Buffalo Bills Playoffs

Lore & Background

The Bills started the season 4–0, 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 5–0 since 2014. Despite the strong regular season record, the Bills faced some struggles throughout the season. This included failing to match their 13 wins from 2024 following a Week 12 loss to the Houston Texans. In addition to this, 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.

Reader's Guide

The Bills entered the playoffs as the #6-seed, and beat the #3-seed Jacksonville Jaguars by a score of 27–24 in the Wild Card Playoffs. This would be their first road playoff victory since 1992. However, their season ended in heartbreak once again, as they were defeated by the top-seeded Denver Broncos by a final score of 33–30 in overtime in the Divisional round of the playoffs - their fourth Divisional Round exit in five seasons.

Did You Know?

• The Bills received two fifth-round compensatory selections (169th and 173rd overall) for WR Gabe Davis signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars and DE Leonard Floyd signing with the San Francisco 49ers last offseason.
• The Bills' training camp and preseason were featured on the HBO documentary series Hard Knocks.
• Josh Allen broke the record for most rushing touchdowns in Buffalo Bills franchise history, at a total of 67 and counting, surpassing Thurman Thomas's record of 65.