# 2016 Buffalo Bills season

The 2016 season was the Buffalo Bills' 47th in the National Football League (NFL), their 57th overall, their fourth under general manager Doug Whaley and their second under head coach Rex Ryan. The Bills hoped to improve on their 8–8 record from 2015, the team's first since 2002, but a 34–31 overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins 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

| Position | Player | 2015 Team | Date signed | Notes |
| RB | Mike Gillislee | Buffalo Bills | January 4, 2016 | 1-year extension/$600,000 |
| RB | James Wilder, Jr. | Cincinnati Bengals | January 20, 2016 | 1 year/$525,000 (Reserve/Future) |
| RB | Reggie Bush | San Francisco 49ers | August 1, 2016 | 1 year/$3 million |
| TE | Jim Dray | Cleveland Browns | March 16, 2016 | 1 year/$760,000 |
| WR | Greg Salas | Buffalo Bills | January 4, 2016 | 1-year extension/$600,000 |
| WR | Leonard Hankerson | Buffalo Bills | April 4, 2016 | 1 year/$840,000 |
| WR | Kain Colter | Minnesota Vikings | August 1, 2016 | 1 year/$450,000 |
| OG | Richie Incognito | Buffalo Bills | March 8, 2016 | 3-year extension/$15.75 million |
| OG | Fernando Velasco | Carolina Panthers | April 7, 2016 | 1 year/$965,000 |
| OT | Jordan Mills | Buffalo Bills | March 30, 2016 | 1 year tender/$1.67 million |
| OT | Chris Martin | Miami Dolphins | June 13, 2016 | 1 year/$525,000 |
| OT | Cordy Glenn | Buffalo Bills | May 3, 2016 | 5-year extension/$65 million |
| OT | Justin Renfrow | San Francisco 49ers | June 17, 2016 | 1 year/$450,000 |
| DT | Corbin Bryant | Buffalo Bills | March 7, 2016 | 1 year tender/$1.67 million |
| DT | Casey Walker | Dallas Cowboys | July 30, 2016 | 1 year/$525,000 |
| LB | Zach Brown | Tennessee Titans | April 4, 2016 | 1 year/$1.25 million |
| LB | Lorenzo Alexander | Oakland Raiders | April 13, 2016 | 1 year/$885,000 |
| CB | Mario Butler | Buffalo Bills | January 4, 2016 | 1-year extension/$600,000 |
| CB/KR | Javier Arenas | New York Jets | February 3, 2016 | 1 year/$600,000 (Reserve/Future) |
| CB | Corey White | Arizona Cardinals | April 4, 2016 | 1 year/$840,000 |
| CB | Sterling Moore | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | April 5, 2016 | 1 year/$840,000 |
| SS | Robert Blanton | Minnesota Vikings | March 18, 2016 | 1 year/$840,000 |
| SS | Colt Anderson | Indianapolis Colts | April 13, 2016 | 1 year/$840,000 |
| P | Colton Schmidt | Buffalo Bills | January 4, 2016 | 1-year extension/$600,000 |
| WR | Percy Harvin | Buffalo Bills | November 1, 2016 | |

#### Free agents lost

| Position | Player | 2016 Team | Date signed | Notes |
| WR | Chris Hogan | New England Patriots | March 11, 2016 | 3 years/$12 million |
| DT | Stefan Charles | Detroit Lions | March 10, 2016 | 1 year/$1.75 million |
| LB | Nigel Bradham | Philadelphia Eagles | March 9, 2016 | 2 years/$7 million |
| CB | Ron Brooks | Philadelphia Eagles | March 9, 2016 | 3 years/$5.5 million |
| CB | Leodis McKelvin | Philadelphia Eagles | March 10, 2016 | 3 years/$9 million |

#### Cuts

| Position | Player | Date |
| RB | Boobie Dixon | March 1, 2016 |
| WR | Davonte Allen | August 1, 2016 |
| TE | MarQueis Gray | March 1, 2016 |
| TE | Jacob Maxwell | April 29, 2016 |
| T | Tyson Chandler | April 15, 2016 |
| T | Keith Lumpkin | June 13, 2016 |
| G | Kraig Urbik | March 1, 2016 |
| C | Ronald Patrick | May 2, 2016 |
| DE | Mario Williams | March 1, 2016 |
| DE | Cedric Reed | July 30, 2016 |
| DE | Claudell Louis | June 13, 2016 |
| DE | Jarius Wynn | May 2, 2016 |
| LB | Tony Steward | April 19, 2016 |
| CB | Leodis McKelvin | March 4, 2016 |
| CB | Cam Thomas | April 18, 2016 |
| CB | Julian Whigham | June 9, 2016 |
| CB | Merrill Noel | May 2, 2016 |
| S | Phillip Thomas | June 17, 2016 |
| K | Marshall Morgan | August 1, 2016 |

#### Retirements

| Position | Player | Date |
| LB | A.J. Tarpley | April 6, 2016 |

### 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, 2 at the East–West Shrine Game, 19 had private visits, and 3 had private workouts.
Previously, the Bills traded their 2016 seventh-round selection (240th overall) and their 2015 fifth-round selection (137th overall) to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for quarterback Matt Cassel and the Vikings' 2015 sixth-round selection (188th overall).

#### Day-of Activity

2016 Buffalo Bills draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 19 | Shaq Lawson | DE | Clemson | |
| 2 | 41 | Reggie Ragland | LB | Alabama | Pick from CHI |
| 3 | 80 | Adolphus Washington | DE | Ohio State | |
| 4 | 139 | Cardale Jones | QB | Ohio St | Compensatory |
| 5 | 156 | Jonathan Williams | RB | Arkansas | |
| 6 | 192 | Kolby Listenbee | WR | TCU | |
| 6 | 218 | Kevon Seymour | CB | USC | Compensatory |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||
The Bills traded their 2016 second-round pick (49th overall) and fourth-round pick (117th overall) to the Chicago Bears in return for Chicago's 2016 second-round pick (41st overall).

### Undrafted free agents

All undrafted free agents were signed after the 2016 NFL draft concluded on April 30 unless otherwise noted.
| Position | Player | College | Notes |
| QB | Joe Licata | Buffalo | Tryout basis. Signed with Cincinnati Bengals before training camp. |
| FB | Glenn Gronkowski | Kansas State | Brother of Chris, Dan and Rob Gronkowski. Signed with New England Patriots after training camp to reunite with his brother Rob. |
| WR | Davonte Allen | Marshall | |
| WR | Garry Chambers | Arizona State | |
| OT | Keith Lumpkin | Rutgers | |
| OG | Jamison Lalk | Iowa State | |
| OG | Marquis Lucas | WVU | |
| C | Robert Kuglar | Purdue | |
| DT | Justin Zimmer | Ferris | |
| DE | Bryson Albright | Miami | |
| LB | Eric Striker | Oklahoma | |
| CB | Julian Whigham | Syracuse | |
| LS | Reid Ferguson | LSU | |
| K | Marshall Morgan | Georgia | |

### Staff

On January 10, 2016, one week after the 2015 season ended, Doug Whaley 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 to be an assistant defensive backs 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 in their home opener in a game in which the defense failed to stop Jets running back Matt Forte, instead of firing defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman, Ryan pretty much sealed his own fate by firing offensive coordinator Greg Roman and promoting running backs coach Anthony Lynn 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.

## Schedule
### Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | August 13 | Indianapolis Colts | L 18–19 | 0–1 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | August 20 | New York Giants | W 21–0 | 1–1 | New Era Field | Recap |
| 3 | August 26 | at Washington Redskins | L 16–21 | 1–2 | FedExField | Recap |
| 4 | September 1 | at Detroit Lions | L 0–31 | 1–3 | Ford Field | Recap |

### Regular season

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | September 11 | at Baltimore Ravens | L 7–13 | 0–1 | M&T Bank Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 15 | New York Jets | L 31–37 | 0–2 | New Era Field | Recap |
| 3 | September 25 | Arizona Cardinals | W 33–18 | 1–2 | New Era Field | Recap |
| 4 | October 2 | at New England Patriots | W 16–0 | 2–2 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | October 9 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 30–19 | 3–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Recap |
| 6 | October 16 | San Francisco 49ers | W 45–16 | 4–2 | New Era Field | Recap |
| 7 | October 23 | at Miami Dolphins | L 25–28 | 4–3 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | October 30 | New England Patriots | L 25–41 | 4–4 | New Era Field | Recap |
| 9 | November 7 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 25–31 | 4–5 | CenturyLink Field | Recap |
| 10 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 11 | November 20 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 16–12 | 5–5 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 27 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 28–21 | 6–5 | New Era Field | Recap |
| 13 | December 4 | at Oakland Raiders | L 24–38 | 6–6 | Oakland Alameda Coliseum | Recap |
| 14 | December 11 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 20–27 | 6–7 | New Era Field | Recap |
| 15 | December 18 | Cleveland Browns | W 33–13 | 7–7 | New Era Field | Recap |
| 16 | December 24 | Miami Dolphins | L 31–34 (OT) | 7–8 | New Era Field | Recap |
| 17 | January 1 | at New York Jets | L 10–30 | 7–9 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

## Game summaries
### Week 1: at Baltimore Ravens

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bills | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Ravens | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
* Date: September 11
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C), partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 71,104
* Referee: Brad Allen
* TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Solomon Wilcots
* Recap, Game book
Game information :
First quarter
BAL – Justin Tucker 50-yard field goal, 0:35. Ravens 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 4:47.
Second quarter
BAL – Mike Wallace 66-yard pass from Joe Flacco (Justin Tucker kick), 10:11. Ravens 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 85 yards, 2:48.
BUF – LeSean McCoy 1-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 3:02. Ravens 10–7. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 7:09.
Third quarter
No scoring plays
Fourth quarter
BAL – Justin Tucker 37-yard field goal, 5:39. Ravens 13–7. Drive: 13 plays, 59 yards, 5:59.
Top passers
BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 15/22, 111 yards
BAL – Joe Flacco – 23/34, 258 yards, TD
Top rushers
BUF – LeSean McCoy – 13 rushes, 58 yards, TD
BAL – Justin Forsett – 10 rushes, 41 yards
Top receivers
BUF – Sammy Watkins – 4 receptions, 43 yards
BAL – Mike Wallace – 3 receptions, 91 yards, TD :

### Week 2: vs. New York Jets

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jets | 6 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 37 |
| Bills | 7 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York
* Date: September 15
* Game time: 8:25 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 70,256
* Referee: Ed Hochuli
* TV announcers (CBS/NFLN/Twitter): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Tracy Wolfson
* Recap, Game book
Game information :
First quarter
NYJ – Nick Folk 28-yard field goal, 6:41. Jets 3–0. Drive: 15 plays, 65 yards, 8:19.
BUF – Marquise Goodwin 84-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (Dan Carpenter kick), 5:16. Bills 7–3. Drive: 3 plays, 82 yards, 1:25.
NYJ – Nick Folk 29-yard field goal, 0:00. Bills 7–6. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 5:16.
Second quarter
NYJ – Matt Forte 1-yard run (Nick Folk kick), 11:07. Jets 13–7. Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, 2:15.
NYJ – Eric Decker 5-yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Nick Folk kick), 3:53. Jets 20–7. Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 3:54.
BUF – Dan Carpenter 39-yard field goal, 0:05. Jets 20–10. Drive: 13 plays, 54 yards, 3:48.
Third quarter
BUF – Greg Salas 71-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (Dan Carpenter kick), 14:09. Jets 20–17. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:51.
BUF – Nickell Robey-Coleman 36-yard fumble return (Dan Carpenter kick), 11:15. Bills 24–20.
NYJ – Matt Forte 3-yard run (Nick Folk kick), 2:12. Jets 27–24. Drive: 12 plays, 84 yards, 6:27.
Fourth quarter
NYJ – Nick Folk 36-yard field goal, 10:40. Jets 30–24. Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 4:12.
NYJ – Matt Forte 12-yard run (Nick Folk kick), 4:02. Jets 37–24. Drive: 5 plays, 56 yards, 3:01.
BUF – Mike Gillislee 18-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (Dan Carpenter kick), 1:17. Jets 37–31. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 2:45.
Top passers
NYJ – Ryan Fitzpatrick – 24/34, 374 yards, TD
BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 18/30, 297 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
NYJ – Matt Forte – 30 rushes, 100 yards, 3 TD
BUF – LeSean McCoy – 15 rushes, 59 yards
Top receivers
NYJ – Eric Decker – 6 receptions, 126 yards, TD
BUF – Marquise Goodwin – 2 receptions, 112 yards, TD :
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 Rex Ryan fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman, promoting running backs coach Anthony Lynn to offensive coordinator the next day. They also lost wide receiver Greg Salas for the season to a groin injury and lost wide receiver Sammy Watkins for several weeks to a foot injury.

### Week 3: vs. Arizona Cardinals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 18 |
| Bills | 10 | 7 | 13 | 3 | 33 |
at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York
* Date: September 25
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 68,647
* Referee: Walt Anderson
* TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin
* Recap, Game book
Game information :
First quarter
BUF – Dan Carpenter 19-yard field goal, 3:29. Bills 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 3:51.
BUF – LeSean McCoy 24-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 0:55. Bills 10–0. Drive: 5 plays, 53 yards, 1:30.
Second quarter
BUF – LeSean McCoy 5-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 10:25. Bills 17–0. Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 2:51.
ARI – David Johnson 4-yard run (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 1:05. Bills 17–7. Drive: 17 plays, 84 yards, 9:20.
Third quarter
BUF – Tyrod Taylor 20-yard run (kick failed, wide right), 10:31. Bills 23–7. Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards, 2:49.
BUF – Aaron Williams 53-yard fumble return (Dan Carpenter kick), 2:25. Bills 30–7.
ARI – David Johnson 22-yard run (pass failed), 0:12. Bills 30–13. Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards, 2:13.
Fourth quarter
ARI – Chandler Catanzaro 60-yard field goal, 10:36. Bills 30–16. Drive: 5 plays, 4 yards, 2:19.
BUF – Dan Carpenter 45-yard field goal, 4:48. Bills 33–16. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 1:42.
ARI – LeSean McCoy tackled in the end zone by Corey Peters for a safety, 3:04. Bills 33–18.
Top passers
ARI – Carson Palmer – 26/50, 287 yards, 4 INT
BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 14/25, 119 yards, INT
Top rushers
ARI – David Johnson – 19 rushes, 83 yards, 2 TD
BUF – LeSean McCoy – 17 rushes, 110 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
ARI – John Brown – 6 receptions, 70 yards
BUF – Robert Woods – 6 receptions, 51 yards :
With the win, the Bills improved to 1–2 in Lynn's first game as offensive coordinator.

### Week 4: at New England Patriots

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bills | 7 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
| Patriots | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
* Date: October 2
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C), cloudy
* Game attendance: 66,829
* Referee: Pete Morelli
* TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
* Recap, Game book
Game information :
First quarter
BUF – LeSean McCoy 7-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (Dan Carpenter kick), 5:31. Bills 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 65 yards, 7:11.
Second quarter
BUF – Dan Carpenter 34-yard field goal, 14:49. Bills 10–0. Drive: 10 plays, 52 yards, 3:58.
BUF – Dan Carpenter 43-yard field goal, 7:46. Bills 13–0. Drive: 12 plays, 74 yards, 4:40.
Third quarter
BUF – Dan Carpenter 44-yard field goal, 0:28. Bills 16–0. Drive: 11 plays, 44 yards, 4:27.
Fourth quarter
No scoring plays
Top passers
BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 27/39, 246 yards, TD
NE – Jacoby Brissett – 17/27, 205 yards
Top rushers
BUF – LeSean McCoy – 19 rushes, 70 yards
NE – LeGarrette Blount – 13 rushes, 54 yards
Top receivers
BUF – Robert Woods – 7 receptions, 89 yards
NE – Martellus Bennett – 5 receptions, 109 yards :
With the win, not only did the Bills improve to 2–2, but Ryan got his first career regular season victory at Gillette Stadium (he was 0–7 as head coach entering the game, including six straight losses as New York Jets head coach).

### Week 5: at Los Angeles Rams

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bills | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 30 |
| Rams | 3 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 19 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
* Date: October 9
* Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT/1:25 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 91 °F (33 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 83,679
* Referee: Walt Coleman
* TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon and Scott Kaplan
* Recap, Game book
Game information :
First quarter
LA – Greg Zuerlein 37-yard field goal, 9:31. Rams 3–0. Drive: 12 plays, 60 yards, 5:29.
BUF – Justin Hunter 4-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (Dan Carpenter kick), 2:22. Bills 7–3. Drive: 12 plays, 76 yards, 7:09.
Second quarter
BUF – Mike Gillislee 5-yard run (kick blocked), 13:59. Bills 13–3. Drive: 2 plays, 63 yards, 1:01.
LA – Greg Zuerlein 32-yard field goal, 7:46. Bills 13–6. Drive: 5 plays, 52 yards, 2:33.
LA – Todd Gurley 1-yard run (Greg Zuerlein kick), 1:56. Tied 13–13. Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 4:39.
BUF – Dan Carpenter 23-yard field goal, 0:00. Bills 16–13. Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 1:56.
Third quarter
LA – Greg Zuerlein 54-yard field goal, 8:05. Tied 16–16. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, 5:13.
BUF – Nickell Robey-Coleman 41-yard interception return (Dan Carpenter kick), 3:54. Bills 23–16.
Fourth quarter
LA – Greg Zuerlein 22-yard field goal, 5:51. Bills 23–19. Drive: 13 plays, 89 yards, 8:16.
BUF – Marquise Goodwin 6-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (Dan Carpenter kick), 2:37. Bills 30–19. Drive: 3 plays, 25 yards, 1:04.
Top passers
BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 12/23, 124 yards, 2 TD
LA – Case Keenum – 21/31, 271 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
BUF – LeSean McCoy – 18 rushes, 150 yards
LA – Todd Gurley – 23 rushes, 72 yards, TD
Top receivers
BUF – Charles Clay – 5 receptions, 73 yards
LA – Kenny Britt – 5 receptions, 75 yards :
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

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| 49ers | 3 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
| Bills | 7 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 45 |
at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York
* Date: October 16
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), mostly cloudy
* Game attendance: 70,003
* Referee: Gene Steratore
* TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, David Diehl and Kristina Pink
* Recap, Game book
Game information :
First quarter
SF – Phil Dawson 33-yard field goal, 5:43. 49ers 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 13 yards, 3:53.
BUF – LeSean McCoy 4-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 0:14. Bills 7–3. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:29.
Second quarter
SF – Torrey Smith 53-yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Phil Dawson kick), 13:56. 49ers 10–7. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:18.
BUF – LeSean McCoy 12-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 10:18. Bills 14–10. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:38.
SF – Phil Dawson 48-yard field goal, 5:54. Bills 14–13. Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 4:24.
BUF – Dan Carpenter 40-yard field goal, 0:21. Bills 17–13. Drive: 14 plays, 53 yards, 5:33.
Third quarter
BUF – Justin Hunter 30-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (Dan Carpenter kick), 2:34. Bills 24–13. Drive: 4 plays, 60 yards, 1:55.
Fourth quarter
SF – Phil Dawson 47-yard field goal, 14:48. Bills 24–16. Drive: 8 plays, 46 yards, 2:46.
BUF – LeSean McCoy 18-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 10:53. Bills 31–16. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:55.
BUF – Robert Woods 5-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (Dan Carpenter kick), 10:32. Bills 38–16. Drive: 1 play, 27 yards, 0:11.
BUF – Mike Gillislee 44-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 5:40. Bills 45–16. Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 3:25.
Top passers
SF – Colin Kaepernick – 13/29, 187 yards, TD
BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 16/25, 179 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
SF – Colin Kaepernick – 8 rushes, 66 yards
BUF – LeSean McCoy – 19 rushes, 140 yards, 3 TD
Top receivers
SF – Torrey Smith – 3 receptions, 76 yards, TD
BUF – Charles Clay – 5 receptions, 52 yards :
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's last full season as head coach).

### Week 7: at Miami Dolphins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bills | 3 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 25 |
| Dolphins | 3 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 28 |
at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
* Date: October 23
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C), partly sunny
* Game attendance: 65,658
* Referee: Brad Allen
* TV announcers (CBS): Tom McCarthy, Adam Archuleta and Kevin Manuel
* Recap, Game book
Game information :
First quarter
MIA – Andrew Franks 36-yard field goal, 7:28. Dolphins 3–0. Drive: 15 plays, 64 yards, 7:32.
BUF – Dan Carpenter 29-yard field goal, 0:49. Tied 3–3. Drive: 6 plays, 20 yards, 1:59.
Second quarter
BUF – Tyrod Taylor 10-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 11:47. Bills 10–3. Drive: 7 plays, 40 yards, 2:50.
MIA – Andrew Franks 33-yard field goal, 3:47. Bills 10–6. Drive: 12 plays, 58 yards, 8:00.
Third quarter
BUF – Marquise Goodwin 67-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (Dan Carpenter kick), 5:51. Bills 17–6. Drive: 1 play, 67 yards, 0:09.
MIA – Jay Ajayi 4-yard run (Ryan Tannehill–Jarvis Landry pass), 0:18. Bills 17–14. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:33.
Fourth quarter
MIA – Damien Williams 12-yard run (Andrew Franks kick), 3:56. Dolphins 21–17. Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 3:49.
MIA – Kenny Stills 66-yard pass from Ryan Tannehill (Andrew Franks kick), 2:24. Dolphins 28–17. Drive: 3 plays, 70 yards, 1:03.
BUF – Reggie Bush 1-yard run (Tyrod Taylor–Reggie Bush pass), 0:14. Dolphins 28–25. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 2:10.
Top passers
BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 14/28, 221 yards, TD
MIA – Ryan Tannehill – 15/25, 204 yards, TD
Top rushers
BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 7 rushes, 35 yards, TD
MIA – Jay Ajayi – 28 rushes, 214 yards, TD
Top receivers
BUF – Marquise Goodwin – 4 receptions, 93 yards, TD
MIA – Kenny Stills – 5 receptions, 100 yards, TD :
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

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Patriots | 14 | 10 | 14 | 3 | 41 |
| Bills | 3 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 25 |
at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York
* Date: October 30
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C), rain
* Game attendance: 70,442
* Referee: John Parry
* TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
* Recap, Game book
Game information :
First quarter
BUF – Dan Carpenter 23-yard field goal, 11:07. Bills 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 3:55.
NE – Danny Amendola 9-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 4:35. Patriots 7–3. Drive 14 plays, 70 yards, 6:30.
NE – Chris Hogan 53-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 1:41. Patriots 14–3. Drive: 3 plays, 45 yards, 2:08.
Second quarter
BUF – Mike Gillislee 3-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 6:26. Patriots 14–10. Drive: 5 plays, 59 yards, 2:14.
NE – Rob Gronkowski 53-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 4:18. Patriots 21–10. Drive: 4 plays, 79 yards, 2:08.
NE – Stephen Gostkowski 51-yard field goal, 0:03. Patriots 24–10. Drive: 5 plays, 28 yards, 0:27.
Third quarter
NE – Julian Edelman 12-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 14:00. Patriots 31–10. Drive: 2 plays, 24 yards, 1:00.
BUF – Tyrod Taylor 26-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 7:57. Patriots 31–17. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:03.
NE – LeGarrette Blount 1-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 7:10. Patriots 38–17. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 4:52.
Fourth quarter
NE – Stephen Gostkowski 32-yard field goal, 7:10. Patriots 41–17. Drive: 13 plays, 76 yards, 4:52.
BUF – Jonathan Williams (EJ Manuel–Nick O'Leary pass), 0:33. Patriots 41–25. Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, 1:56.
Top passers
NE – Tom Brady – 22/33, 315 yards, 4 TD
BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 19/38, 183 yards
Top rushers
NE – LeGarrette Blount – 18 rushes, 43 yards, TD
BUF – Mike Gillislee – 12 rushes, 85 yards, TD
Top receivers
NE – Rob Gronkowski – 5 receptions, 109 yards, TD
BUF – Walt Powell – 3 receptions, 59 yards :

### Week 9: at Seattle Seahawks

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bills | 14 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 25 |
| Seahawks | 7 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 31 |
at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington
* Date: November 7
* Game time: 8:25 p.m. ET/5:25 p.m. PT
* Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), cloudy
* Game attendance: 69,084
* Referee: Walt Anderson
* TV announcers (ESPN): Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters
* Recap, Game book
Game information :
First quarter
BUF – Tyrod Taylor 3-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 13:32. Bills 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 3 yards, 0:04.
SEA – Russell Wilson 3-yard run (Steven Hauschka kick), 12:21. Tied 7–7. Drive: 3 plays, 58 yards, 1:11.
BUF – Justin Hunter 5-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (Dan Carpenter kick), 2:21. Bills 14–7. Drive: 17 plays, 75 yards, 10:00.
Second quarter
SEA – Jimmy Graham 17-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Steven Hauschka kick), 14:54. Tied 14–14. Drive: 5 plays, 65 yards, 2:27.
BUF – Dan Carpenter 31-yard field goal, 9:32. Bills 17–14. Drive: 12 plays, 62 yards, 5:22.
SEA – Christine Michael 3-yard run (Steven Hauschka kick), 4:29. Seahawks 21–17. Drive: 3 plays, 40 yards, 1:42.
SEA – Jimmy Graham 18-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Steven Hauschka kick), 1:00. Seahawks 28–17. Drive: 6 plays, 68 yards, 1:19.
Third quarter
No scoring plays
Fourth quarter
BUF – Mike Gillislee 1-yard run (Tyrod Taylor run), 14:26. Seahawks 28–25. Drive: 13 plays, 82 yards, 6:49.
SEA – Steven Hauschka 49-yard field goal, 9:49. Seahawks 31–25. Drive: 8 plays, 44 yards, 4:37.
Top passers
BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 27/38, 289 yards, TD, INT
SEA – Russell Wilson – 20/26, 282 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
BUF – LeSean McCoy – 21 rushes, 85 yards
SEA – Tyler Lockett – 1 rush, 13 yards
Top receivers
BUF – Robert Woods – 10 receptions, 162 yards
SEA – Jimmy Graham – 8 receptions, 103 yards, 2 TD :
With the loss, not only did the Bills drop to 4–5, but they also lost center Eric Wood for the season.

### Week 11: at Cincinnati Bengals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bills | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| Bengals | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
* Date: November 20
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. ET
* Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C), partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 61,356
* Referee: Terry McAulay
* TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Chris Spielman and Peter Schrager
* Recap, Game book
Game information :
First quarter
BUF – LeSean McCoy 7-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 8:52. Bills 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:23.
CIN – Andy Dalton 2-yard run (kick failed, hit right upright), 2:34. Bills 7–6. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:18.
Second quarter
BUF – Dan Carpenter 26-yard field goal, 9:03. Bills 10–6. Drive: 4 plays, −5 yards, 2:05.
CIN – Tyler Boyd 1-yard pass from Andy Dalton (kick failed, hit right upright), 3:10. Bengals 12–10. Drive: 13 plays, 66 yards, 5:53.
Third quarter
BUF – Dan Carpenter 54-yard field goal, 10:25. Bills 13–12. Drive: 8 plays, 32 yards, 4:35.
Fourth quarter
BUF – Dan Carpenter 20-yard field goal, 12:05. Bills 16–12. Drive: 15 plays, 88 yards, 8:12.
Top passers
BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 19/27, 166 yards, INT
CIN – Andy Dalton – 24/43, 207 yards, TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
BUF – Mike Gillislee – 14 rushes, 72 yards
CIN – Jeremy Hill – 16 rushes, 62 yards
Top receivers
BUF – Brandon Tate – 2 receptions, 48 yards
CIN – Tyler Boyd – 6 receptions, 54 yards, TD :
With the win, the Bills improved to 5–5, but running back LeSean McCoy, wide receiver Robert Woods and safety Robert Blanton left the game with injuries.

### Week 12: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Bills | 0 | 6 | 14 | 8 | 28 |
at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York
* Date: November 27
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. ET
* Game weather: 42 °F (6 °C), mostly cloudy
* Game attendance: 67,849
* Referee: Tony Corrente
* TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, Steve Beuerlein and Steve Tasker
* Recap, Game book
Game information :
First quarter
JAX – Chris Ivory 2-yard run (Jason Myers kick), 8:15. Jaguars 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 6:45.
Second quarter
BUF – LeSean McCoy 7-yard run (kick failed, wide left), 0:20. Jaguars 7–6. Drive: 5 plays, 22 yards, 1:04.
Third quarter
BUF – LeSean McCoy 75-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 14:47. Bills 7–13. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:13.
JAX – Marqise Lee 20-yard pass from Blake Bortles (Jason Myers kick), 9:26. Jaguars 14–13. Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 5:21.
BUF – Tyrod Taylor 7-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 3:00. Bills 20–14. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:34.
Fourth quarter
JAX – Allen Hurns 12-yard pass from Blake Bortles (Jason Myers kick), 14:52. Jaguars 21–20. Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 3:08.
BUF – Justin Hunter 16-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (LeSean McCoy run), 10:46. Bills 28–21. Drive: 8 plays, 76 yards, 4:06.
Top passers
JAX – Blake Bortles – 13/26, 126 yards, 2 TD
BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 12/18, 166 yards, TD
Top rushers
JAX – Blake Bortles – 8 rushes, 81 yards
BUF – LeSean McCoy – 19 rushes, 103 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
JAX – Marqise Lee – 3 receptions, 37 yards, TD
BUF – Sammy Watkins – 3 receptions, 80 yards :
With the win, the Bills improved to 6–5, but defensive tackle Corbin Bryant and wide receiver Walt Powell had to miss the rest of the season.

### Week 13: at Oakland Raiders

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bills | 3 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| Raiders | 3 | 6 | 14 | 15 | 38 |
at Oakland Alameda Coliseum, Oakland, California
* Date: December 4
* Game time: 4:05 p.m. ET/1:05 p.m. PT
* Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 54,759
* Referee: Bill Vinovich
* TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
* Recap, Game book
Game information :
First quarter
BUF – Dan Carpenter 27-yard field goal, 8:02. Bills 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 4:10.
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 47-yard field goal, 4:35. Tied 3–3. Drive: 8 plays, 46 yards, 3:27.
Second quarter
BUF – Mike Gillislee 1-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 13:28. Bills 10–3. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 6:07.
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 41-yard field goal, 2:56. Bills 10–6. Drive: 11 plays, 38 yards, 4:24.
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 47-yard field goal, 0:00. Bills 10–9. Drive: 5 plays, 57 yards, 0:30.
Third quarter
BUF – Tyrod Taylor 12-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 14:03. Bills 17–9. Drive: 2 plays, 66 yards, 0:57.
BUF – Mike Gillislee 2-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 9:01. Bills 24–9. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 4:10.
OAK – Michael Crabtree 3-yard pass from Derek Carr (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 5:17. Bills 24–16. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:44.
OAK – Latavius Murray 1-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 0:57. Bills 24–23. Drive: 5 plays, 38 yards, 3:03.
Fourth quarter
OAK – Amari Cooper 37-yard pass from Derek Carr (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 14:08. Raiders 30–24. Drive: 5 plays, 59 yards, 0:40.
OAK – Latavius Murray 1-yard run (Derek Carr–Seth Roberts pass), 8:34. Raiders 38–24. Drive: 4 plays, 16 yards, 2:11.
Top passers
BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 18/35, 191 yards, INT
OAK – Derek Carr – 19/35, 260 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
BUF – LeSean McCoy – 17 rushes, 130 yards
OAK – Latavius Murray – 20 rushes, 82 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
BUF – LeSean McCoy – 7 receptions, 61 yards
OAK – Michael Crabtree – 7 receptions, 74 yards, TD :
With the loss, the Bills dropped to 6–6.

### Week 14: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Steelers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 27 |
| Bills | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 20 |
at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York
* Date: December 11
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. ET
* Game weather: 27 °F (−3 °C), snow showers
* Game attendance: 69,657
* Referee: Pete Morelli
* TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Tracy Wolfson
* Recap, Game book
Game information :
First quarter
PIT – Le'Veon Bell 3-yard run (Chris Boswell kick), 6:00. Steelers 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 71 yards, 3:06.
Second quarter
PIT – Le'Veon Bell 7-yard run (Chris Boswell kick), 12:00. Steelers 14–0. Drive: 10 plays, 61 yards, 5:14.
BUF – Sammy Watkins 8-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (Dan Carpenter kick), 7:07. Steelers 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 7 yards, 1:27.
Third quarter
PIT – Le'Veon Bell 5-yard run (Chris Boswell kick), 5:28. Steelers 21–7. Drive: 10 plays, 82 yards, 6:33.
Fourth quarter
PIT – Chris Boswell 37-yard field goal, 9:57. Steelers 24–7. Drive: 6 plays, 29 yards, 3:34.
BUF – Charles Clay 40-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (kick failed, hit left upright), 7:27. Steelers 24–13. Drive: 5 plays, 82 yards, 2:30.
PIT – Chris Boswell 39-yard field goal, 3:38. Steelers 27–13. Drive: 9 plays, 54 yards, 3:49.
BUF – LeSean McCoy 3-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 1:25. Steelers 27–20. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:13.
Top passers
PIT – Ben Roethlisberger – 17/31, 220 yards, 3 INT
BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 15/25, 228 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
PIT – Le'Veon Bell – 38 rushes, 236 yards, 3 TD
BUF – Mike Gillislee – 2 rushes, 34 yards
Top receivers
PIT – Antonio Brown – 5 receptions, 78 yards
BUF – LeSean McCoy – 6 receptions, 81 yards :

### Week 15: vs. Cleveland Browns

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Browns | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 13 |
| Bills | 10 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 33 |
at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York
* Date: December 18
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. ET
* Game weather: 25 °F (−4 °C), cloudy
* Game attendance: 66,529
* Referee: Clete Blakeman
* TV announcers (CBS): Tom McCarthy and Adam Archuleta
* Recap, Game book
Game information :
First quarter
BUF – Dan Carpenter 21-yard field goal, 10:14. Bills 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 3:06.
CLE – Cody Parkey 35-yard field goal, 3:50. Tied 3–3. Drive: 12 plays, 63 yards, 6:24.
BUF – Mike Gillislee 3-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 0:00. Bills 10–3. Drive: 8 plays, 74 yards, 3:50.
Second quarter
BUF – Charles Clay 19-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (Dan Carpenter kick), 0:34. Bills 17–3. Drive: 13 plays, 91 yards, 7:29.
Third quarter
CLE – Robert Griffin III 18-yard run (Cody Parkey kick), 8:58. Bills 17–10. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:54.
BUF – LeSean McCoy 3-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 5:50. Bills 24–10. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:08.
CLE – Cody Parkey 40-yard field goal, 1:32. Bills 24–13. Drive: 8 plays, 45 yards, 4:18.
Fourth quarter
BUF – LeSean McCoy 8-yard run (kick failed, wide right), 12:38. Bills 30–13. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:54.
BUF – Dan Carpenter 34-yard field goal, 7:21. Bills 33–13. Drive: 7 plays, 34 yards, 4:00.
Top passers
CLE – Robert Griffin III – 17/28, 196 yards
BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 17/24, 174 yards, TD
Top rushers
CLE – Robert Griffin III – 8 rushes, 48 yards, TD
BUF – LeSean McCoy – 19 rushes, 153 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
CLE – Duke Johnson – 5 receptions, 62 yards
BUF – Charles Clay – 7 receptions, 72 yards, TD :
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 LeSean McCoy's second rushing score of the game. This was also the 400th regular-season win in franchise history.

### Week 16: vs. Miami Dolphins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Dolphins | 7 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 34 |
| Bills | 0 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 31 |
at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York
* Date: December 24
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. ET
* Game weather: 38 °F (3 °C), cloudy
* Game attendance: 64,690
* Referee: Craig Wrolstad
* TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie Erdahl
* Recap, Game book
Game information :
First quarter
MIA – Jay Ajayi 2-yard run (Andrew Franks kick), 6:24. Dolphins 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 4:13.
Second quarter
MIA – Kenyan Drake 45-yard run (Andrew Franks kick), 13:34. Dolphins 14–0. Drive: 4 plays, 64 yards, 1:55.
BUF – Sammy Watkins 38-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (Dan Carpenter kick), 5:06. Dolphins 14–7. Drive: 6 plays, 79 yards, 2:45.
Third quarter
MIA – DeVante Parker 56-yard pass from Matt Moore (Andrew Franks kick), 12:05. Dolphins 21–7. Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 2:55.
BUF – LeSean McCoy 19-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 6:46. Dolphins 21–14. Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 5:19.
MIA – Kenny Stills 6-yard pass from Matt Moore (Andrew Franks kick), 3:14. Dolphins 28–14. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:32.
BUF – Charles Clay 18-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (Dan Carpenter kick), 2:02. Dolphins 28–21. Drive: 4 plays, 78 yards, 2:02.
Fourth quarter
BUF – Dan Carpenter 28-yard field goal, 5:51. Dolphins 28–24. Drive: 10 plays, 89 yards, 4:24.
BUF – Charles Clay 7-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor (Dan Carpenter kick), 1:20. Bills 31–28. Drive: 10 plays, 89 yards, 2:40.
MIA – Andrew Franks 55-yard field goal, 0:06. Tied 31–31. Drive: 6 plays, 24 yards, 1:14.
Overtime
MIA – Andrew Franks 27-yard field goal, 0:47. Dolphins 34–31. Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 3:13.
Top passers
MIA – Matt Moore – 16/30, 233 yards, 2 TD, INT
BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 26/39, 329 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
MIA – Jay Ajayi – 32 rushes, 206 yards, TD
BUF – LeSean McCoy – 24 rushes, 128 yards, TD
Top receivers
MIA – DeVante Parker – 4 receptions, 85 yards, TD
BUF – Charles Clay – 8 receptions, 85 yards, 2 TD :
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 Rex Ryan and assistant head coach Rob Ryan.

### Week 17: at New York Jets

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bills | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Jets | 0 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: January 1, 2017
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. ET
* Game weather: 42 °F (6 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 78,160
* Referee: Jeff Triplette
* TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, Steve Beuerlein and Steve Tasker
* Recap, Game book
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays
Second quarter
NYJ – Bilal Powell 2-yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Nick Folk kick), 9:28. Jets 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 4:34.
BUF – Dan Carpenter 34-yard field goal, 1:45. Jets 7–3. Drive: 11 plays, 54 yards, 4:12.
NYJ – Nick Folk 30-yard field goal, 0:00. Jets 10–3. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards, 1:45.
Third quarter
NYJ – Jalin Marshall 6-yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Nick Folk kick), 4:03. Jets 17–3. Drive: 3 plays, 13 yards, 1:28.
NYJ – Nick Folk 36-yard field goal, 0:01. Jets 20–3. Drive: 5 plays, 14 yards, 2:35.
Fourth quarter
NYJ – Nick Folk 25-yard field goal, 3:21. Jets 23–3. Drive: 4 plays, −4 yards, 1:42.
NYJ – Doug Middleton kickoff recovery in the end zone (Nick Folk kick), 3:21. Jets 30–3. Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:00.
BUF – Mike Gillislee 1-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 0:39. Jets 30–10. Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 2:42.
Top passers
BUF – Cardale Jones – 6/11, 96 yards, INT
NYJ – Ryan Fitzpatrick – 20/30, 210 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
BUF – Mike Gillislee – 15 rushes, 40 yards, TD
NYJ – Bilal Powell – 22 rushes, 122 yards
Top receivers
BUF – Justin Hunter – 1 reception, 64 yards
NYJ – Quincy Enunwa – 5 receptions, 81 yards :
Anthony Lynn served as interim head coach, and EJ Manuel made his first start of the season, though he was benched in the 4th quarter as Cardale Jones 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

AFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(1)}$ New England Patriots | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 5–1 | 11–1 | 441 | 250 | W7 |
| $^{(6)}$ Miami Dolphins | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 363 | 380 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 399 | 378 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–4 | 4–8 | 275 | 409 | W1 |

### Conference

AFCvte :
| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
| Division leaders ||||||||||||
| 1 | New England Patriots | East | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 5–1 | 11–1 | .439 | .424 | W7 |
| 2 | Kansas City Chiefs | West | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 6–0 | 9–3 | .508 | .479 | W2 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers | North | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 5–1 | 9–3 | .494 | .423 | W7 |
| 4 | Houston Texans | South | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 7–5 | .502 | .427 | L1 |
| Wild Cards ||||||||||||
| 5 | Oakland Raiders | West | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 3–3 | 9–3 | .504 | .443 | L1 |
| 6 | Miami Dolphins | East | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .455 | .341 | L1 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason ||||||||||||
| 7 | Tennessee Titans | South | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .465 | .458 | W1 |
| 8 | Denver Broncos | West | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .549 | .455 | W1 |
| 9 | Baltimore Ravens | North | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .498 | .363 | L2 |
| 10 | Indianapolis Colts | South | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .492 | .406 | W1 |
| 11 | Buffalo Bills | East | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .482 | .339 | L2 |
| 12 | Cincinnati Bengals | North | 6 | 9 | 1 | .406 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .521 | .333 | W1 |
| 13 | New York Jets | East | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .518 | .313 | W1 |
| 14 | San Diego Chargers | West | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .543 | .513 | L5 |
| 15 | Jacksonville Jaguars | South | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 2–4 | 2–10 | .527 | .417 | L1 |
| 16 | Cleveland Browns | North | 1 | 15 | 0 | .063 | 0–6 | 1–11 | .549 | .313 | L1 |
| Tiebreakers ||||||||||||
| 1 2 Kansas City clinched the AFC West division over Oakland based on head-to-head sweep. 1 2 Houston clinched the AFC South division title over Tennessee based on record vs. division opponents. 1 2 Tennessee finished ahead of Denver based on head-to-head victory. 1 2 Baltimore finished ahead of Indianapolis based on record vs. conference opponents. 1 2 The New York Jets finished ahead of San Diego based record vs. common opponents — the Jets' cumulative record against Cleveland, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Miami was 1–4, while San Diego's cumulative record against the same four teams was 0–5. ↑ 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. ||||||||||||