The 2016 season was the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

' 47th in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL), their 57th overall, their fourth under general manager

Doug Whaley Douglass G. Whaley (born December 16, 1972) is an American professional football executive and former collegiate player. He is the current senior vice president of player personnel for the XFL and from 2013 to 2017 was the general manager of t ...

and their second under

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

Rex Ryan Rex Ashley Ryan (born December 13, 1962) is an American former football coach and analyst. Ryan was formerly the head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL), and also held various coaching positions w ...

. The Bills hoped to improve on their 8–8 record from

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, the team's first since

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, but a 34–31 overtime loss to the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

in Week 16 eliminated the Bills from playoff contention for a 17th season in a row, extending the longest active drought among all four North American major professional sports leagues. It would be Ryan's final season as head coach of the team, as he and his brother, assistant head coach Rob, were fired with one game remaining in the regular season.

Offseason

Roster changes

Signings

Free agents lost

Cuts

Retirements

Draft

Pre-Draft

Prior to the draft, the Bills held visits for 47 players; 8 had previous visits, 23 players visited during the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

, 2 at the

East–West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

, 19 had private visits, and 3 had private workouts. Previously, the Bills traded their 2016 seventh-round selection ( 240th overall) and their

fifth-round selection ( 137th overall) to the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

in exchange for

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Matt Cassel Matthew Brennan Cassel (born May 17, 1982) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He was a member of seven NFL teams, most notably the New England Patriots and Ka ...

and the Vikings' 2015 sixth-round selection ( 188th overall).

Day-of Activity

The Bills traded their 2016 second-round pick ( 49th overall) and fourth-round pick ( 117th overall) to the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

in return for Chicago's 2016 second-round pick ( 41st overall).

Undrafted free agents

All

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

s were signed after the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

concluded on April 30 unless otherwise noted.

Staff

On January 10, 2016, one week after the 2015 season ended,

signed a three-year contract extension to remain the Bills general manager. That same day, it was announced that Ryan had hired his twin brother, Rob, to the Bills coaching staff to serve as an assistant head coach and work with the defense. Three days later, Ryan hired former NFL standout

Ed Reed Edward Earl Reed Jr. (born September 11, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL), spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college footbal ...

to be an assistant

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

s coach. On January 20, 2016, the Bills promoted Kathryn Smith to special teams quality control coach, making her the first female full-time coach in NFL history. On September 16, 2016, less than 24 hours after losing 37–31 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

in their home opener in a game in which the defense failed to stop Jets running back

Matt Forte Matthew Garrett Forte (born December 10, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tulane Green Wave and was drafted ...

, instead of firing defensive coordinator

Dennis Thurman Dennis Lee Thurman (born April 13, 1956) is an American football coach and former player who currently serves as the defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach for Hawaii. He is a former coach in the National Football League (NFL) for the Phoen ...

, Ryan pretty much sealed his own fate by firing offensive coordinator

Greg Roman Gregory P. Roman (born August 19, 1972) is an American professional football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). Previously, he was the offensive coordinator of the Baltim ...

and promoting running backs coach

Anthony Lynn Anthony Ray Lynn (born December 21, 1968) is an American professional football coach and former running back who is the run game coordinator and running backs coach for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played ...

to the position. Lynn would later be promoted to interim head coach on December 27, 2016, when the Ryan brothers were fired after the 34–31 overtime loss to the Dolphins eliminated the team from the playoffs.

Staff

Final roster

Schedule

Preseason

Regular season

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Baltimore Ravens

Week 2: vs. New York Jets

The Bills saw the return of their red Color Rush uniforms from 2015 in this game. With the loss, not only did the Bills drop to 0–2, but head coach

fired offensive coordinator

, promoting running backs coach

to offensive coordinator the next day. They also lost wide receiver

Greg Salas Greg Salas (born August 25, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL draft. He played col ...

for the season to a groin injury and lost wide receiver

Sammy Watkins Sammy Watkins (born June 14, 1993) is a former American professional football wide receiver. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, twice earning first-team All-American honors. Watkins was selected by the Buffalo Bills fourth overal ...

for several weeks to a foot injury.

Week 3: vs. Arizona Cardinals

With the win, the Bills improved to 1–2 in Lynn's first game as offensive coordinator.

Week 4: at New England Patriots

With the win, not only did the Bills improve to 2–2, but Ryan got his first career regular season victory at

Gillette Stadium Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States. The stadium is southwest of Downtown Boston and 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and admi ...

(he was 0–7 as head coach entering the game, including six straight losses as

head coach).

Week 5: at Los Angeles Rams

With the win, the Bills improve to 3–2 and their first three-game winning streak since 2011 (the team started that season 3–0).

Week 6: vs. San Francisco 49ers

With the win, the Bills improve to 4–2 and their first four-game winning streak since 2008 (the team started that season 4–0 in

Dick Jauron Richard Manual Jauron (; October 7, 1950February 8, 2025) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played eight seasons in the NFL as a safety, five with the Detroit Lions and three with t ...

's last full season as head coach).

Week 7: at Miami Dolphins

The Bills led 17–14 by the start of the fourth quarter, but the Dolphins came back to win 28–25, causing the Bills to drop to 4–3.

Week 8: vs. New England Patriots

Week 9: at Seattle Seahawks

With the loss, not only did the Bills drop to 4–5, but they also lost center

Eric Wood Eric Wood (born March 18, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a center for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals and was selected in the ...

for the season.

Week 11: at Cincinnati Bengals

With the win, the Bills improved to 5–5, but running back

LeSean McCoy LeSean Kamel McCoy (born July 12, 1988), nicknamed "Shady", is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers and was selecte ...

, wide receiver Robert Woods and safety Robert Blanton left the game with injuries.

Week 12: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

With the win, the Bills improved to 6–5, but defensive tackle Corbin Bryant and wide receiver

Walt Powell Walter Lee Powell (born November 23, 1991) is a former American football wide receiver and return specialist. He played college football at Murray State. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL draft. After re ...

had to miss the rest of the season.

Week 13: at Oakland Raiders

With the loss, the Bills dropped to 6–6.

Week 14: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 15: vs. Cleveland Browns

With the win, the Bills improved to 7–7 and keep their slim playoff chances alive. The team set a new franchise record for rushing touchdowns in a season (27) with

's second rushing score of the game. This was also the 400th regular-season win in franchise history.

Week 16: vs. Miami Dolphins

After the Bills took the lead with a touchdown inside the two-minute warning at the end of the fourth quarter, the Dolphins took the game to overtime with a 55-yard field goal with six seconds on the clock. They then secured the win with 47 seconds left in the extra period with another field goal from 27 yards. The loss for the Bills meant they were eliminated from playoff contention for the 17th consecutive season. Two days later, the Bills fired head coach

and assistant head coach

Rob Ryan Robert Allen Ryan (born December 13, 1962) is an American football coach who is currently an assistant head coach for the USC Trojans. Ryan has served as a defensive coordinator or assistant coach for nine different NFL teams. He was the lineb ...

Week 17: at New York Jets

Anthony Lynn served as interim head coach, and

EJ Manuel Erik Rodriguez "EJ" Manuel Jr. (born March 19, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, leading them to an A ...

made his first start of the season, though he was benched in the 4th quarter as

Cardale Jones Cardale Jones (; born September 29, 1992) is an American former professional football quarterback. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he was a CFP national champion, and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth ...

took over. With the loss, Buffalo ended the season 7–9. This game included a notable flaw on Bills' special teams during a botched kickoff play. Jets' kicker Nick Folk made the ball bounce inside the field, over the heads of Bills' special teamers and into the endzone, only to see the surrounding Bills' players miscommunicate and fail to secure the live ball; Jets' specialist Doug Middleton then fell on the ball inside the endzone, giving New York their last touchdown of the game.

Standings

Division

Conference

References

External links

* {{2016 NFL season by team

Buffalo Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...

Buffalo Bills seasons