# 2025 Buffalo Bills season
The 2025 [Buffalo Bills](https://www.edgepedia.org/buffalo-bills) season was the franchise's 66th season in the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league), in which the team finished 12-5, placed second in the [AFC East](https://www.edgepedia.org/afc-east) behind the New England Patriots, and reached the divisional round of the playoffs before losing 33-30 in overtime at Denver.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/2025.htm) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/17cfca2546dfd971c40d4a2da0b96484) The season ended a five-year run of AFC East titles (2020–2024) and, two days after the playoff loss, head coach Sean McDermott was fired.[2](https://apnews.com/article/17cfca2546dfd971c40d4a2da0b96484) • [9](https://espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47660266/source-bills-fire-coach-sean-mcdermott)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Regular-season record | 12-5, second of four in the AFC East (.706), behind New England[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/2025.htm) • [3](https://afceast.co/history/season/2025) |
| Points scored / allowed | 481 points for, 365 against, a net margin of +116[3](https://afceast.co/history/season/2025) |
| Playoff seed | Sixth seed in the AFC heading into the playoffs[4](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/the-bills-set-these-team-records-in-the-2025-regular-season) |
| Team record | Tied the franchise record with 13 consecutive regular-season games with a rushing touchdown[4](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/the-bills-set-these-team-records-in-the-2025-regular-season) |
| Playoffs | Won 27-24 at Jacksonville in the wild card round; lost 33-30 in overtime at Denver in the divisional round[5](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/game-over-the-bills-share-their-appreciation-for-regular-season-adversity-and-each-other-after-wild-card-win) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/17cfca2546dfd971c40d4a2da0b96484) |
| Aftermath | McDermott fired January 19, 2026 after a 98-50 regular-season record over nine seasons; general manager Brandon Beane promoted to president of football operations[2](https://apnews.com/article/17cfca2546dfd971c40d4a2da0b96484) |
## Regular season
Buffalo opened the season with a 41-40 home win over the [Baltimore Ravens](https://www.edgepedia.org/baltimore-ravens) on September 7, then won at the [New York Jets](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-jets) (30-10), beat Miami (31-21) and New Orleans (31-19) to start 4-0.[6](https://www.buffalobills.com/schedule/2025/) The first loss came in Week 5, 23-20 at home to New England, followed by a 24-14 defeat at Atlanta; after a Week 7 bye the Bills won 40-9 at Carolina.[6](https://www.buffalobills.com/schedule/2025/)
**Midseason swings.** The Bills beat Kansas City 28-21 at home in Week 9, then lost 30-13 at Miami in Week 10 and 23-19 at Houston on Thursday night in Week 12, leaving them with four losses by mid-November.[6](https://www.buffalobills.com/schedule/2025/) A late-season surge followed: wins over [Pittsburgh](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh) (26-7), [Cincinnati](https://www.edgepedia.org/cincinnati) (39-34), and a 35-31 road win at New England in Week 15 kept division hopes alive, but a 13-12 home loss to Philadelphia in Week 17 dropped Buffalo to 11-5 and out of contention for the division title.[6](https://www.buffalobills.com/schedule/2025/) Buffalo closed the regular season with a 35-8 win over the Jets on January 4, 2026, the final game themed as a farewell celebration at Highmark Stadium.[6](https://www.buffalobills.com/schedule/2025/)
The team set a franchise record by scoring a rushing touchdown in 13 consecutive regular-season games, the longest such streak in team history since 2016-17.[4](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/the-bills-set-these-team-records-in-the-2025-regular-season) Buffalo's offense produced 481 points across 17 games, an average of 28.3 per game, against 365 allowed.[3](https://afceast.co/history/season/2025) The defense finished ranked seventh in the NFL, though the unit had difficulty stopping the run.[2](https://apnews.com/article/17cfca2546dfd971c40d4a2da0b96484) The Bills faced a series of injuries during the regular season, and a "next man up" approach was credited in part for the 12-5 finish.[5](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/game-over-the-bills-share-their-appreciation-for-regular-season-adversity-and-each-other-after-wild-card-win)
## Playoffs
As the sixth seed, Buffalo traveled to Jacksonville for the wild card round on January 11 and won 27-24, the franchise's first road playoff win in 32 years and a result that snapped Jacksonville's eight-game winning streak.[7](https://www.buffalobills.com/schedule/2025/) • [5](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/game-over-the-bills-share-their-appreciation-for-regular-season-adversity-and-each-other-after-wild-card-win) It was also Buffalo's sixth consecutive season with at least one playoff win; the Associated Press noted that Buffalo had become the league's first team to win a playoff round in six consecutive years without reaching the [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl).[2](https://apnews.com/article/17cfca2546dfd971c40d4a2da0b96484)
In the divisional round on January 17, the Bills lost 33-30 in overtime at Denver, a defeat the team's owner later described as heart-wrenching.[7](https://www.buffalobills.com/schedule/2025/) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/17cfca2546dfd971c40d4a2da0b96484)
## Coaching change and aftermath
On January 19, 2026, two days after the Denver loss, owner [Terry Pegula](https://www.edgepedia.org/terry-pegula) fired [Sean McDermott](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-mcdermott) after nine seasons. McDermott left with a 98-50 regular-season record and an 8-8 postseason mark in eight playoff appearances, ranking second in franchise wins behind Hall of Fame coach [Marv Levy](https://www.edgepedia.org/marv-levy) (112-70).[2](https://apnews.com/article/17cfca2546dfd971c40d4a2da0b96484) General manager Brandon Beane was promoted to president of football operations and oversaw the subsequent coaching search.[2](https://apnews.com/article/17cfca2546dfd971c40d4a2da0b96484) The firing came despite a seventh straight playoff appearance and quarterback Josh Allen's franchise passing and scoring records and 2024 AP NFL MVP award.[2](https://apnews.com/article/17cfca2546dfd971c40d4a2da0b96484) • [8](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/buffalo-bills-clinch-a-spot-in-the-2025-nfl-playoffs)
The season was also the last played at Highmark Stadium; Buffalo opened a new $2.2 billion stadium in suburban Orchard Park in the summer of 2026, replacing the longtime home across the street.[9](https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/08/21/buffalo-bills-cleveland-browns-new-stadium-brook-park)
## References
1. [2025 Buffalo Bills Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/2025.htm)
2. [Bills fire coach Sean McDermott after 9 seasons of falling short of reaching the Super Bowl, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/17cfca2546dfd971c40d4a2da0b96484)
3. [AFC East 2025 Season: Standings & Champion, AFCEAST.CO](https://afceast.co/history/season/2025)
4. [The Bills set these team records in the 2025 regular season, buffalobills.com](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/the-bills-set-these-team-records-in-the-2025-regular-season)
5. ['Game over' | The Bills share their appreciation for regular season adversity and each other after Wild Card win, buffalobills.com](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/game-over-the-bills-share-their-appreciation-for-regular-season-adversity-and-each-other-after-wild-card-win)
6. [Bills Historical 2025 Schedule, buffalobills.com](https://www.buffalobills.com/schedule/2025/)
7. [Buffalo Bills clinch a spot in the 2025 NFL Playoffs, buffalobills.com](https://www.buffalobills.com/news/buffalo-bills-clinch-a-spot-in-the-2025-nfl-playoffs)
8. [Buffalo offers Browns fans a glimpse of their stadium future, Axios](https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/08/21/buffalo-bills-cleveland-browns-new-stadium-brook-park)
9. [Bills fire coach Sean McDermott after 9 seasons, no Super Bowls, ESPN](https://espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47660266/source-bills-fire-coach-sean-mcdermott)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › National Football League › NFL teams and franchises › NFL team seasons 2020 to present*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license