The 2018 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 49th season in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...
, and the 59th overall. The season also marked the fourth full season under the ownership of
Terry and
Kim Pegula and their second under the
head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in asso ...
/
general manager
A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
tandem of
Sean McDermott and
Brandon Beane
Brandon Beane (born July 27, 1976) is an American football executive who is the general manager for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL), a position he has held since 2017. Prior to joining the Bills, Beane served in the per ...
. The team previously finished with a 9–7 record in
2017 and returned to the playoffs for the first time after having not been to the playoffs since
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
. After a 21–17 loss to the rival Miami Dolphins in Week 13, the Bills failed to match their 9–7 record from the previous season. They were officially eliminated from playoff contention the following week with a 27–23 loss to the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The ...
, ultimately finishing with a 6–10 record as numerous players from the previous season departed via trades, roster cuts or retirement. They went 4–3 in their last 7 games. This season was also notable for being the first season for quarterback
Josh Allen and the last one for longtime defensive tackle
Kyle Williams. As of the most recent season, this is the only time where Coach Sean McDermott has not led the Bills to the playoffs.
Offseason
On May 1, 2018, three weeks after the
2017–18 Buffalo Sabres season
The 2017–18 Buffalo Sabres season was the 48th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on May 22, 1970. The Sabres missed the playoffs again, finishing last in the division for the second straight year and last o ...
ended, team president
Russ Brandon announced his resignation from
Pegula Sports and Entertainment. In a statement to the press, Brandon stated that the departure had been planned since he had reached 20 years with the Bills in November 2017 and that he fulfilled his duties to the Bills and Sabres for the remainder of the Sabres' season before tendering his resignation. A report in ''
The Buffalo News
''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It recently sold its headquarters to Uniland Development Corp. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by ...
'' claimed that Brandon had been subject to an internal investigation regarding inappropriate relationships with female employees; neither the Bills, Sabres nor Brandon mentioned such in their statements.
Transactions
Front office changes
Free Agency
Arrivals
Departures
Draft
Draft trades
*The Bills traded their first- and second-round selections (12th, 53rd and 56th overall) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for Tampa Bay's first- and seventh-round selections (7th and 255th overall).
*The Bills traded their first- and third-round selections (22nd and 65th overall) to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for Baltimore's first- and fifth-round selections (16th and 154th overall)
*The Bills traded their first- and fifth-round selections (21st and 158th overall) and offensive tackle
Cordy Glenn to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for Cincinnati's first- and sixth-round selections (12th and 187th overall).
*The Bills traded their first-round selection in 2017 (10th overall) to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for Kansas City's first-round selection (22nd overall) as well as their first- and third-round selections in 2017 (27th and 91st overall).
*The Bills traded their sixth-round selection (195th overall) and wide receiver
Sammy Watkins
Samuel Benjamin Watkins IV (born June 14, 1993) is an American football wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills fourth overall in ...
to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for the Rams' second-round selection (56th overall) and cornerback
E.J. Gaines.
*The Bills traded quarterback
Tyrod Taylor
Tyrod Diallo Taylor (born August 3, 1989) is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Virginia Tech, leading the Hokies to the 2009 Orange Bowl as a Sophomore ...
to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Cleveland's third-round selection (65th).
*The Bills traded their third-round selection (85th overall), quarterback
Cardale Jones
Cardale Jones (; born September 29, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the Massachusetts Pirates of the Indoor Football League (IFL). He played college football at Ohio State. At the beginning of the 2014 season, Jones was listed as ...
and the seventh-round selection they acquired from the Los Angeles Chargers (234th overall) to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for wide receiver
Kelvin Benjamin.
*The Bills traded cornerback
Ronald Darby
Ronald Darby (born January 2, 1994) is an American football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2015 ...
to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for Philadelphia's third-round selection (96th overall) and wide receiver
Jordan Matthews
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan River ...
.
*The Bills traded defensive tackle
Marcell Dareus
Marcell Dareus (born March 13, 1990) is an American football defensive tackle who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills third overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. Dareus has also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college fo ...
to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a conditional sixth-round selection, which became a fifth-round selection (166th overall) after Dareus remained on Jacksonville's roster for the remainder of the 2017 season and the Jaguars made the playoffs.
*The Bills traded their seventh-round selection (239th overall) to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for linebacker
Lerentee McCray
Lerenteé Zavonne McCray (born August 26, 1990) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football at Florida. McCray was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He has also been a member of the Gre ...
.
Trades
Staff
Final roster
Preseason
The Bills' preseason opponents and schedule was announced on April 11, 2018. For the first time since 2001, the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
, who the Bills played in Week 15, were not included on the preseason schedule.
Regular season
Schedule
The Bills' 2018 schedule was announced on April 19, 2018.
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: at Baltimore Ravens
Played in heavy rain, the lopsided game saw a dominant performance from Ravens QB
Joe Flacco
Joseph Vincent Flacco (born January 16, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football, Delaware after transferring from Pi ...
, who completed 25 of 34 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns against the Bills defense before handing the reigns off to rookie
Lamar Jackson
Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (born January 7, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at University of Louisville, Louisville, where he won the Heisma ...
. Buffalo was unable to keep pace on offense, finishing without a first down until the third quarter. Bills QB
Nathan Peterman completed just 5/18 attempts for 24 yards and two interceptions, good for a
0.0 passer rating before being benched for rookie
Josh Allen in the third quarter. With a final score of 47–3 in favor of Baltimore, Buffalo suffered its worst season-opening loss ever and opened the 2018 season 0–1.
Week 2: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
QB Josh Allen made his first career start in place of Nathan Peterman.
This was also CB
Vontae Davis' last game in the NFL as he abruptly retired during halftime after 10 seasons. Veteran LB
Lorenzo Alexander called Davis' decision "disrespectful" and that he had "never seen it, ever." Star RB
LeSean McCoy left the game after suffering a strained rib muscle early in the second half.
Week 3: at Minnesota Vikings
In Josh Allen's second NFL start, he went 15/22 for 196 yards and a TD, earning him a 111.2 passer rating. He also added 39 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. The defense also sacked Vikings QB
Kirk Cousins four times and intercepted him once. The Bills won this game despite being 16.5-point betting underdogs.
Week 4: at Green Bay Packers
Despite holding the
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers began his college football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to t ...
-led Packers offense to just 22 points and forcing two turnovers, which included a
Jordan Poyer interception, the Bills were unable to garner any points. With the team's first shutout loss since
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, Buffalo fell to 1–3.
Week 5: vs. Tennessee Titans
With RB LeSean McCoy back to full health, the Bills maintained a run-heavy offensive game plan. QB Josh Allen scored his third rushing touchdown of the season and the Bills held the Titans offense, led by QB
Marcus Mariota
Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota (born October 30, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted second overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL Draft. Mariota p ...
, in check in a defensive battle, aided by a
Taron Johnson
Taron Johnson (born July 27, 1996) is an American football cornerback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Weber State. He played high school football at Sheldon High School in Sacramento, ...
interception
In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...
in the second quarter. The Bills maintained the lead throughout the game until the fourth quarter, but sealed the win with a 46-yard
Steven Hauschka
Stephen Theodore Hauschka (born June 29, 1985) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Middlebury College and North Carolina State.
Hau ...
FG as time expired, improving the Bills to 2–3 on the season.
Week 6: at Houston Texans
The Bills defense only allowed 216 yards from the Texans offense, sacking QB
Deshaun Watson seven times and forcing three turnovers, but an inept performance by
special teams
In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...
gave the Texans good field position in the first half as Houston jumped to a 10-0 halftime lead. After leading the Bills to a field goal and moving the offense back into Texans territory a few drives later, Josh Allen was injured by a late hit from Texans LB
Whitney Mercilus
Whitney Mercilus (born July 21, 1990) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the Houston Texans. He played college football at Illinois, where he received unanimous ...
and was replaced by Nathan Peterman, who put the Bills in the lead with a touchdown pass to WR
Zay Jones. However, after Houston tied the game at 13-13 late in the fourth quarter, Peterman threw two interceptions, including a pick-six to Texans CB
Johnathan Joseph, which sealed the loss for Buffalo, dropping the team to 2–4.
Week 7: at Indianapolis Colts
After Allen's injury in the previous game against the Texans and Peterman's poor performance in his relief, recently signed third-stringer
Derek Anderson was named the starter on October 17, 2018. Sadly, not even Anderson could help the Bills, who suffered their worst loss since Week 1, as they were on the wrong end of a final score of 37–5, dropping to 2–5. This was the first NFL game to ever end in the score of 37–5.
Week 8: vs. New England Patriots
In the first
Monday Night Football
''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, ...
game hosted by Buffalo since losing to the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conferenc ...
, the Bills defense held up again, holding QB
Tom Brady out of the end zone and limiting the Patriots to three
Stephen Gostkowski field goals in the first half, but a late rushing touchdown by Patriots RB
James White and a subsequent pick-six by CB
Devin McCourty
Devin McCourty (born August 13, 1987) is an American football safety for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Rutgers and was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2010 NFL Dra ...
sealed yet another Patriots win over the Bills, with McCourty's interception occurring immediately after an overturned touchdown pass from Derek Anderson to Bills TE
Jason Croom. The Bills retired RB
Thurman Thomas
Thurman Lee Thomas (born May 16, 1966) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He was selected by the Bills in the second round of th ...
' No. 34 jersey during halftime, with longtime ESPN host
Chris Berman delivering the introductory speech.
Week 9: vs. Chicago Bears
After Derek Anderson suffered a concussion in the previous game, Nathan Peterman made the start with the team with Josh Allen still out. The Bills continued their losing skid to four games with the 41–9 loss and fell to 2–7, matching their loss total from all of 2017.
Week 10: at New York Jets
Recently signed quarterback
Matt Barkley was named the starter against the New York Jets. The Bills snapped their four-game losing streak, dominating the Jets 41–10. Barkley's efficient performance in the win, coupled with the improving health of Josh Allen, led to the release of Nathan Peterman the following evening.
Week 12: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
In a rematch of the 2017 wild-card game with the
Jacksonville Jaguars, the Bills attained an early 14–0 lead, thanks to a rushing touchdown by newly signed WR/KR
Isaiah McKenzie and a 75-yard touchdown strike from Josh Allen to WR
Robert Foster. However, Jacksonville fought back with two rushing touchdowns from RB
Leonard Fournette in the second quarter. Jacksonville was in position to claim the lead in the third quarter following a 30-yard reception by WR
Donte Moncrief that put the Jaguars at the Bills 1-yard line, but a brawl that led to Fournette and Bills DE
Shaq Lawson getting ejected plus two penalties on the Jaguars and defensive stops by the Bills forced the Jaguars to settle for a field goal attempt by
Josh Lambo, who promptly missed. The Bills then reclaimed the lead the following drive with a 14-yard touchdown run by Allen, then iced the game with a
Jordan Poyer interception of QB
Blake Bortles and subsequent
Stephen Hauschka
Stephen Theodore Hauschka (born June 29, 1985) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Middlebury College and North Carolina State.
Hau ...
field goal, which was too much for Jacksonville to overcome despite scoring a touchdown afterwards. With the win, the Bills improved to 4–7.
Week 13: at Miami Dolphins
Buffalo outgained Miami in terms of total offense, with 415 yards compared to just 175, but their struggles on special teams and penalties gave the Dolphins short fields and allowed QB
Ryan Tannehill
Ryan Timothy Tannehill III (born July 27, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M, where he was a wide receiver until his junior year, an ...
to pass for three touchdowns, including the eventual 13-yard game winner to WR
Kenny Stills. The game came down to the final moments, when Josh Allen, who compiled 366 total yards on the day, attempted a fourth down pass to TE
Charles Clay, who dropped it just outside the end zone. The failed conversion sealed the loss for the Bills as the team fell to 4–8.
Week 14: vs. New York Jets
A late touchdown by Jets
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Th ...
Elijah McGuire
Elijah Lamont McGuire Jr. (born June 1, 1994) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Early years
McGuire attended and played high school football for Van ...
proved to be the game-winning score with just over a minute left. With the loss, the Bills fell to 4–9 and were eliminated from playoff contention. Linebacker
Matt Milano suffered a broken
fibula
The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity ...
late in the game, ending his season.
Week 15: vs. Detroit Lions
With running backs LeSean McCoy and
Chris Ivory both injured, the Bills relied offensively on Josh Allen and backup halfbacks
Marcus Murphy and
Keith Ford
Keith Ford (born April 18, 1994) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at Oklahoma and Texas A&M. He was originally signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2018, and was also a me ...
, who both left the game at some point with their own injuries. Allen passed for 204 yards and a touchdown, adding a rushing score on 16 yards on the ground, as the Bills defense stifled the Lions offense throughout the game except the second quarter. Lions kicker
Matt Prater missed a field goal and was unable to kick an extra point earlier due to a botched snap, allowing the Bills to win 14–13.
Week 16: at New England Patriots
Allen's first game against the New England Patriots did not fare well for the Bills, as the Patriots won the game 24–12 to clinch the AFC East. In addition, the Bills' special teams unit struggled again. However, the defense was able to limit Tom Brady to just 126 passing yards, one touchdown with two interceptions, but also gave up a massive 273 rushing yards on 47 carries as they were torched by the Patriots rushing offense in the ugly loss.
Week 17: vs. Miami Dolphins
Similar to the previous year's season finale, a fight broke out between the Bills and Dolphins in the second half. After Dolphins linebacker and former Bill
Kiko Alonso
Kristian "Kiko" Alonso (born August 14, 1990) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
After a stellar rookie season with the Bills, Alonso missed his second season ...
collided with Josh Allen, Alonso, along with Dolphins DE
Robert Quinn and Bills lineman
Jordan Mills, were ejected following the scuffle. Despite a close first half, the Bills won 42–17 to finish the 2018 season at 6–10. This was also the final NFL game for longtime defensive tackle
Kyle Williams, as he announced his intention to retire after the season's conclusion.
Standings
Division
Conference
References
External links
*
{{2018 NFL season by team
Buffalo
Buffalo Bills seasons
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...