points throughout the season, the highest in franchise history. This surpasses the record of 501 points from 2020.
Heading into their first match of the postseason, Buffalo would quickly fall behind 7–0 after a touchdown on Denver's opening drive. However, from there, the Bills would dominate the remainder of the game. They would go on to score 31 unanswered appoints accomplished by three field goals by Tyler Bass, a rushing touchdown by James Cook, and two touchdown passes from Josh Allen to Ty Johnson and Curtis Samuel. With the win, the Bills would win the Wild Card Playoff game and advance to the Divisional round for the fifth consecutive year.
After a Week 4 regular season meeting resulting in one of their worst losses in recent years, Buffalo went into the Divisional Round as the rare home team underdogs. They would begin the game very similarly to the Wild Card Round, with a touchdown on Baltimore's opening drive. The Bills would answer back in the first half with three rushing touchdowns: one by Ray Davis and two by Josh Allen, with the Ravens only scoring a field goal in return.
However, the second half would feature the Ravens nearly making a comeback as they would outscore the Bills, with the latter only scoring two field goals by Tyler Bass to answer back. In the end, the Ravens scored a touchdown to make it a 27–25, but failed the 2-point conversion attempt due to Mark Andrews dropping the ball. From there, the Bills would recover the onside kick and run out the clock to win the game. With the win, the Bills would head to their first AFC Championship since 2020. They would also go 10–0 at home for the first time since 1990.
