corta765

Rex 1000% ruined Gilmore in Buffalo in the sense his defense was a mess and caused that resentment

2015 Bills Defining Moments If the 2014 season was chaotic to the max the 2015 season literally picked it up from day 1. As a recap the defining moments series recaps look back at each season and go game by game with a small recap and moment which defined the game for one reason or another. The Bills entered 2015 feeling good about their team after their first winning season in 10 years. The good vibes literally lasted three days as on December 31st 2014 Doug Marrone opted out as the Bills head coach. This blindsided pretty much everyone as it was only within the few hours leading up to the actual announcement that it was learned Marrone had an opt out clause built into his contract. A coaching search commenced as candidates like Kyle Shanahan, Hue Jackson, and Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz all interviewed. In the end ex Jets head coach and rival Rex Ryan won the job and was officially brought in on January 12th 2015. Hopes were high that Rexs defensive mind mixed with the Bills talent would be sublime. Rex famously proclaimed the Bills were going to the playoffs which energized many Bills fans. The big question was how the offense would do and who the QB would be as former incumbent EJ Manuel had been benched the prior season. The first offensive addition added was Richie Incognito in February someone who fit the bully persona Rex wanted. Free agency was roster altering as the Bills acquired All Pro RB LeSean McCoy from the Eagles for Kiko Alonso, added talented WR/Kick Returner Percy Harvin, traded for QB Matt Cassel, splurged to sign TE Charles Clay out of Miami, and quietly a backup QB out of Baltimore named Tyrod Taylor. The preseason of 2015 was a frenzy with the QB battle raging, record attendance and stupidity at training camp from fans, season tickets sold out, and EJ Manuel successfully completing a pass to the hospitality tent at St John Fisher (it’s only reception to date). Fred Jackson was controversially cut. In the end Tyrod Taylor’s dual threat ability easily won out and the table was set for the most hyped Bills season in over two decades. For the record I will argue the Bills 2015 team was the most talented team they had of the drought and their most talented since the Kelly led teams until last years 2020 squad came and took the cake. Figure they had Pro Bowlers in McCoy, Kyle Williams, Mario Williams, Eric Wood, Richie Incognito, Harvin as a returner, future All Pro talent Gilmore, and a really talented WR Corp with Sammy Watkins coming off a nearly 1000 yd rookie year. If Taylor could just manage the offense the sky was pretty high you would’ve thought. Week 1: Indianapolis Colts, 27-14 win: In the most hyped up home opener since 2000 the Bills took on a Colts team that had Super Bowl hype as they made the AFC title the year before, had Andrew Luck, and had added all pros RB Frank Gore and WR Andre Johnson. Instead the Bills blew the doors off the hinges and coasted to a win with all facets performing well. Capsulating this game was Tyrod Taylor’s beautiful 51 yd TD to Percy Harvin in the rain who my a great catching laying out for the ball. At the end of the game fans were chanting “We Want Brady” as rival NE came to town the following week. Week 2: New England Patriots, 40-32 loss: ESPN was in town and the energy was bedlam as the Bills fans tried to break the stadium sound record. Unfortunately Tom Brady had an unreal game picking the Bills thought to be vaunted defense to pieces for 466 yds and 3 TDs. The Bills defense looked as disjointed as you’d ever seen to the point you could see players yelling at each other before the snap. The defining moment of this game was Julian Edlemans TD in the 3rd that saw Bills safety Aaron Williams injure his neck and get taken off in ambulance. Williams was never the same player and despite an attempt to comeback the next year, Jarvis Landry reaggrevated the injury on cheap shot effectively ending his career. Week 3: at Miami Dolphins, 41-14 win: Looking to reset after a bad loss to the Patriots the Bills absolutely throttled the Dolphins in their home opener. Pretty much anyone who touched the ball made a play including Bills LB Preston Williams who got a 41 yd INT return for a TD. But the defining moment was Bills rookie RB Karlos Williams busting out a 41 yard TD late in the fourth quarter. With LeSean McCoy coming back from a groin injury there was questions on how the Bills depth could handle his limited action early on and Williams answered it. Week 4: New York Giants, 24-10 loss: The Bills came in with hopes to jump out to a 3-1 start to gain early footing in the playoff race. In this loss a common theme emerged as whatever facet of the Bills team had been doing well faltered when they loss. After scoring over 30 ppg in the previous three games the Bills offense had a penalty and turnover driven game that gave them just 10 pts. Kyle Williams had an illegal formation penalty on a Giants FG that led to a TD thanks to a fresh set of downs, Charles Clay bobbled an INT to Giants LB Devon Kennard that set up another TD for the Giants, and in general the Bills took 17 penalties on the day. Non was more damaging though then a holding penalty on Keith Irbik which nullified a gorgeous TD run by Tyrod Taylor that would’ve got the Bills back to a 16-10 deficit late in the third quarter. Instead the Bills FG attempt was a miss and the Bills couldn’t close late on offense or defense falling to the Giants. Week 5: at Tennessee Titans, 14-13 win: If ever there was a game that defined Bills fans love hate relationship with Tyrod Taylor it was this game. Against a rebuilding Titans team starting Marcus Mariota the Bills offense was nonexistent to the point they didn’t even look enthused. But down 10-0 late in the 3rd Taylor rallied the Bills with play after play scoring on a 22 yard TD run. The Titans scored a FG and Taylor again went to work. The defining moment was on 3rd and 18 from the Bills 31 when Taylor ran for 24 yds and the 1st. He would’ve gone farther but he was caught and horse-collared by Titans LB Zach Brown. The Bills scored on a Tyrod TD to Chris Hogan, but the injury would take Tyrod out of the next two games. Buffalo won 14-13 thanks to a Stephon Gilmore INT and Buffalo was back above .500 . Week 6: Cincinnati Bengals, 34-21 loss: The Bills ran into an AFC leading Bengals team that was having their best season in decades. The Bills hung around with EJ Manuel at QB for the 1st half including a late touchdown to Sammy Watkins at the end of the half to make it 17-14. But Watkins was injured on the play aggregating a calf injury that was plaguing him. The defining moment though was a 42 yard pass to Marvin Jones despite the Bills double coverage and top CB Stephon Gilmore being there. It was clear at this point the defense was not the same and has issues with just 9 sacks through the first 5 games and none in this game. Week 7: at Jacksonville Jaguars but in London, 34-31 loss: Ah yes one the great drought losses which added another unique way to lose. The Jaguars weren’t very good and at 3-3 this has an early season must win type feel to the Bills if they wanted a decent playoff shot. Instead EJ Manuel’s London Bridge/Career fell at once as he spotted the Jags with three straight turnovers including a pick 6 AND a fumble 6 to put the Jags up 27-3 with 8:34 left in the 2nd quarter. To the Bills credit and EJs they rallied and got the score to 27-13 by half. The Bills defense helped in the second to give the Bills offense numerous chances as they got it to 27-25 Jacksonville with 6:41 left in the game on a Marcus Easily 58 yard TD. 4 plays later Bills DB Corey Graham intercepted Blake Bortles for a touchdown and the Bills actually had a 31-27 lead. Would this be an all time great comeback for the Bills? NOOO. Instead defining this game was one of the worst pass interference calls you ever saw. On 3rd and 17 the Jags were at their 47 and Bortles heaved desperation pass mid left to Jags WR Bryan Walters who tripped with Bills CB Nickel Roby Coleman and fell down. The officials threw a flag claiming Coleman interfered despite it clearly being Walters own fault. The Jags scored two plays later and the Bills couldn’t tie or win the game. Despite playoff type expectations heading into the season, the Bills entered their bye 3-4. Week 8 Bye Week. October 27th on social media Sammy Watkins decided to mouth off about the fans critical of him not playing injured and his lack of offensive targets. He later said it was just frustration and not directed at Bills fans but all fans. Didn’t matter relationship wasn’t the same with the fans and Watkins. Week 9: Miami Dolphins, 33-17 win: The bye week allowed the Bills big three of Tyrod, Sammy, and McCoy to heal as they all started in this game. In a more spirited contest then the first game the Bills offense still ran over the Dolphins for 266 yards (McCoy and Williams each had over 100yds) and three TDs. The defining moment though was the defensive line finally making as big play as Jerry Hughes strip sacked Ryan Tannehill at the Dolphins 42 yard line. The Bills scored a 44 yd TD from Tyrod to Watkins right after to go up 26-14 breaking the game open. Back at .500 the Bills had a showdown with Rexs old team the Jets on Thursday night for rights to the last playoff spot in the AFC. Week 10: at New York Jets Thursday Night Football, 22-17 win: In the first year of the NFL color rush experiment the NFL brilliantly had the Bills play in red unis and the Jets in Kelly green unis making colorblind people have a very difficult time watching the game. At the kickoff Rex famously had ex Jet and Geno Smith knockout artist IK Enemkpali go out for the coin toss. As for the game the Jets were a surprising 5-3 and in the last playoff spot, but a Bills win would put them in the final spot. Buffalo came out strong thanks to some key plays including a Duke Williams TD on a fumble recovery on a kickoff and Karlos Williams 26 yd TD catch and run early in the 3rd. Old friend Ryan Fitzpatrick brought the Jets back and closed it to 22-17 thanks to a 31 yd TD to Eric Decker. The key moment though while not flashy was Sammy Watkins first down on 3rd and two with 2:47 left. He burned Darrell Revis on a quick out pass on the catch which allowed the Bills to run out the clock. Week 11: at New England Patriots Monday Night Football, 20-13 loss: Concluding the Bills primetime schedule was a rematch with New England. Rex and Bills D had a much better night keeping Brady under 300 yds with just a TD and actually getting an INT. The problem was the offense kept misfiring. The game swung late in the 1st half with Buffalo driving with the game tied 3-3. In 3rd down at the Patriots 30 Tyrod Taylor threw a perfect deep pass left in the Patriots end zone that hit McCoy in his hands that he dropped. Instead of being up 10-3 Buffalo had to settle for a FG which Dan Carpenter missed. The Patriots roared down the field with 50 seconds left for TD and the Bills played catch up the rest of the game. Week 12: at Kansas City Chiefs, 30-22 loss: At 5-5 the Bills needed a win to stay firmly in the playoff race against a Chiefs team also in the playoff race. Instead the Bills blew an early 10-0 lead and the defense couldn’t stop a beach ball as they allowed the Chiefs to rush for over 6 yards a carry. If there was ever a time Bills fans and media bought into Sammy is being an elite WR it was around this time. Sammy had 6 rec for 158 yds and 2 TDs with his second TD putting the Bills up 16-7. In the prior two games he has been over 100 yds against the Phins and made a crucial catch against the Jets. The second problem in this game came in the second half when the Bills stopped targeting Watkins in the passing game because he was doubled covered. The Bills offense stalled as KC took the lead. The game swung for good when Alex Smith on 3rd and 6 hit Jeremy Maclin for 11 yds with 6:57 left. It allowed KC a much easier FG as it poured all game and the Chiefs to run the clock limiting the Bills to one final possession. Buffalo couldn’t tie the game and fell 30-22. Week 13: Houston Texans, 30-21 win: At 5-6 any playoff hopes needed a win. This game honestly was pretty non-discript as the Texans stayed in it thanks to Brian Hoyer and DeAndre Hopkins having a good game and the Bills kicking game having issues (Carpenter missed a FG and XP). The big moment came tied 21-21 late in the fourth when Tyrod Taylor found Charles Clay for a 40 yd TD in the middle of the Texans secondary for the game winning score. Week 14: at Philadelphia Eagles, 23-20 loss: At 6-6 the Bills had a look at the playoffs with 3 games against an NFC East division that was struggling bad. LeSean McCoy came home with revenge on his mind and the game was back and forth as Sam Bradford kept the Eagles ahead throughout. Robert Woods had a big game going over 100 yds in the game and Watkins had 81 yds and a TD. The problem for the Bills was finishing drives to get points. In the fourth quarter Leodis McKelvin had a great INT as the Eagles were in the Bills red zone. The Bills offense didn’t do anything with the ball and the Eagles broke through with the big play of the day on 3rd and 3 at midfield with Zach Ertz going for 41 yds on a short pick pass. The Eagles scored a FG by Caleb Sturgis to go up 23-20 and Tyrod threw a bad interception as the Bills tried to tie the game ending the Bills hopes. Week 15: at Washington Redskins, 35-25 loss: Basically out of the playoff picture the Bills looked like a team that had no interest in playing as Kirk Cousins threw for 4 TDs /319 yds including two TDs to Jordan Reed and one to DeSean Jackson who went off for 153 yds. The Bills defense struggled in pass coverage all over. The defining moment of the game was the Redskins drive after the Bills got it to 28-17 mid 3rd quarter to make a game for it. Washington drove right through the Bills defense on a 13 play 7:32 minute drive capped by a Pierre Garçon TD from Cousins. That TD was directly after two straight penalties by the Bills defense on LB Preston Brown and DT Stefan Charles. A year earlier the defense had delivered one of the best wins in a decade and a year later it was a trainwreck. Week 16: Dallas Cowboys, 16-6 win: Out of the playoffs and with LeSean McCoy out after a leg injury ended his season the prior week, Buffalo wasn’t playing for much as Dallas was also having an awful year. The highlight of the game was the fact the Bills ran for 236 yds and 2 TDs despite McCoy being out. Mike Gillislees 50 yd TD to ice the game late in 4th was really nice. Week 17: New York Jets, 22-17 win: If ever there was a true revenge game this was it. The Jets came in 10-5 and a win clinched the playoffs something Rex took pleasure in trying to stop. For a game that was meaningless for Buffalo, the team and stadium had a true energy throughout. The Bills got an early lead thanks to a Taylor TD run but the Jets paced the Bills throughout and heading into the 4th quarter a Fitzpatrick TD to Eric Decker for 21 yds closed it to 19-17 Buffalo. But then Fitz we’ll Fitz’d for the Jets. I wouldn’t say the defining moment was a singular INT, it was all three as Fitzpatrick couldn’t stop turning the ball over. Leodis McKelvins INT which was the first of the 4th quarter was the most timely as the Jets were at the Bills 14 and near the end zone. AJ Tarpley clinched the game with the last INT with 17 seconds left at midfield.

watching that game it really was stunning. Like sitting on the couch you literally said just run the ball…. And the Atlanta kept trying to pass. It was mind blowing to the max

I bought a Bacarri Rambo jersey when he came back in 2017 because he had a fun last name for a jersey and he had a few fun moments. I no longer own that jersey after the crimes he commited

2010 I believe was my first. I was covering the last decade

Thank you! So my uncle was a volunteer with Brighton Fire Dept in Buffalo well Tonawanda and he helped run a Sportsman raffle with food drinks prizes etc.. where you watch the game. Anyhoo yep same this happened as this was the game in 2014 for the event and the whole room (150 people) just went off about EJ. People still hoped maybe they could get it together and pull out the win but you could feel everyone was just like this guy aint it the moment it happened. The cool thing with a pass rush that good was you knew every passing down something cool could happen and minus the Patriots home game they basically made every game winnable. Its hard to sustain that yearly, but when you have it the results are amazing.

I 1000% agree. The defense was playoff caliber, the offense had enough pieces to be competent yet the QB and play calling held everything back. My understanding is Doug wanted to roll forward with Orton the next season so the team maybe gets to 10-6, but like you said who knows if they get Shady who was probably the most important player and reason the team made the playoffs in 2017 to end the drought. Personally I think Marrone probably would've broken the drought, but the team never ascends to where it is now because of his arrogance and inability to grow a QB. Sammie if you read his piece recently said he was too immature and I doubt any coach would've fixed him at that time, heck McBeane traded him because of that. I wouldn't say 2015-16 were low water marks as much as wasted potential. If you put the 2015 offense with the 2014 defense they are not only a playoff team but probably good enough to win a game or two. Everyone knew that which is why 2015 was so damn frustrating because the offense ended up being top 12 in points and 13th in yards which was more then enough for the 2014 defense which we all figured would be at that level... except Rex. Tyrod was the perfect QB for those defenses in 2013-14 and ironically when they finally got him that support evaporated. 2017 was the weakest talent on both sides of the ball during the five year period from 2013-2017, BUT is a true statement of what good coaching can do. I still think McD does not get enough credit league wide for what he did that season. Like you said it all worked out thankfully and to the teams credit they cut bait after 2016 when you could see Rex was a mistake.

Lol whoops. Marcus has now been properly added as the returner Honestly the GB game was the best game I've seen live. The energy and environment was unmatched that day. Yea Orton and the offense basically played not to lose in the 2nd half and it worked because the D/ST beat the crap out of the Packers. Oakland was soo disappointing because they scored a TD early and then just couldn't get out of their own way. After upsetting the Pack you hoped they would've been even more ready to go, but instead they almost let down. The injuries on the D line also exposed the defense wasn't as strong once the point of attack was minimized up front. I got two more seasons to go and then 2017 comes, hang in there

So it depends on the game but I use Wikipedia and it has a link for each game to the NFL score recap. That has literally every play and score on there. Additionally depending on the game I may watch the recap on YouTube which is 1-3 minutes. I enjoy it so it’s a fun activity. I do have a freakish memory for unimportant things so the Nelson drop against GB for instance I distinctly remember because I was there and you could literally feel the stadium breathe a sigh of relief knowing we dodged a bullet

2014 Season Defining Moments 2014 was the start of two consecutive off seasons that were probably the wildest good and bad in franchise history. Before I get to the season recap here is what transpired leading up to week 1: -March 5th the Toronto Series is finally cancelled ending that dreadful experiment -Jim Kelly is diagnosed with cancer again on March 24th and he has to enter radiation and chemotherapy again -Team owner and patriarch Ralph Wilson passes away at 95 on March 25 2014 -In the draft The Bills trade up to the fourth overall pick to select Sammy Watkins over local UB product Khalil Mack and other standout WRs -In July rookie sensation LB Kiko Alonso tears his ACL ending his season before it begins -Andre Reed is finally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and at his speech famously catches a ball from Jim Kelly -Bon Jovi is linked to a Toronto group to buy the Bills and successfully destroys any shot of coming to Buffalo again -The Pegula’s come to the forefront as the leaders for the ownership of the team by August 2014 -In pre season against the Bucs week 3 in what was essentially a tune up for the regular season the Bills offense is booed off the field in the 1st half when they score 0 pts and turn the ball over 3 times. After the improvements made to the offense this was a red flag heading into the season for the team and EJ Manuel. -this results in the Bills signing QB Kyle Orton on August 29th making him the highest paid backup in the NFL and putting true pressure on EJ Manuel to deliver in his 2nd year With that as a backdrop week 1: Week 1 at Chicago Bears, win 23-20 OT: In maybe the most dramatic and fun opening day of the last decade plus, the Bills upset a playoff minded Bears team on the road. The signature moment is none other then Fred Jackson’s 38 yard run down to the Bears one yard line which his stiff arm threw Bears safety Chris Conte like a rag doll. A Dan Carpenter FG wins the game right after. Shout out to Kyle Williams INT of Jay Cutler as there Bears were in the red zone with 8 minutes to go to keep the game tied. Week 2: Miami Dolphins, 29-10 win: Days after the Pegula’s purchase of the Bills was announced keeping the team in Buffalo, the Bills defeated their rivals in a loud emotional home opener wearing their AFL white unis. The game swung for good as CJ Spiller took a kickoff 102 yds for a TD. Doug Whaley was famously photographed with his arm in the air on the sideline during this play. In his first home game Sammy Watkins had 8 receptions for 117 yds and a TD giving hope that his selection was a good one. Week 3: San Diego Chargers, 22-10 loss: With a 2-0 start hopes were high the playoff drought would die thanks to a great defense and offense that was doing enough. Unfortunately the Chargers exposed flaws in the Bills, specifically the offense. The defense kept Phillip Rivers and the Charges mostly in check all day, but the Bills offense couldn’t do much. EJ Manuel got hit a lot, but couldn’t take advantage when he had his chances. This was defined at the end when he took a safety on an intentional grounding throw icing any chance for the Bills. Eddie Royal had two touchdowns for the Chargers to keep the Bills behind throughout. Week 4: at Houston Texans, 23-17 loss: Even though it was four weeks into the season the calls were out for EJ Manuel to be benched for Kyle Orton. Going into the game it was widely acknowledged that EJs job could be gone depending on his performance. In the game itself the Bills defense again shutdown the Ryan Fitzpatrick led offense starting the second half up 10-7 and picking off Fitz to give the ball to offense on Texans 19 yard line. With the opportunity to go up 17-7 the Bills offense got set for 3rd and 3 when disaster struck in the worst way. EJ hiked the ball on a designed dump off to Fred Jackson on the right. JJ Watt was right in front of him and he still threw the ball which got intercepted by Watt for an 80 yard TD. Anyone watching the game could clearly see the momentum and energy swing rapidly to Houston who went from being down two scores to up by four. Buffalo did have the ball with a chance to win at the end down 23-17, but EJs pass to Robert Woods deep in the Texans territory was intercepted. The Bills fell to 2-2 and after the game you could see the players had lost faith in EJ. Week 5: at Detroit Lions, 17-14 win: The expected happened as EJ Manuel was benched for journeyman QB Kyle Orton. Orton ended up throwing over 300 yds in his debut (308 yds) something Bills QBs for years had struggled with. The game swung though as Lions kicker Alex Henry missed his 3rd FG of the game with a chance to take the lead his 50 yard kick went wide left. Bills kicker Dan Carpenter won the game on a booming 58 yd FG at the end. Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was carried off by his defense as he exacted some revenge on his previous team which he was the head coach of. Week 6: New England Patriots, 37-22 loss: It was a festive atmosphere against the Pats as the Pegula’s took in their first games as the owners of the Bills. Each team was 3-2 with a chance to take control of the division. For Bills fans their was a lot of hope that the defense could keep it close. Unfortunately Brady had himself another great day and the defining moment went to Pats WR Brian Tyms making a great end zone catch despite strong defense by the Bills for a 43 yd TD to put NE up 20-7. The Bills offense did close it to 30-22 with 5:52 to go but the defense couldn’t stop the Pats who had their way with Buffalos defense. Week 7: Minnesota Vikings, 17-16 win: At 3-3 the Bills looked to rebound against a young up and coming Vikings team. Despite out gaining the Vikings 373 to 276 yds wise, the Bills turned the ball over four times including twice in the Vikings red zone and another time in the Vikings territory. Despite that Kyle Orton led a 95 yard game winning drive. The Watkins TD is always remembered for its drama, but the true game defining moment came on 4th and 20 when Orton found Chandler down the middle for the first down. Orton also thread the needle a few plays later to Chris Hogan on a 28 yd sideline pass to the Vikings 2 which set up the game winning pass later. The Bills did have two major losses though on this day as both Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller got injured with Jackson missing a month and Spiller losing his entire season. There is a what it scenario on this year if even one of them would’ve been healthy throughout. Week 8: at New York Jets, 43-23 win: The Bills trounced the Rex Ryan coached Jets in NYC to get to 5-3. Highlights of this game included: forcing Geno Smith to go 2-8 with 3 INTs in the 1st quarter, a Lee Smith TD, Frank Summers TD, Michael Vick making an appearance for NY, and a badly failed trick play by the Jets where TJ Graham tried lying down in the end zone for a toss back from Percy Harvin which the Bills read from a mile away. BUT the defining moment was Sammy Watkins premature TD celebration that got him caught at the NY 5 yard line. Honestly this play summarized Watkins career in Buffalo: talented with potential but too focused on himself and trying to be a star. Week 9: Bye Week… we all rested Week 10: Kansas City Chiefs, 17-13 loss: In the hall of fame of drought football collapses this game is perhaps the most torturous because had the Bills won they would’ve made the playoffs and it mastered the cruel and usual part of losing. Take your pick from this group of the defining moment because they all hurt in different ways: Bills RB Bryce Brown breaks a 17 yard run into the end zone … except he fumbles as he nears the goal line and the ball goes out the back of the end zone as Bills TE Scott Chandler can’t hold onto the ball as it bounces out Up 13-3 with under 14 minutes left in the game the Bills just needed a stop on 4th and 1 from their 39 yard line to pretty much end the game. Instead Chiefs RB Jamal Charles not only gets the 1st but breaks a 39 yard run for a TD to get the Chiefs back into the game. After trading possessions the Chiefs punt with 9:57 back to the Bills down 13-10. Bills return specialists Leodis McKelvin catches the ball and fumbles just like he did 5 years earlier allowing KC to get the ball back. Two plays laters KC has the lead 17-13. With 4:35 left the Bills get the ball back and drive to the KC 15 with a fresh set of downs. Kyle Orton proceeds to throw 4 consecutive incompletions as with which each throw it becomes clear the Bills are going to blow this and the offense just can’t do it. Week 11: at Miami Dolphins Thursday Night Football, 22-9 loss: In a tight AFC playoff race the Bills had limited time to recover before a showdown with the Dolphins in Miami. With the toughest part of the Bills schedule to come the Bills desperately needed a victory to remain in the playoff race. Leodis McKelvin also decided to guarantee victory leading up to the game which was just a super idea. Instead the Bills offense couldn’t make much happen wasting numerous opportunities in the Dolphins end and generated just 9 pts. Kyle Orton got a safety due to an arrant pass on 3rd and 24 while in the end zone to put the Dolphins up 12-9. But the Bills got a gift when Dolphins rookie WR/returner Jarvis Landry fumbles on return giving the Bills the ball in Miami territory. Again the Bills can’t convert and on the FG as Bills kicker Dan Carpenter push’s his 47 yard attempt wide preserving a Dolphins lead early in the 4th quarter. Buffalo crumbles from there and fall 22-9. Week 12: New York Jets (home but in Detroit), 38-3 win: After two tough losses that made the playoff race far tougher the Bills had to go to Detroit to face the Jets after a snow storm of epic proportions hit the south half of the city shutting down everything for a week. Mario Williams famously got picked up because he couldn’t leave his house. The game was pure domination by Buffalo with the defining moment being Scott Chandlers TD to put the Bills up 14-3 and his subsequent Snow Shoveling celebration. Week 13: Cleveland Browns, 26-10 win: In a cold snowy game the Bills defense thrashed Brian Hoyer and the Browns offense to the point the Bills forced Johnny Manziel into the game. The memorable play of this game was Kyle Williams absolutely wrecking Manziel with a sack that should’ve been a fumble touchdown for the Bills. Manziel laid their with a look like this isn’t for me. The Browns did out gain Buffalo as the offense for the Bills again lacked pop, but the defense has a touchdown and a few turnovers. Week 14: at Denver Broncos, 24-17 loss: Against the defending AFC champions the Bills needed a win to stay ahead in the playoff race. The Bills defense came ready to play against an offense the year before that set league records. The Broncos turned the ball over 3 times including two INTs by Peyton Manning, but the Bills offense couldn’t get out of their own way and also turned the ball over three times. Defining this abysmal play was Bills QB Kyle Ortons “slide”. On 3rd and 2 on Denver’s 25 Kyle Orton was chased out right with decent shot for the first down marker with a little hustle. Instead he slid two yards short making it 4th and 2 still and the Bills settled for a FG. Week 15: Green Bay Packers, 21-13 win!: Not many people gave the Bills a shot coming in but the stars aligned to one of the most memorable wins the Bills have had since 2000. In their blueberry unis (all blue) Buffalos defense had the day of its life harassing Rodgers throughout where he was never comfortable. The Bills offense and special teams did just enough. Three plays come to mind that define this: 1. Down 3-0 the Bills forced Green Bay to punt when Marcus Thigpen returned the punt 75 yards for the TD. The Ralph was bedlam. 2.Late in the 3rd quarter down 16-10 the Packers started a drive and Rodgers ripped a deep pass to Jordy Nelson who had a step on the Bills safety. It hit the normally sure handed Nelson’s hands and was dropped. The Bills intercepted the Packers a few plays later (Bacarri Rambos second of the day) 3.Finally as the cherry on top of the Bills defensive masterpiece was the safety. With 2:07 left the Bills pinned the Packers deep on their own 10. On 1st down the Bills defensive line engulfed the Packers and Mario Williams sack fumbled Rodgers. The ball was recovered by Packers RB/Twinkie Eddie Lacy in the end zone for the safety putting the Bills up 21-13. The upset happened, it was amazing, and the first early step to the Bills gaining a little national recognition. For the Packers the loss cost them home field advantage for the NFC title and there is a major what if scenario for Green Bay if they didn’t blow that game. Week 16: at Oakland Raiders, 26-24 loss: The Bills hadn’t won in Oakland since 1970 and their poor fortune followed them. Despite the Raiders poor record (3-12) they had some young studs like Khalil Mack and Derek Carr that had the team playing better then there record. A win for Buffalo kept them firmly in the playoff race while a loss eliminated them. Everything was off for Buffalo as the offense failed to sustain drives, the defense wore out and got injuries weakening their front four that had dominated all year, and the good fortune of the previous week just wasn’t there. The defining play though came with the Bills down just 19-17 with 5:07 remaining. On 3rd and 22 Derek Carr scrambled and looked deep for future Bills WR alumni Andre Holmes. Bills safety Corey Graham had coverage but completely misplayed it and allowed a 51 yard reception. That broke the Bills as the Raiders scored to go up 26-17 effectively ending Buffalos season. Week 17: at New England, 17-9 win: Honestly yea it’s great they beat the Pats but the New England starters played a half and the game meant nothing to either team. Buffalo finished 9-7 on the year for the first time over .500 since 2004. Highlights? Stefan Charles sacked Tom Brady in the second quarter as the Bills led the NFL in sacks with 54. So in closing that was 2014 a wild fun year that was one of the more memorable despite not making the playoffs. For many younger Bills fans like myself this was the first time in my adult life I got a small taste of the team being remotely relevant. I always wished if a team broke the drought it would’ve been this group as there were many likeable players. 2014 gave Bills fans a lot of hope for the future as the team finished with a winning record, the team had a great defense and some pieces on offense, and most importantly ownership dedicated to Buffalo. What could go wrong as they went into 2015 😀

Lol whoops yea Jones massive brain fart

Howard is legit, Maxwell on the other hand is decent to good but does have flaws. Also he played in Dallas which inflated his value when he hit market. Do you have any clue how much a super yacht is? He def needs more money

Haha I honestly enjoyed writing that game just because it was cathartic after watching so many years. The wildest thing to is the next year in 2014 against the Chiefs they literally did the same thing all over between Bryce Brown fumbling a TD through the endzone to McKelvin fumbling and turning the ball over so the Chiefs could take the lead. I can probably just copy and paste what I wrote just changing the names haha

I remember the Carolina preseason game in 2018 and with the ones against the Panthers 1s Peterman looked like a competent QB who could take care of the spot for a while until Josh was ready. Unfortunately he really was a QB who at game speed just didn't have the physical tools and processing to make it work. I can't fault the Bills for giving it look.

Yep I know Marrone gets flak for leaving and being just an average coach, but the level of play really did improve to respectability like you said that made the position appealing. Had Orton been the starter that season in 2014 they would've made the playoffs.

I agree on it being a favorite loss and I think it’s because Cincy was a contender at the time and Buffalo was working on ascending. With a backup QB with limited time in the system they gave Cincy all they could handle. When I think of the Bills as an org starting to get out of the ground floor games like this come to mind.

I believe against NE is when he said oh yea EJ is starting... and then he didn’t hahaha

2014 which I cannot wait to write about because he brutalized Chris Conte on the run in OT to seal the game. It probably was the best opener they've had in the last decade or so. I took on the epic task of going season by season and game by game from 2010 on with the defining moment of that game. It started rough but now that we are nearing 2014 on the seasons are wayyyy more fun. 2012 was painful to recap. Overall its been fun to talk about memories good and bad from these seasons especially with nothing exciting happening until August.

Agreed. I felt after that either EJ or the coaching staff got gun shy about running him. But even so from the second Jets game on there was a decent reason to believe he could be a competent starter

I have a rule that not all seasons are created equal and a 6-10 season one season can be more exciting then the prior one. The 2013 season to me was vastly more fun the 2012. Here we go, Bills 2013 Defining Moments: Alright people we are into 2013 and I promise it’s going to start getting better... well kind of haha. 2013 off-season brought in Doug Marrone as the head coach with newly drafted QB EJ Manuel as the QB of the future. Mike Pettine was brought in as a defensive coordinator and actually used the resources the defense had with Dareus, Mario, Kyle Williams, and Jerry Hughes. Besides EJ on offense also added Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin to go with Stevie Johnson. For the faults Marrone had I will say this, 2013 felt like a demarcation for the Bills coaching wise in terms of competency. From 2006-2012 it felt like coaching decisions were just so unbelievably awful, that Marrone being average was an improvement. Also this was the start of Bills Mafia in the press for fandom reasons. I believe this was the season a Kiko jersey was acquired in the parking lot for um... “adult favors” haha GOOD TIMES. Week 1 New England Patriots, 23-21 loss: For a first year coach and QB they pushed the Pats to the brink holding NE back until the very end. The bills defense was superb throughout and the offense at times was fun. Up 21-20 the game swing with a minute twenty to go when Brady found Amendola on 3rd and 9 from the Bills 39 yard line in heavy traffic for a 1st down. The Patriots got in FG range and won the game on last second kick. While a disappointment this game gave a lot of fans optimism things would improve. Week 2 Carolina Panthers, 24-23 win: This game was the coming out party for the Bills defensive with 6 sacks including 4.5 by Mario Williams and the Legend of Kiko building as he had a sack and an interception. The defining moment though was EJ Manuel’s game winning drive capped off by a pass to a wide open Stevie Johnson in the end zone. As someone attending this game was amazing and the place was so loud when Stevie caught the ball. Week 3 at New York Jets, 27-20 loss: After the previous weeks thrilling win Buffalo took on the Jets in a battle of two rookie QBs EJ Manuel and Geno Smith. After the tying the game at 20-20 the Bills kicked the ball back to NY. On 1st down Geno Smith found Santonio Holmes for a 69 yard TD as Bills CB Justin Rogers got burned badly again in the game. The Bills couldn’t respond after and fell to 1-2. Weird note viewing note this game as played at 4:25 pm which I honestly can’t tell you the last time we played a divisional game at 4 or later since then. Week 4: Baltimore Ravens, 23-20 win: The Legend of Kiko hit full bloom as the Bills took out the defending SB champions in Buffalo. The Bills defense intercepted Flacco 5 times including one by my boy Jim Leonard (criminally underrated). But it was Kiko Alonso’s diving interception at mid field with 1:04 left that sealed the game for Buffalo. The Bills were 2-2 with a spunky young team. Week 5: at Cleveland Browns TNF, 37-24 loss: In a wild game which was close to the end Buffalo and Cleveland each saw their starting QBs get knocked out with Brian Hoyer being lost for the season for the Browns and EJ Manuel missing 4 weeks. CJ Spiller had a wonderful TD run for 54 yards to tie the game and Fred Jackson’s 1 yd TD gave the Bills the lead at 24-17 midway in the 3rd. The game swung right after though as Brandon Weeden hit Josh Gordon for a 37 yd TD pass near the end of the 3rd quarter. Buffalo couldn’t respond as Jeff Tuel did well Jeff Tuel things and the Bills fell at the very end. Week 6: Cincinnati Bengals, 27-24 OT loss: Coming into the game the Bengals we’re viewed as one of the AFCs better teams and the Bills would be lucky to stay with them. With EJ out Thad Lewis took the reigns and did a solid job in relief at QB for the Bills. The Bills rallied from 24-10 in the 4th quarter to force overtime after Thad Lewis found Goodwin on a 40 yd TD with around a minute to play. Unfortunately the game swung after a Bills 3 and out when Bengals returner Brandon Tate took a 29 yard return into Bills territory and FG range to win it a few plays later. Week 7 at Miami Dolphins, 23-21 win: In a weird game the Bills pick 6’d Tannehill to start the game and got another INT again in the 1st half. Despite that the Dolphins led late 21-20 with the ball at midfield when Mario Williams sacked Tannehill forcing a fumble which the Bills recovered. The Bills won on a FG near the end of the game. Week 8 at New Orleans Saints, 35-17 loss: At 3-4 the Bills were looking to get back to .500 against a strong Saints team. Unfortunately the Saints offense was too much as coming out of half up 21-10 the Saints extended their lead quickly on their first drive capped by a Drew Brees TD throw to Jimmy Graham for 13 yards. Week 9 Kansas City Chiefs, 23-13 loss: The Chiefs came in 9-0 on the season, but the Bills gave them all they could handle led by 7th round QB Jeff Tuel. Up 10-3 to start the 3rd quarter the Bills went down the field thanks to a 61 yd CJ spiller run. With an opportunity to go up two scores Jeff Tuel made the worst possible decision throwing an interception despite Stevie Johnson being wide open. The Chiefs took the interception 100 yds for a TD to tie the game. Buffalos defense still kept them in the game but by the Bills offense couldn’t get out of its own way fumbling in their own end which the Chiefs scored to go up 20-13. It was quintessential drought football. Week 10 at Pittsburgh Steelers, 23–10 loss: with EJ Manuel back at QB there was hope maybe he could get the offense back on track. Down only 10-3 with 3:48 left in the 3rd and the Steelers about to kick a field goal from the Bills 11, Marcel Dareus false starts giving the Steelers a fresh set of downs. Pittsburgh scored a TD right after pretty much icing the game as the Bills offense was lifeless. Week 11 New York Jets, 37-14 win: In a rematch of week 3 EJ Manuel had a great day going 20-28 for 245 yds and 2 TDs with heavy winds. The big moment would be his 34 yd TD throw to TJ Graham which literally halted 3/4s of the way in the air and went to Graham. Also this is the game some yahoo slid off the railing from the upper deck and crashed to the lower level. I was a section over and all the sudden the police in yellow coats were there. We thought fight, nope just some dumb*ss who fell. Week 13 in Toronto vs Atlanta Falcons, 34-31 loss OT: This was the game which was the point of no return with the Toronto series. The attendance was awful and it was clear if the Bills were home Atlanta never would’ve mounted a comeback. Instead the Falcons tied the game 31-31 but EJ rallied the team downfield. The first of two game moments happens as EJ hits Stevie Johnson at the Atlanta 30 good to be in FG range EXCEPT Stevie fumbles and the Falcons recover. The game goes to overtime where the Bills again drive to mid field but Scott Chandler fumbles for the second time and effectively ended the game. A Falcons FG ended the game a few plays later. Week 14 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 27-6 loss: Buffalo played like they had zero interest, each teams season was toast, and the 1st half had 4 INTs alone. The defining moment is Mike Glennon’s TD before the half to put Tampa up 24-3 effectively icing the game. This was a putrid game across the board. Week 15 at Jacksonville Jaguars, 27-20 win: If you believed in EJ Manuel this was part of a stretch of games once he returned where he had some nice moments and you could buy him possibly being the guy. Against the Jags EJ had 3 TDs and a solid game. Tied 20-20 in the 4th EJ led a nice drive 65 yards and capped it with a 1 yard Frank Summers TD to give the Bills the lead for good. In this game EJs knee got hit again and while initially it was said to be not much, this ended up being his final game of the year. Week 16 Miami Dolphins, 19-0 win: Fun fact the Dolphins would’ve made the playoffs if they could’ve just beat the Bills once this season. Instead with Thad Lewis at QB and the defense playing out of its mind the Bills pummeled the Dolphins with a 19-0 victory. Capping this was Kyle Williams sack up 13-0 with 10 mins to go in the fourth that took Ryan Tannehill out of the game (Bills 7th sack of the game). Week 17 at New England Patriots, 34-20 loss: Capping the season was a spirited soggy match against the Patriots. Down 27-17 with 5:44 to go Thad Lewis failed to complete a 4th and 2 pass to TJ Graham and the Bills essentially ran out of time and chances at that point.

Not surprised but highly disappointing while i do understand it. Everyone has laid out why OBD makes more sense and the facilities are top notch. I can't see them returning as the contract is out. Huge loss for fans especially those of us with kids as it was such a unique experience you can't replicate. Additionally as a fan out of Rochester it was the one thing we had that made us contacted to the team big time, with it most likely gone for good were just part of the market nothing more.

Three moments as it built in legitimacy with him. 2017: Win in ATL. This was a game Buffalo forever last during the drought and he had the guys pull it out against a really good Falcons squad that was in the SB the previous year. It felt like the type of statement game that marked a new day. 2018: Jags. That game felt like a playoff game for two teams not going to the playoffs and I was impressed with how hard he had them playing for a team going nowhere. 2019: Jets opener. This to me defined the current era of the Bills being resilient and what he wants. They got some bad breaks early on and some teams would've mailed it in. Instead his belief to follow the process to the end paid dividends in the comeback. I wonder honestly if they would've had the same season if they lost. I think that game was incredibly important to setting the tone for being a winning playoff team year in year out.

Not sure but wouldn’t be surprise he did it a bunch and it all blends together lol

If we’re taking a game of importance Music City Miracle. If your talking pure stupidity McKelvin fumble vs NE or Losman fumble vs the Jets takes the cake for what I’ve seen.

HEY JACKSONVILLE BROUGHT IN CRUISE LINERS, WE JUST NEED TO BRING A BUNCH OF CRUISE SHIPS DOWN THE ST LAWRENCE AND WELLAND CANAL TO BUFFALO IN THE HEIGHT OF WINTER!!!! WHAT COULD GO WRONG?! ....lol