2021 Buffalo Bills season
OwnerTerry and Kim Pegula
General managerBrandon Beane
Head coachSean McDermott
Home fieldHighmark Stadium
Results
Record11–6
Division place1st AFC East
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(vs. Patriots) 47–17
Lost Divisional Playoffs
(at Chiefs) 36–42 (OT)
Pro BowlersOT Dion Dawkins
WR Stefon Diggs
AP All-ProsSS Jordan Poyer (1st team)
FS Micah Hyde (2nd team)
Uniform

The 2021 season was the Buffalo Bills' 52nd in the National Football League (NFL), seventh full under the ownership of Terry and Kim Pegula, and their fifth under the head coach/general manager tandem of Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane.

Although unable to match their 13–3 record from the previous season, the Bills clinched the AFC East for a second consecutive year, their first consecutive division title since 1991. 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 highest point differential and margin of victory.[1] All of the team's victories were by multiple possessions, but they lost every game that was within one possession.

The Bills defeated their AFC East rival New 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 the Kansas City Chiefs in a Divisional Round matchup, the Bills lost amid a quarterback duel between Buffalo's Josh Allen and Kansas City's Patrick 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. The defeat marked the second consecutive year the Bills were eliminated by the Chiefs.

The season also saw Pittsburgh-based health insurance company Highmark purchase the rights to the Bills' stadium, resulting in it being named Highmark Stadium.[2]

Draft

2021 Buffalo Bills Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
130 Gregory RousseauDEMiami (FL)Opted out of the 2020 CFB season while at the University of Miami
261 Carlos Basham Jr.DEWake Forest
393 Spencer BrownOTNorthern Iowa
5161 Tommy DoyleOTMiami (OH)from Las Vegas
6203 Marquez StevensonWRHoustonfrom Washington via Las Vegas and Miami and Houston
212 Damar HamlinSPittsburghfrom New Orleans via Houston
213 Rachad WildgooseCBWisconsin
7236 Jack AndersonOGTexas Techfrom Carolina

Notes

  1. ↑ Scott, Jelani (October 7, 2019). "Bills deal WR Zay Jones to Raiders for 2021 pick". NFL.com. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  2. ↑ Strickland, Bryan (September 25, 2018). "Panthers trade for OT Marshall Newhouse". Panthers.com.

Staff

2021 Buffalo Bills staff

Front office

  • Owner/CEO – Terry Pegula
  • Owner/president – Kim Pegula
  • General manager – Brandon Beane
  • Assistant general manager – Joe Schoen
  • Director of college scouting – Terrance Gray
  • Senior VP of football administration – Jim Overdorf
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Lake Dawson
  • Director of pro personnel – Malik Boyd
  • Director of football administration – Kevin Meganck
  • Director of football operations – Brendan Rowe

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Head strength and conditioning – Eric Ciano
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Will Greenberg
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Hal Luther
  • Strength and conditioning assistant – Nicholas Lacy
  • Strength and conditioning assistant – Jason Oszvart

Final roster

2021 Buffalo Bills final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
 53 active, 4 inactive, 15 practice squad (+1 exempt)

Preseason

The Bills preseason schedule was announced on May 12. They opened the preseason with a 16–15 road win against the Detroit Lions.

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 13 at Detroit Lions W 16–15 1–0 Ford Field Recap
2 August 21 at Chicago Bears W 41–15 2–0 Soldier Field Recap
3 August 28 Green Bay Packers W 19–0 3–0 Highmark Stadium Recap

Regular season

Schedule

The Bills 2021 schedule was announced on May 12.

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 12 Pittsburgh Steelers L 16–23 0–1 Highmark Stadium Recap
2 September 19 at Miami Dolphins W 35–0 1–1 Hard Rock Stadium Recap
3 September 26 Washington Football Team W 43–21 2–1 Highmark Stadium Recap
4 October 3 Houston Texans W 40–0 3–1 Highmark Stadium Recap
5 October 10 at Kansas City Chiefs W 38–20 4–1 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
6 October 18 at Tennessee Titans L 31–34 4–2 Nissan Stadium Recap
7 Bye
8 October 31 Miami Dolphins W 26–11 5–2 Highmark Stadium Recap
9 November 7 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 6–9 5–3 TIAA Bank Field Recap
10 November 14 at New York Jets W 45–17 6–3 MetLife Stadium Recap
11 November 21 Indianapolis Colts L 15–41 6–4 Highmark Stadium Recap
12 November 25 at New Orleans Saints W 31–6 7–4 Caesars Superdome Recap
13 December 6 New England Patriots L 10–14 7–5 Highmark Stadium Recap
14 December 12 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 27–33 (OT) 7–6 Raymond James Stadium Recap
15 December 19 Carolina Panthers W 31–14 8–6 Highmark Stadium Recap
16 December 26 at New England Patriots W 33–21 9–6 Gillette Stadium Recap
17 January 2 Atlanta Falcons W 29–15 10–6 Highmark Stadium Recap
18 January 9 New York Jets W 27–10 11–6 Highmark Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 1: Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 0 61723
Bills 3 7 0616

at Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Game information

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]

Week 2: at Miami Dolphins

Week 2: Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bills 14 0 71435
Dolphins 0 0 000

at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

Game information

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 quarterback Josh Allen, a strong performance from running backs Devin Singletary and Zack Moss, as well as the defense, allowed the Bills to win 35–0. Dolphins quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Jacoby Brissett were sacked six times, with Tagovailoa leaving the game in the first quarter after a rib injury.[4]

Week 3: vs. Washington Football Team

Week 3: Washington Football Team at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Washington 0 14 0721
Bills 7 20 9743

at Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Game information

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 back Antonio Gibson and two scores from quarterback Taylor Heinicke set up by a Buffalo special teams gaffe and garbage time, respectively, Washington's offense struggled against the Bills defense. With another win, Buffalo improved to 2–1.[5]

Week 4: vs. Houston Texans

Week 4: Houston Texans at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Texans 0 0 000
Bills 7 9 32140

at Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Game information

Buffalo faced Houston for the first time since a 22–19 overtime loss in the 2019–20 NFL playoffs. Despite an early interception, Allen completed two touchdown passes to tight end Dawson Knox and led the Bills to 33 points before backup Mitchell Trubisky was substituted on in the fourth quarter. The Bills defense limited the Texans' rookie quarterback Davis Mills, filling in for former Bills starter Tyrod 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]

Week 5: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week 5: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bills 7 17 7738
Chiefs 3 10 0720

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

The Bills returned to Arrowhead Stadium for a Sunday night rematch of the previous 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 sacked Patrick 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 since 2017 and their first win with Mahomes as the Chiefs' starting quarterback. The win improved the Bills to 4–1.

Week 6: at Tennessee Titans

Week 6: Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bills 3 17 11031
Titans 0 17 71034

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

The Bills attempted to avenge a 42–16 loss to the Titans from the previous season, which was rescheduled several times due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Titans organization.[8] In the final moments of a back-and-forth shootout on Monday Night Football, in which the lead changed seven times, the Titans defensive line stopped Josh Allen on a fourth-down quarterback sneak at the Tennessee 3-yard line, and Buffalo narrowly lost 34–31, falling to 4–2 ahead of its bye week.[9]

Week 8: vs. Miami Dolphins

Week 8: Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 0 3 0811
Bills 3 0 71626

at Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Game information

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 to Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs after halftime en route to a 26–11 win, their seventh straight over Miami.[10]

Week 9: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 9: Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bills 3 3 006
Jaguars 3 3 039

at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: November 7
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 58 °F (14 °C)
  • Game attendance: 63,110
  • Referee: Land Clark
  • TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, James Lofton and Jenny Dell
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

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 missing Jon Feliciano and Spencer Brown due to injury. Notably, Josh Allen's namesake on the Jaguars sacked, intercepted, and recovered a fumble from his Bills counterpart.[12] Jacksonville pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NFL history, defeating the Bills 9–6 and winning their first game in North America since Week 1 of the 2020 season.[13] With the stunning loss, Buffalo fell to 5–3, with their division lead over the New England Patriots shrinking to just half a game.

Week 10: at New York Jets

Week 10: Buffalo Bills at New York Jets – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bills 10 7 21745
Jets 0 3 01417

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

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 back Matt Breida. On defense, all five starting defensive backs for the Bills, namely Taron Johnson, Micah Hyde, Tre'Davious White, Levi Wallace, and Jordan Poyer, recorded a turnover off the Jets' offense, stifling quarterback Mike White.[14] With the 45–17 win, Buffalo improved to 6–3.[15]

Week 11: vs. Indianapolis Colts

Week 11: Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 14 10 14341
Bills 0 7 0815

at Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Game information

The Bills defense, missing key run-stoppers Star Lotulelei and Tremaine Edmunds, struggled to contain Colts RB Jonathan 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, a scorigami.[18][19]

Week 12: at New Orleans Saints

Thanksgiving Day games

Week 12: Buffalo Bills at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bills 7 3 14731
Saints 0 0 066

at Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

In their second Thanksgiving 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 a torn ACL suffered during the game.[22]

Week 13: vs. New England Patriots

Week 13: New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Patriots 8 3 0314
Bills 7 0 3010

at Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

  • Date: December 6
  • Game time: 8:15 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, Windy, 36 °F (2 °C)
  • Game attendance: 69,694
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick and Lisa Salters
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

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 by Damien Harris, and Buffalo finished just 1 for 4 on redzone possessions, leading to a 14–10 loss to the Patriots.[23]

Week 14: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 14: Buffalo Bills at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Bills 0 3 717027
Buccaneers 7 17 03633

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Game information

The Buccaneers raced to a 24–3 halftime lead under former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, along with a strong first-half performance by running back Leonard 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 since 1991. 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 from Matt Haack pushed Tampa Bay to its own 6-yard line. A controversial pass 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 to Breshad 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]

Week 15: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week 15: Carolina Panthers at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Panthers 0 8 0614
Bills 0 17 7731

at Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Game information

With the win, Buffalo snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 8–6.

Week 16: at New England Patriots

Week 16: Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bills 7 10 31333
Patriots 0 7 7721

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

  • Date: December 26
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 37 °F (3 °C)
  • Game attendance: 65,878
  • Referee: Shawn Smith
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, and Evan Washburn
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

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 receivers Cole Beasley and Gabe Davis coming down with COVID-19 and missing the game, utility player Isaiah 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 quarterback Mac 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]

Week 17: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Week 17: Atlanta Falcons at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 2 13 0015
Bills 14 0 8729

at Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Game information

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]

Week 18: vs. New York Jets

Week 18: New York Jets at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Jets 0 7 3010
Bills 10 3 01427

at Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

  • Date: January 9
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Snow showers, 34 °F (1 °C)
  • Game attendance: 64,783
  • Referee: John Hussey
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, and Melanie Collins
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

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 the Las Vegas Raiders late that night, sealed the 3rd seed for the Bills, and the Patriots as their opponent for the Wild Card game.

Standings

Division

AFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(3) Buffalo Bills 11 6 0 .647 5–1 7–5 483 289 W4
(6) New England Patriots 10 7 0 .588 3–3 8–4 462 303 L1
Miami Dolphins 9 8 0 .529 4–2 6–6 341 373 W1
New York Jets 4 13 0 .235 0–6 4–8 310 504 L2

Conference

AFC
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division winners
1[lower-alpha 1] Tennessee Titans South 12 5 0 .706 5–1 8–4 .472 .480 W3
2[lower-alpha 1] Kansas City Chiefs West 12 5 0 .706 5–1 7–5 .538 .517 W1
3 Buffalo Bills East 11 6 0 .647 5–1 7–5 .472 .428 W4
4 Cincinnati Bengals North 10 7 0 .588 4–2 8–4 .472 .462 L1
Wild cards
5[lower-alpha 2] Las Vegas Raiders West 10 7 0 .588 3–3 8–4 .510 .515 W4
6[lower-alpha 2] New England Patriots East 10 7 0 .588 3–3 8–4 .481 .394 L1
7 Pittsburgh Steelers North 9 7 1 .559 4–2 7–5 .521 .490 W2
Did not qualify for the postseason
8[lower-alpha 3] Indianapolis Colts South 9 8 0 .529 3–3 7–5 .495 .431 L2
9[lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 4] Miami Dolphins East 9 8 0 .529 4–2 6–6 .464 .379 W1
10[lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 4] Los Angeles Chargers West 9 8 0 .529 3–3 6–6 .510 .500 L1
11[lower-alpha 5] Cleveland Browns North 8 9 0 .471 3–3 5–7 .514 .415 W1
12[lower-alpha 5] Baltimore Ravens North 8 9 0 .471 1–5 5–7 .531 .460 L6
13 Denver Broncos West 7 10 0 .412 1–5 3–9 .484 .357 L4
14[lower-alpha 6] New York Jets East 4 13 0 .235 0–6 4–8 .512 .426 L2
15[lower-alpha 6] Houston Texans South 4 13 0 .235 3–3 4–8 .498 .397 L2
16 Jacksonville Jaguars South 3 14 0 .176 1–5 3–9 .512 .569 W1
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 7]
  1. 1 2 Tennessee finished ahead of Kansas City based on head-to-head victory.
  2. 1 2 Las Vegas finished ahead of New England based on win percentage in common games (5–1 vs. 2–4 against: Miami, Dallas, LA Chargers, Cleveland, and Indianapolis).
  3. 1 2 3 Indianapolis finished ahead of Miami and Los Angeles based on conference record (7–5 vs. 6–6).
  4. 1 2 Miami 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).
  5. 1 2 Cleveland finished ahead of Baltimore based on division record (3–3 vs. 1–5).
  6. 1 2 NY Jets finished ahead of Houston based on head-to-head victory.
  7. ↑ 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.

Postseason

Schedule

Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Recap
Wild Card January 15 New England Patriots (6) W 47–17 1–0 Highmark Stadium Recap
Divisional January 23 at Kansas City Chiefs (2) L 36–42 (OT) 1–1 Arrowhead Stadium Recap

Game summaries

AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (6) New England Patriots

AFC Wild Card Playoffs: (6) New England Patriots at (3) Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Patriots 0 3 7717
Bills 14 13 61447

at Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Game information

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

AFC Divisional Playoffs: (3) Buffalo Bills at (2) Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Bills 7 7 715036
Chiefs 7 7 913642

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

After a back-and-forth first half, Kansas City took a 9-point lead in the third quarter with a Mecole 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 after Tyreek Hill set up a field goal with a 45-yard punt return. Allen then led the Bills on an 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 a squib kick for a traditional kickoff out of the endzone for a touchback setting up the Chiefs at their own 25-yard-line with all three of their timeouts remaining. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed a 19-yard pass to Hill that ran just 5 seconds off the clock, then threw a 25-yard pass to Travis 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.

Statistics

Team

Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank
(out of 32)
Passing offense4,284252.09th
Rushing offense2,209129.96th
Total offense6,493381.95th
Passing defense2,771163.01st
Rushing defense1,866109.813th
Total defense4,637272.81st

Individual

Category Player Total yards
Offense
PassingJosh Allen4,407
RushingDevin Singletary870
ReceivingStefon Diggs1,225
Defense
Tackles (Solo)Tremaine Edmunds70
SacksMario Addison7
InterceptionsMicah Hyde5

Statistics correct as of the end of the 2021 NFL season[30][31]

References

  1. ↑ "Bills defense ends the 2021 regular season as the NFL's best". www.buffalobills.com. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  2. ↑ Williams, Charean (March 29, 2021). "Bills rename stadium to Highmark Stadium after naming-rights deal". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  3. ↑ Parrino, Matt (September 12, 2021). "Bills' high-powered offense humbled by Steelers; Josh Allen: 'We're going to learn from this'". syracuse. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills bounce back with big win against Miami Dolphins". FOX Sports. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Washington gets routed by Buffalo with a crumbling defense and a turnover-prone offense". Washington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  6. ↑ Fierro, Nick. "Buffalo Bills outclass Houston Texans with dominating defense". Sports Illustrated Buffalo Bills News, Analysis and More. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Allen, Bills beat Chiefs 38-20 in AFC title game rematch". AP NEWS. October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  8. ↑ Middlehurst-Schwartz, Michael (October 8, 2020). "Titans' game against Bills delayed to Tuesday amid COVID-19 outbreak". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Sean McDermott absolutely made the right call on the failed Josh Allen 4th down run". For The Win. October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Bills wake up in second half to beat Dolphins 26-11". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  11. ↑ Skrive, Data. "Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars NFL Week 9 Odds, Plays and Insights for November 7, 2021". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Jaguars LB Josh Allen sacks, intercepts Bills QB Josh Allen to make NFL history". NFL.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Jaguars pull off seventh-largest upset since 1990, beat Bills despite closing as 15.5-point underdogs". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Bills starting secondary all record turnovers in blowout win over Jets (Encouraged/worried)". syracuse. November 14, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  15. ↑ Wolf, Jason (November 14, 2021). "Bills beat Jets 45-17: How it happened, stars of the game, key plays". The Buffalo News. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  16. ↑ Gastelum, Andrew. "Jonathan Taylor Nears NFL Records With Five TDs vs. Bills". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Buffalo Bills looking like 'big disappointment' following loss to Colts (Post-Week 11 power rankings)". syracuse. November 23, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  18. ↑ "All Games in Pro Football History with a 41 to 15 score". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  19. ↑ Bills, Colts combine for Scorigami with first 41-15 game in NFL history
  20. ↑ "Mike Tirico & Drew Brees to call Bills-Saints Thanksgiving Night on NBC & Peacock". NBC Sports Pressbox. NBC. November 18, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Buffalo Bills vs. New Orleans Saints Live Score and Stats - November 25, 2021 Gametracker". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Bills CB Tre'Davious White out for season with torn ACL". NFL.com. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Analysis: Patriots, with just three pass attempts, grind out a big win over the Bills". Washington Post. December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Bills doomed vs. Buccaneers by pass interference that was... and wasn't". Touchdown Wire. December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  25. ↑ Talbot, Ryan (December 13, 2021). "Josh Allen leads Buffalo back in superhuman effort vs. Bucs; Bills fall short in OT (Week 14 report card)". syracuse. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  26. ↑ Talbot, Ryan (December 26, 2021). "Isaiah McKenzie, aggressive Bills offense take back 1st in AFC East in 33-21 win over Patriots (report card)". syracuse. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Bills report card: Buffalo overcomes Josh Allen's struggles with dominant rushing attack". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  28. ↑ Wawrow, John. "Bills Clinch AFC East Title With 27-10 Win Over Jets". NBC New York. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  29. ↑ Wolf, Jason (January 15, 2022). "Jason Wolf: Josh Allen leads seven TD drives as Bills obliterate Patriots, destroy Death Star". The Buffalo News. Lee Enterprises. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  30. ↑ "2021 NFL Team Total Statistics". ESPN. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  31. ↑ "Buffalo Bills Players Stats". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
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