2010 Buffalo Bills season

The 2010 season was the Buffalo Bills' 51st season in the National Football League (NFL), It was Buffalo's first season with Buddy Nix in the role of general manager and head coach Chan Gailey. The Bills hoped to improve on their 6–10 record from the 2009 season, and attempt to make the playoffs for the first time since 1999. The Bills had the 9th pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft selecting C. J. Spiller, a running back from Clemson. This season marks the first 0–8 start since 1984, in which they finished 2–14. They were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 12, extending their playoff drought to 11 seasons. Despite the poor start, Buffalo became largely competitive after the bye in Week 9.

2010 Buffalo Bills season
Owner	Ralph Wilson
General manager	Buddy Nix
Head coach	Chan Gailey
Home field	Ralph Wilson Stadium Rogers Centre (Week 9)
Results
Record	4–12
Division place	4th AFC East
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	DT Kyle Williams
← 2009 Bills seasons 2011 →

Their next four losses were by only three points each, all to teams that made the playoffs that year—Baltimore, Kansas City, Chicago and Pittsburgh (three of these losses went to overtime). The Bills eventually won four of their final eight games, which carried over into a strong start to the 2011 season. The 2010 season was marked by the emergence of wide receiver Stevie Johnson, who gained 1,073 receiving yards and nose tackle Kyle Williams, an All-Pro in 2010 who gained status as an elite defensive tackle.^[1][2][3]

Offseason

The Bills had fired head coach Dick Jauron after Week 10 of the 2009 season; he had been replaced on an interim basis by defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. The remainder of the Jauron coaching staff was released at the end of the year, including Fewell. Former Dallas Cowboys and Georgia Tech head coach Chan Gailey was hired as the Bills' new head coach and Buddy Nix had taken over as general manager after a two-year vacancy in the position. (Current team CEO Russ Brandon had handled GM responsibilities.) Gailey installed the 3-4 defense (although the team would play in a 4–3 on certain downs)^[4] and the "Pistol" offensive formation. George Edwards was named defensive coordinator, and though Gailey stated he would call the offensive plays, Curtis Modkins was named the nominal offensive coordinator. On February 18, 2010, starting right tackle Brad Butler announced his retirement from professional football. Butler suffered a season ending (ultimately a career ending) knee injury vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 2 of the 2009 season. The Bills held an open competition for the starting quarterback position between Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm during training camp. Edwards was named starter prior to the first preseason game, but was released from the team after two poor performances. Fitzpatrick took over in Week 3 and, in 13 games, became the first Bills quarterback to throw for 3,000 passing yards in a season since J. P. Losman in 2006.^[5][6]

2010 Draft

Main article: 2010 NFL Draft

2010 Buffalo Bills Draft Selections

Round	Overall	Player	Position	College
1	9	C. J. Spiller	RB	Clemson
2	41	Torell Troup	DT	UCF
3	72	Alex Carrington	DE	Arkansas State
4	107	Marcus Easley	WR	Connecticut
5	140	Ed Wang	OT	Virginia Tech
6	178	Arthur Moats	DE	James Madison
6	192	Danny Batten	DE	South Dakota State
7	209	Levi Brown	QB	Troy
7	216	Kyle Calloway	OT	Iowa

In-season transactions

Come week three Fitzpatrick was named starter against the Patriots as Edwards was benched. In the game Fitzpatrick had surpassed Edwards' statistics for the first two games. This resulted in Edwards' release from the roster the following day on Monday, a day after the game, when his success in the preseason did not continue into the first two games of the regular season.^[7] He was picked up by the Jacksonville Jaguars off waivers the next day on Tuesday.^[8]

Similarly, Marshawn Lynch was one of the starting running backs at the beginning of the regular season. He was only to be traded to the Seattle Seahawks after four games into the regular season with the rise of running backs Fred Jackson and first-round draft pick C. J. Spiller created a logjam. The draft picks were at first undisclosed. It was later announced that the Bills would receive a fourth-round draft pick in the 2011 draft and a conditional pick in the 2012 draft.^[9]

Staff

Buffalo Bills 2010 staff
Front office Owner/founder/president – Ralph Wilson CEO – Russ Brandon Executive vice president/general manager – Buddy Nix Senior vice president of football administration – Jim Overdorf Vice president of college scouting – Tom Modrak Assistant general manager/director of pro personnel – Doug Whaley Player Personnel Analyst – Kevin Meganck Pro Personnel Coordinator – Rob Hanrahan Head coaches Head coach – Chan Gailey Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator/running backs – Curtis Modkins Quarterbacks – George Cortez Wide receivers – Stan Hixon Tight ends – Bob Bicknell Offensive line – Joe D'Alessandris Assistant offensive line – Bobby Johnson Offensive quality control – Kevin Patullo			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – George Edwards Defensive line – Giff Smith Inside linebackers - DeMontie Cross Outside linebackers – Bob Sanders Defensive backs – George Catavolos Defensive quality control – Adrian White Special teams coaches Special teams coordinator – Bruce DeHaven Assistant special teams – Stan Kwan Strength and conditioning Head strength and conditioning – Eric Ciano Head strength and conditioning – John Gamble

Final roster

2010 Buffalo Bills final roster

	Quarterbacks  4 Brian Brohm 10 Levi Brown 14 Ryan Fitzpatrick Running backs 30 Jehuu Caulcrick FB 25 Quinton Ganther 22 Fred Jackson 38 Corey McIntyre FB 21 C. J. Spiller Wide receivers 17 Paul Hubbard 13 Stevie Johnson 19 Donald Jones 86 David Nelson 18 Naaman Roosevelt Tight ends 82 Mike Caussin 84 Scott Chandler 80 David Martin 88 Jonathan Stupar		Offensive linemen 77 Demetress Bell T 74 Colin Brown T 63 Geoff Hangartner C 67 Andy Levitre G 79 Erik Pears T 76 Chad Rinehart G 71 Ed Wang T 70 Eric Wood G/C 61 Mansfield Wrotto T Defensive linemen 92 Alex Carrington DE 72 Kellen Heard NT 91 Spencer Johnson DE 97 John McCargo DE 99 Marcus Stroud DE 96 Torell Troup DE 95 Kyle Williams NT		Linebackers 50 Akin Ayodele ILB 94 Mike Balogun ILB 90 Chris Kelsay OLB 58 Aaron Maybin OLB 52 Arthur Moats OLB 51 Paul Posluszny ILB 49 Pierre Woods OLB Defensive backs 31 Jairus Byrd FS 27 Reggie Corner CB 33 Jon Corto SS 29 Drayton Florence CB 24 Terrence McGee CB 28 Leodis McKelvin CB 43 Bryan Scott SS 20 Donte Whitner SS 37 George Wilson FS 26 Ashton Youboty CB Special teams  9 Rian Lindell K  8 Brian Moorman P 65 Garrison Sanborn LS		Reserve lists 57 Danny Batten OLB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)   59 Antonio Coleman OLB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)   54 Andra Davis ILB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)   81 Marcus Easley WR (IRTooltip Injured reserve)   98 Dwan Edwards DE (IRTooltip Injured reserve)   56 Keith Ellison ILB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)   83 Lee Evans WR (IRTooltip Injured reserve)   68 Cordaro Howard G/T (IRTooltip Injured reserve)   15 Felton Huggins WR (IRTooltip Injured reserve)   55 Shawne Merriman OLB/DE (IRTooltip Injured reserve)   89 Shawn Nelson TE (NF-Ill.Tooltip Non-football injury and illness)   11 Roscoe Parrish WR (IRTooltip Injured reserve)   53 Reggie Torbor OLB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)   60 Kraig Urbik G (IRTooltip Injured reserve)   Practice squad 62 Sean Allen C/G 46 Brett Johnson S 45 Jammie Kirlew LB 75 Boo Robinson NT 45 John Russell LB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)   66 Jason Watkins T 16 Bobby Williams WR 47 Trae Williams CB 13 Rod Windsor WR Rookies in italics 53 active, 14 inactive, 9 practice squad

Schedule

Preseason

The Bills preseason schedule was announced on March 31, 2010. The second preseason game, against the Indianapolis Colts, was held at the Rogers Centre in Toronto as part of the Bills Toronto Series.^[10]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	August 13	at Washington Redskins	L 17–42	0–1	FedExField	Recap
2	August 19	Indianapolis Colts	W 34–21	1–1	Rogers Centre (Toronto)	Recap
3	August 28	Cincinnati Bengals	W 35–20	2–1	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
4	September 2	at Detroit Lions	L 23–28	2–2	Ford Field	Recap

Regular season

Football statistics site Football Outsiders calculates that the Bills had the toughest schedule in the league in 2010, based on strength of opponent,^[11] whilst Pro Football Reference argues that the 2010 Bills had the toughest schedule for any NFL team since 1971, with nine games against opponents 10–6 or better.^[12] Apart from their AFC East division games, the Bills played against the AFC North and NFC North according to the conference rotation, and played the Chiefs and Jaguars based on 2009 divisional positions.

Though the Bills were the last team to record their first win in 2010, starting the season with eight consecutive losses, they improved greatly in the second half of the season, with a record of 4–4 to finish the year. Nine of the Bills' twelve losses were to teams that qualified for the postseason, including both representatives in Super Bowl XLV – Pittsburgh and Green Bay. Six of the twelve losses were by eight points or less. Four Buffalo losses had a margin of three points or less and three losses were in overtime, all to eventual playoff teams (Week 7 at Baltimore, Week 8 at Kansas City and Week 12 vs. Pittsburgh).

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	September 12	Miami Dolphins	L 10–15	0–1	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
2	September 19	at Green Bay Packers	L 7–34	0–2	Lambeau Field	Recap
3	September 26	at New England Patriots	L 30–38	0–3	Gillette Stadium	Recap
4	October 3	New York Jets	L 14–38	0–4	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
5	October 10	Jacksonville Jaguars	L 26–36	0–5	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
6	Bye
7	October 24	at Baltimore Ravens	L 34–37 (OT)	0–6	M&T Bank Stadium	Recap
8	October 31	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 10–13 (OT)	0–7	Arrowhead Stadium	Recap
9	November 7	Chicago Bears	L 19–22	0–8	Rogers Centre (Toronto)	Recap
10	November 14	Detroit Lions	W 14–12	1–8	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
11	November 21	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 49–31	2–8	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
12	November 28	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 16–19 (OT)	2–9	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
13	December 5	at Minnesota Vikings	L 14–38	2–10	Mall of America Field	Recap
14	December 12	Cleveland Browns	W 13–6	3–10	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
15	December 19	at Miami Dolphins	W 17–14	4–10	Sun Life Stadium	Recap
16	December 26	New England Patriots	L 3–34	4–11	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
17	January 2	at New York Jets	L 7–38	4–12	New Meadowlands Stadium	Recap

Standings

AFC East
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
^(1) New England Patriots	14	2	0	.875	5–1	10–2	518	313	W8
^(6) New York Jets	11	5	0	.688	4–2	9–3	367	304	W1
Miami Dolphins	7	9	0	.438	2–4	5–7	275	332	L3
Buffalo Bills	4	12	0	.250	1–5	3–9	283	425	L2

Conference

AFC^[13] view talk edit
#	Team	Division	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	SOS	SOV	STK
Division winners
1	New England Patriots	East	14	2	0	.875	5–1	10–2	.504	.504	W8
2^[a]	Pittsburgh Steelers	North	12	4	0	.750	5–1	9–3	.500	.417	W2
3^[b]	Indianapolis Colts	South	10	6	0	.625	4–2	8–4	.473	.425	W4
4^[b]	Kansas City Chiefs	West	10	6	0	.625	2–4	6–6	.414	.381	L1
Wild cards
5^[a]	Baltimore Ravens	North	12	4	0	.750	4–2	9–3	.484	.422	W4
6	New York Jets	East	11	5	0	.688	4–2	9–3	.492	.409	W1
Did not qualify for the postseason
7	San Diego Chargers	West	9	7	0	.563	3–3	7–5	.457	.410	W1
8^[c]	Jacksonville Jaguars	South	8	8	0	.500	3–3	7–5	.453	.383	L3
9^[c]	Oakland Raiders	West	8	8	0	.500	6–0	6–6	.469	.469	W1
10	Miami Dolphins	East	7	9	0	.438	2–4	5–7	.539	.438	L3
11^[d]	Houston Texans	South	6	10	0	.375	3–3	5–7	.523	.500	W1
12^[d]	Tennessee Titans	South	6	10	0	.375	2–4	3–9	.508	.500	L2
13	Cleveland Browns	North	5	11	0	.313	1–5	3–9	.570	.475	L4
14^[e]	Denver Broncos	West	4	12	0	.250	1–5	3–9	.516	.453	L1
15^[e]^[f]	Buffalo Bills	East	4	12	0	.250	1–5	3–9	.578	.344	L2
16^[e]^[f]	Cincinnati Bengals	North	4	12	0	.250	2–4	3–9	.582	.438	L1
Tiebreakers^[g]
Pittsburgh clinched the AFC North title instead of Baltimore based on division record (5–1 to Baltimore's 4–2). Indianapolis clinched the AFC No. 3 seed instead of Kansas City based on a head-to-head victory. Jacksonville finished ahead of Oakland based on head-to-head victory. Houston finished ahead of Tennessee in the AFC South based on division record (3–3 to Tennessee's 2–4). Denver finished ahead of Buffalo and Cincinnati based on strength of victory. Buffalo finished ahead of Cincinnati based on head-to-head victory. 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.

Regular season results

Week 1: vs. Miami Dolphins

Week 1: Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	3	7	0	5	15
Bills	0	3	0	7	10

at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

• Date: September 12
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C) (Cloudy)
• Game attendance: 69,295
• Referee: Clete Blakeman
• TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker
• http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2010091201/2010/REG1/dolphins@bills

Game information

First quarter MIA – Dan Carpenter 32 yard field goal, Dolphins 3–0, Drive: 10 plays, 45 yards, 5:54. Second quarter MIA – Ronnie Brown 1 yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), Dolphins 10–0, Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 5:09. BUF – Rian Lindell 51 yard field goal, Dolphins 10–3, Drive: 8 plays, 27 yards, 4:04. Third quarter No scoring play Fourth quarter MIA – Dan Carpenter 32 yard field goal, Dolphins 13–3, Drive: 10 plays, 45 yards, 5:54. BUF – Roscoe Parrish 31 yard reception from Trent Edwards (Rian Lindell kick), Dolphins 13–10, Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:19 MIA – Garrison Sanborn fumble out of bons for Safety, Dolphins 15–10 Top passers MIA – Chad Henne – 21/34, 182 yards BUF – Trent Edwards – 18/34, 139 yards, 1 TD Top rushers MIA – Ronnie Brown – 13 rushes, 65 yards, 1 TD BUF – Fred Jackson – 4 rushes, 19 yards Top receivers MIA – Brandon Marshall – 8 receptions, 53 yards BUF – Stevie Johnson – 3 receptions, 40 yards Top tacklers MIA – Yeremiah Bell – 6 tackles, 2 assists BUF – Drayton Florence – 9 tackles, 1 assist

The Buffalo Bills began their season at home with an AFC East duel with the Miami Dolphins. In the 1st quarter, Buffalo trailed early when Dolphins kicker Dan Carpenter nailed a 32-yard field goal. The deficit was increased in the 2nd quarter when running back Ronnie Brown got a 1-yard TD run. The Bills eventually replied when kicker Rian Lindell made a 51-yard field goal.

In the 4th quarter, Miami increased their lead with Carpenter hitting a 43-yard field goal. Buffalo replied with a touchdown pass from quarterback Trent Edwards making a 31-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Roscoe Parrish. The final score was made when long snapper Garrison Sanborn snapped the ball to Brian Moorman out of bounds for a safety, giving the Dolphins 2 more points and the Bills a loss.

With the loss, the Bills began at 0–1.

Week 2: at Green Bay Packers

Week 2: Buffalo Bills at Green Bay Packers – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	0	7	0	0	7
Packers	13	0	14	7	34

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

• Date: September 19
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C) (Wind)
• Game attendance: 70,741
• Referee: Ron Winter
• TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Randy Cross
• http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2010091901/2010/REG2/bills@packers

Game information

First quarter GB – Mason Crosby 44 yard field goal, Packers 3–0, Drive: 8 plays, 40 yards, 3:11. GB – Mason Crosby 24 yard field goal, Packers 6–0, Drive: 6 plays, 43 yards, 1:58. GB – Brandon Jackson 1 yard run (Mason Crosby kick), Packers 13–0, Drive: 11 plays, 72 yards, 5:51. Second quarter BUF – Fred Jackson 3 yard run (Rian Lindell kick), Packers 13–7, Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:22. Third quarter GB – Donald Driver 7 yard pass from Aaron Rodgers, Packers 20–7, Drive: 7 plays, 39 yards, 4:17. GB – Aaron Rodgers 9 yard run (Mason Crosby kick), Packers 27–7, Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards, 4:24. Fourth quarter GB – James Jones 30 yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), Packers 34–7, Drive: 5 plays, 52 yards, 2:32. Top passers BUF – Trent Edwards – 11/18, 102 yards, 2 interceptions GB – Aaron Rodgers – 19/29, 255 yards, 2 touchdowns Top rushers BUF – Marshawn Lynch – 17 rushes, 64 yards GB – John Kuhn – 9 rushes, 36 yards Top receivers BUF – Roscoe Parrish – 2 receptions, 234 yards GB – Jermichael Finley – 4 receptions, 103 yards Top tacklers BUF – Chris Kelsay – 7 tackles, 1 assist GB – Nick Barnett – 7 tackles, 2 assists

Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Dolphins, the Bills flew to Lambeau Field for an interconference duel with the Packers. In the 1st quarter Buffalo trailed early as kicker Mason Crosby made a 44 and a 24-yard field goal, followed by RB Brandon Jackson getting a 1-yard TD run. The Bills made their only score of the game in the 2nd quarter when RB Fred Jackson made a 3-yard TD run. In the third quarter the Bills struggled further when QB Aaron Rodgers completed a 7-yard TD pass to WR Donald Driver, followed by Rodgers scrambling 9 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. The Packers increased their lead in the fourth when Rodgers made a 30-yard touchdown pass to WR James Jones.

With the loss, Buffalo fell to 0–2.

Week 3: at New England Patriots

Week 3: Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	3	13	7	7	30
Patriots	7	10	14	7	38

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

• Date: September 26
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) (Partly Cloudy)
• Game attendance: 68,756
• Referee: John Parry
• TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots
• http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2010092603/2010/REG3/bills@patriots

Game information

First quarter BUF – Rian Lindell 39 yard field goal, Bills 3–0, Drive: 10 plays, 59 yards, 5:12. NE – Randy Moss 7 yard reception from Tom Brady, Patriots 7–3, Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:34. Second quarter BUF – Rian Lindell 39 yard field goal, Patriots 7–6, Drive: 7 plays, 19 yards, 4:01. BUF – C. J. Spiller 5 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Bills 13–7, Drive: 7 plays, 37 yards, 3:23. NE – Danny Woodhead 22 yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), Patriots 14–13, Drive: 6 plays, 76 yards, 3:15. BUF – Rian Lindell 34 yard field goal, Bills 16–14, Drive: 9 plays, 55 yards, 2:34. NE – Stephen Gostkowski 43 yard field goal, Patriots 17–16, Drive: 3 plays, 42 yards, 0:24. Third quarter NE – Randy Moss 35 yard reception from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), Patriots 24–16, Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 1:49. BUF – C. J. Spiller 95 yard kickoff return (Rian Lindell kick), Patriots 24–23, Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:13. NE – Rob Gronkowski 5 yard reception from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), Patriots 31–23, Drive: 13 plays, 59 yards, 7:21. Fourth quarter NE – BenJarvus Green-Ellis 7 yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), Patriots 38–23, Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:26. BUF – Stevie Johnson 37 yard reception from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Patriots 38–30, Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 4:11. Top passers BUF – Ryan Fitzpatrick – 20/28, 247 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions NE – Tom Brady – 21/27, 252 yards, 3 touchdowns Top rushers BUF – Marshawn Lynch – 13 rushes, 79 yards NE – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 16 rushes, 98 yards, 1 touchdown Top receivers BUF – Roscoe Parrish – 5 receptions, 83 yards NE – Aaron Hernandez – 6 receptions, 65 yards Top tacklers BUF – Donte Whitner – 7 tackles, 3 assist NE – Pat Chung – 7 tackles

Still looking for a win the Bills flew to Gillette Stadium for an AFC East rivalry match against the Patriots. In the first quarter Buffalo took the early lead when kicker Rian Lindell nailed a 39-yard field goal. Then they fell behind when QB Tom Brady made a 7-yard TD pass to WR Randy Moss. The Bills replied in the second quarter with Lindell making another 39-yard field goal, which was followed by QB Ryan Fitzpatrick getting a 5-yard TD pass to RB C. J. Spiller. The Patriots replied and took the narrow lead when Danny Woodhead made a 22-yard TD run. The Bills got the lead back when Lindell made a 34-yard field goal, which didn't last very long after kicker Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 43-yard field goal. The Bills fell further behind in the third quarter when Brady found Moss again on a 35-yard TD pass, but straight after the PAT, Buffalo scored when C. J. Spiller returned a kickoff and ran 95 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. The Patriots increased their narrow lead when Brady made a 5-yard TD pass to TE Rob Gronkowski, followed in the fourth quarter by RB BenJarvis Green-Ellis getting a 7-yard TD run. The Bills tried to come back into the game when Fitzpatrick made a 37-yard touchdown pass to WR Stevie Johnson, but the Patriots defense prevented anything else from happening, giving the Bills a loss and their 14th straight vs. the Patriots.

With the loss, Buffalo fell to 0–3. The next day Trent Edwards was released. He was picked up by the Jacksonville Jaguars off wavers the next day.^[8]

Week 4: vs. New York Jets

Week 4: New York Jets at Buffalo Bills – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	7	10	21	0	38
Bills	0	7	0	7	14

at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

• Date: October 3
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C) (Showers)
• Game attendance: 69,262
• Referee: Bill Leavy
• TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
• http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2010100300/2010/REG4/jets@bills

Game information

First quarter NYJ – LaDainian Tomlinson 1 yard run (Nick Folk kick), Jets 7–0, Drive: 9 plays, 63 yards, 4:18. Second quarter NYJ – Nick Folk 19 yard field goal, Jets 10–0, Drive: 18 plays, 87 yards, 9:21. NYJ – Braylon Edwards 41 yard pass from Mark Sanchez (Nick Folk kick), Jets 17–0, Drive: 3 plays, 66 yards, 1:29. BUF – David Martin 4 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Jets 17–7, Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards, 1:59. Third quarter NYJ – Dustin Keller 3 yard pass from Brad Smith (Nick Folk kick), Jets 24–7, Drive: 10 plays, 69 yards, 5:22. NYJ – Dustin Keller 2 yard pass from Mark Sanchez (Nick Folk kick), Jets 31–7, Drive: 3 plays, 23 yards, 1:20. NYJ – LaDainian Tomlinson 26 yard run (Nick Folk kick), Jets 38–7, Drive: 2 plays, 35 yards, 0:44. Fourth quarter BUF – Stevie Johnson 13 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Jets 38–14, Drive: 5 plays, 79 yards, 2:23. Top passers NYJ – Mark Sanchez – 14/24, 161 yards, 2 touchdowns BUF – Ryan Fitzpatrick – 12/27, 128 yards, 2 touchdowns Top rushers NYJ – LaDainian Tomlinson – 19 rushes, 133 yards, 2 touchdowns BUF – Ryan Fitzpatrick – 7 rushes, 74 yards Top receivers NYJ – Braylon Edwards – 4 receptions, 86 yards, 1 touchdown BUF – David Nelson – 4 receptions, 75 yards, Top tacklers NYJ – David Harris – 4 tackles, 2 assists BUF – Donte Whitner – 9 tackles, 4 assists

Still looking for their first win of the season, the Bills went home, donned their throwback uniforms, and played a Week 4 AFC East duel with the New York Jets. Buffalo would trail early in the first quarter as Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson got a 1-yard touchdown run. New York would add onto their lead in the second quarter as kicker Nick Folk nailed a 19-yard field goal, followed by quarterback Mark Sanchez completing a 41-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Braylon Edwards. Buffalo would close out the half as quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick connected with tight end David Martin on a 4-yard touchdown pass.

In the third quarter, the Jets would greatly extend their lead with tight end Dustin Keller catching a 3-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver/quarterback Brad Smith, followed by his 2-yard touchdown reception from Sanchez. Afterwards, Tomlinson would help secure the win for New York with his 26-yard touchdown run. The Bills would close out the game in the fourth quarter as Fitzpatrick completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Stevie Johnson.

With the loss, Buffalo fell to 0–4. Two days later, Marshawn Lynch was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick in the 2011 draft and a conditional pick in the 2012 draft, and tackle Jamon Meredith was waived.

Week 5: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 5: Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Jaguars	3	10	14	9	36
Bills	10	3	7	6	26

at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

• Date: October 10
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C) (Sunny)
• Game attendance: 58,304
• Referee: Carl Cheffers
• TV announcers (CBS (blacked out locally)): Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker (blacked out locally)
• http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2010101000/2010/REG5/jaguars@bills/

Game information

First quarter BUF – Lee Evans 45 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Bills 7–0, Drive: 1 plays, 45 yards, 0:08. BUF – Rian Lindell 29 yard field goal, Bills 10–0, Drive: 5 plays, 19 yards, 2:31. JAC – Josh Scobee 49 yard field goal, Bills 10–3, Drive: 6 plays, 27 yards, 3:09. Second quarter BUF – Rian Lindell 22 yard field goal, Bills 13–7, Drive: 15 plays, 70 yards, 8:50. JAC – Josh Scobee 49 yard field goal, Bills 13–6, Drive: 12 plays, 44 yards, 6:16. JAC – Marcedes Lewis 1 yard pass from David Garrard (Josh Scobee kick), Jaguars 13–13, Drive: 10 plays, 85 yards, 4:11. Third quarter JAC – Marcedes Lewis 27 yard pass from David Garrard (Josh Scobee kick), Jaguars 20–13, Drive: 3 plays, 39 yards, 1:38. BUF – Stevie Johnson 5 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Jaguars 20–20, Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 2:01. JAC – Mike Sims-Walker 7 yard pass from David Garrard (Josh Scobee kick), Jaguars 27–20, Drive: 9 plays, 53 yards, 5:28. Fourth quarter JAC – Josh Scobee 34 yard field goal, Jaguars 30–20, Drive: 6 plays, 37 yards, 3:03. JAC – Josh Scobee 40 yard field goal, Jaguars 33–20, Drive: 6 plays, 21 yards, 3:40. JAC – Josh Scobee 46 yard field goal, Jaguars 36–20, Drive: 5 plays, 24 yards, 1:47. BUF – Steve Johson 7 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (pass failed), Jaguars 36–27, Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 1:06. Top passers JAC – David Garrard – 16/20, 178 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception BUF – Ryan Fitzpatrick – 20/30, 220 yards, 3 touchdowns Top rushers JAC – Maurice Jones-Drew – 19 rushes, 84 yards BUF – Fred Jackson – 12 rushes, 73 yards Top receivers JAC – Marcedes Lewis – 4 receptions, 54 yards, 2 touchdowns BUF – Lee Evans – 5 receptions, 87 yards, 1 touchdown Top tacklers JAC – Derek Cox – 6 tackles BUF – Donte Whitner – 10 tackles, 1 assist

Still looking for a win the Bills played on home ground for an AFC duel with the Jaguars. In the first quarter the Bills took the lead as QB Ryan Fitzpatrick made a 45-yard TD pass to WR Lee Evans; followed by kicker Rian Lindell making a 29-yard field goal. The Jaguars replied with kicker Josh Scobee nailing a 49-yard field goal, but in the second quarter the lead had expanded again with Lindell's 22-yard field goal. After that, the Jaguars rallied with Scobee getting another 49-yard field goal, then QB David Garrard made a 1-yard TD pass to TE Marcedes Lewis; followed in the third quarter by Garrard again finding Lewis on a 27-yard TD pass. Buffalo re-tied the game with Fitzpatrick completing a 5-yard TD pass to WR Stevie Johnson, but the Jaguars pulled away with Garrard making a 7-yard TD pass to WR Mike Sims-Walker, followed in the fourth quarter by Scobee making a 34, 40 and a 46-yard field goal. Buffalo tried to tie the game with Fitzpatrick making a 7-yard TD pass to Johnson, but with a failed 2-point conversion, it became a 2-possession game which in turn became very difficult for Buffalo to recover.

With the loss, Buffalo entered their bye week with their first 0–5 start since 1985.

Week 7: at Baltimore Ravens

Week 7: Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Bills	10	14	0	10	0	34
Ravens	3	17	14	0	3	37

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

• Date: October 24
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C) (Partly Sunny)
• Game attendance: 71,220
• Referee: Pete Morelli
• TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui and Steve Beuerlein
• http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2010102402/2010/REG7/bills@ravens

Game information

First quarter BAL – Billy Cundiff 41 yard field goal, Ravens 3–0, Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 2:27. BUF – Lee Evans 33 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Bills 7–3, Drive: 6 plays, 72 yards, 3:15. BUF – Rian Lindell 21 yard field goal, Bills 10–3, Drive: 7 plays, 12 yards, 2:59. Second quarter BUF – Stevie Johnson 33 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Bills 17–3, Drive: 11 plays, 91 yards, 4:55. BAL – Todd Heap 26 yard pass from Joe Flacco (Billy Cundiff kick), Bills 17–10, Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 1:31. BUF – Lee Evans 20 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Bills 24–10, Drive: 6 plays, 82 yards, 3:19. BAL – Billy Cundiff 48 yard field goal, Bills 24–13, Drive: 11 plays, 50 yards, 4:08. BAL – Todd Heap 14 yard pass from Joe Flacco (Billy Cundiff kick), Bills 24–20, Drive: 4 plays, 27 yards, 0:25. Third quarter BAL – Anquan Boldin 34 yard pass from Joe Flacco (Billy Cundiff kick), Ravens 27–24, Drive: 1 plays, 34 yards, 0:07. BAL – Willis McGahee 2 yard run (Billy Cundiff kick), Ravens 34–24, Drive: 12 plays, 65 yards, 6:25. Fourth quarter BUF – Lee Evans 17 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Ravens 34–31, Drive: 5 plays, 63 yards, 2:42. BUF – Rian Lindell 50 yard field goal, Tied 34–34, Drive: 12 plays, 59 yards, 3:22. Overtime BAL – Billy Cundiff 38 yard field goal, Ravens 37–34, Drive: 4 plays, 9 yards, 1:58. Top passers BUF – Ryan Fitzpatrick – 29/43, 382 yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions BAL – Joe Flacco – 16/31, 250 yards, 3 touchdowns Top rushers BUF – Fred Jackson – 23 rushes, 73 yards BAL – Ray Rice – 16 rushes, 72 yards Top receivers BUF – Stevie Johnson – 8 receptions, 158 yards, 1 touchdown BAL – Anquan Boldin – 6 receptions, 92 yards, 1 touchdown Top tacklers BUF – Donte Whitner – 7 tackles, 1 assist BAL – Ray Lewis – 14 tackles, 1 assist, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble

Still looking for a win the Bills flew to M&T Bank Stadium for an AFC duel against the Ravens. In the 1st quarter the Bills trailed early as kicker Billy Cundiff made a 41-yard field goal. But they pulled ahead with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick completing a 33-yard TD pass to WR Lee Evans, followed by kicker Rian Lindell hitting a 21-yard field goal. The lead was increased in the second quarter with Fitzpatrick finding WR Stevie Johnson on a 33-yard TD pass. The Ravens replied with QB Joe Flacco making a 26-yard TD pass to TE Todd Heap. Then Fitzpatrick found Evans again on a 20-yard TD pass to put the Bills up 24–10. The lead was narrowed when Cundiff hit a 48-yard field goal, followed by Flacco throwing a 14-yard TD pass to Heap. In the third quarter the Bills fell behind with Flacco completing a 34-yard TD pass to WR Anquan Boldin, followed by RB Willis McGahee getting a 2-yard TD run. The Bills managed to tie the game in the 4th quarter with Fitzpatrick making a 17-yard TD pass to Evans, and with Lindell getting a 50-yard field goal. After overtime, the decision was made when Cundiff successfully put away a 38-yard field goal to keep the Bills winless after 6 games.

With the loss, the Bills fell to 0–6. After a win by the Carolina Panthers the same week, the Bills became the only team still in contention for an imperfect season.

Week 8: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week 8: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Bills	0	0	0	10	0	10
Chiefs	0	7	0	3	3	13

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

• Date: October 31
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C) (Partly Sunny)
• Game attendance: 66,625
• Referee: Alberto Riveron
• TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker
• http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2010103103/2010/REG8/bills@chiefs

Game information

First quarter Second quarter KC – Dwayne Bowe 1 yard pass from Matt Cassel (Ryan Succop kick), Chiefs 7–0, Drive: 6 plays, 71 yards, 2:26. Third quarter BUF – Rian Lindell 43 yard field goal, Chiefs 7–3, Drive: 15 plays, 56 yards, 8:57. Fourth quarter KC – Ryan Succop 28 yard field goal, Chiefs 10–3, Drive: 12 plays, 59 yards, 7:02. BUF – Stevie Johnson 4 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Tied 10–10, Drive: 15 plays, 83 yards, 7:18. Overtime KC – Ryan Succop 35 yard field goal, Chiefs 13–10, Drive: 8 plays, 53 yards, 1:13. Top passers BUF – Ryan Fitzpatrick – 24/48, 223 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception KC – Matt Cassel – 14/26, 152 yards, 1 touchdown Top rushers BUF – Fred Jackson – 20 rushes, 64 yards, KC – Jamaal Charles – 22 rushes, 177 yards Top receivers BUF – Roscoe Parrish – 4 receptions, 66 yards KC – Jamaal Charles – 4 receptions, 61 yards Top tacklers BUF – Paul Posluszny – 11 tackles, 6 assists KC – Eric Berry – 7 tackles, 3 assists, 1 interception

Still looking for a win the Bills flew to Arrowhead Stadium for an AFC duel with the Chiefs. In the First quarter the Bills trailed early as QB Matt Cassel got a 1-yard TD pass to WR Dwayne Bowe. The Bills narrowed the lead in the third quarter with kicker Rian Lindell making a 43-yard field goal. The Chiefs scored with kicker Ryan Succop getting a 28-yard field goal. The Bills responded and tied the game with Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing a 4-yard TD pass to WR Stevie Johnson. At overtime, Succop missed a 38-yarder with 3:38 in the OT. Rian Lindell then kicked a 53-yard field goal, which supposedly would've given the Bills the win, but KC called a timeout. Lindell's second kick hit the right upright and bounced off. The decision was made with Succop successfully hitting a 35-yard field goal with 3 seconds left on the clock to keep the Bills winless after 7 games. And their first 0–7 start since 1984.

Starting offensive tackle Cornell Green was placed on injured reserve to clear a roster spot for linebacker Shawne Merriman, who the Bills picked up on waivers from the San Diego Chargers on November 3.

Week 9: vs. Chicago Bears (Bills Toronto Series)

Week 9: Chicago Bears at Buffalo Bills – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	7	7	8	22
Bills	0	7	6	6	19

at Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

• Date: November 7
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: None (Dome Closed)
• Game attendance: 50,746
• Referee: Gene Steratore
• TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen & Tim Ryan
• http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2010110704/2010/REG9/bears@bills

Game information

First quarter Second quarter CHI – Greg Olsen 4 yard pass from Jay Cutler (Robbie Gould kick), Bears 7–0, Drive: 14 plays, 81 yards, 8:03. BUF – Roscoe Parrish 14 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Tied 7–7, Drive: 11 plays, 68 yards, 1:32. Third quarter CHI – Chester Taylor 1 yard run (Robbie Gould kick), Bears 14–7, Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 4:54. BUF – Fred Jackson 4 yard run (kick bloecked), Bears 14–13, Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:19. Fourth quarter BUF – Corey McIntyre 1 yard run (run failed), Bills 19–14, Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 4:21. CHI – Earl Bennett 2 yard pass from Jay Cutler (Jay Cutler – Matt Forte pass), Bears 22–19, Drive: 6 plays, 23 yards, 2:22. Top passers CHI – Jay Cutler – 17/30, 188 yards, 2 touchdowns BUF – Ryan Fitzpatrick – 31/51, 299 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions Top rushers CHI – Matt Forte – 14 rushes, 49 yards BUF – C. J. Spiller – 7 rushes, 20 yards Top receivers CHI – Earl Bennett – 4 receptions, 52 yards, 1 touchdown BUF – Stevie Johnson – 11 receptions, 145 yards Top tacklers CHI – Lance Briggs – 7 tackles, 1 forced fumble BUF – Donte Whitner – 7 tackles, 1 assist

Still searching for their first win of the season, the Bills flew to the Rogers Centre for their Week 9 interconference duel with the Chicago Bears. After a scoreless first quarter, Buffalo trailed in the second quarter as Bears quarterback Jay Cutler completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Greg Olsen. The Bills answered with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick hooked up with wide receiver Roscoe Parrish on a 14-yard touchdown pass.

Chicago retook the lead as running back Chester Taylor got a 1-yard touchdown run. The Bills responded with a 4-yard touchdown run from running back Fred Jackson (with a blocked extra point). Buffalo took the lead in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run from fullback Corey McIntyre (with a failed two-point conversion), but the Bears got the last laugh with Cutler completing a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Earl Bennett, along with a two-point conversion pass to running back Matt Forté.

With the loss, the Bills fell to their first 0–8 start since 1984. And became the first team to start out a season 0–8 since the Bengals and Lions in 2008.

Week 10: vs. Detroit Lions

Week 10: Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	0	3	0	9	12
Bills	0	7	7	0	14

at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

• Date: November 14
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C) (Mostly Cloudy/Rain)
• Game attendance: 56,721
• Referee: Walt Coleman
• TV announcers (Fox): Ron Pitts, John Lynch and Charissa Thompson (blacked out locally)
• http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2010111406/2010/REG10/lions@bills

Game information

First quarter Second quarter BUF – Fred Jackson 1 yard run (Rian Lindell kick), Bills 7–0, Drive: 5 plays, 57 yards, 2:07. DET – Dave Rayner 25 yard field goal, Billts 7–3, Drive: 7 plays, 23 yards, 0:39. Third quarter BUF – Fred Jackson 16 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindel kick), Bills 14–3, Drive: 6 plays, 73 yards, 3:34. Fourth quarter DET – Dave Rayner 45 yard field goal, Bills 14–6, Drive: 7 plays, 61 yards, 2:44. DET – Calvin Johnson 20 yard pass from Shaun Hill (pass failed), Bills 14–12, Drive: 15 plays, 88 yards, 3:31. Top passers DET – Shaun Hill – 29/50, 323 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception BUF – Ryan Fitzpatrick – 12/24, 146 yards, 1 touchdown Top rushers DET – Jahvid Best – 17 rushes, 35 yards BUF – Fred Jackson – 25 rushes, 133 yards, 1 touchdown Top receivers DET – Calvin Johnson – 10 receptions, 128 yards, 1 touchdown BUF – Lee Evans – 2 receptions, 52 yards Top tacklers DET – Julian Peterson – 5 tackles, 1 assist BUF – Paul Posluszny – 11 tackles, 2 assist

Still on the hunt for their first win of the season the Bills played on home ground for an interconference duel with the Lions. In the 2nd quarter the Bills took the lead after RB Fred Jackson got a 1-yard TD run. In that quarter the Lions only came away with a 25-yard field goal by Dave Rayner. The Bills increased their lead in the third quarter with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick completing a 16-yard TD pass to Jackson. The Lions tried to come back in the 4th quarter with Rayner making a 45-yard field goal and with QB Shaun Hill throwing a 20-yard TD pass to WR Calvin Johnson. The two-point conversion attempt failed, giving the Bills their first victory of the season and eliminating their chances of a winless season.

With the win, the Bills improved to 1–8.

Week 11: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 11: Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	7	7	14	21	49
Bengals	7	24	0	0	31

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

• Date: November 21
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C) (18.3 °C)
• Game attendance: 55,654
• Referee: Ed Hochuli
• TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker
• http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2010112102/2010/REG11/bills@bengals

Game information

First quarter CIN – Chad Ochocinco 2 yard pass from Carson Palmer (Aaron Pettrey kick), Bengals 7–0, Drive: 13 plays, 62 yards, 6:53. BUF – Fred Jackson 7 yard run (Rian Lindell kick), Tied 7–7, Drive: 12 plays, 89 yards, 6:03. Second quarter CIN – Terrell Owens 4 yard pass from Carson Palmer (Aaron Pettrey kick), Bengals 14–7, Drive: 6 plays, 78 yards, 2:54. CIN – Cedric Benson 1 yard run (Aaron Pettrey kick), Bengals 21–7, Drive: 4 plays, 34 yards, 2:18. CIN – Johnathan Joseph 21 yard interception return (Aaron Pettrey kick), Bengals 28–7, BUF – Donald Jones 28 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Bengals 28–14, Drive: 4 plays, 56 yards, 1:21. CIN – Aaron Pettrey 19 yard field goal, Bengals 31–14, Drive: 6 plays, 59 yards, 1:17. Third quarter BUF – Stevie Johnson 28 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Bengals 31–21, Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 4:17. BUF – Drayton Florence 27 yard fumble return (Rian Lindell kick), Bengals 31–28, Fourth quarter BUF – Steve Johnson 11 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Bills 35–31, Drive: 8 plays, 49 yards, 3:47. BUF – Steve Johnson 32 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Bills 42–31, Drive: 3 plays, 49 yards, 1:29. BUF – Fred Jackson 30 yard run (Rian Lindell kick), Bills 49–31, Drive: 2 plays, 36 yards, 0:38. Top passers BUF – Ryan Fitzpatrick – 21/34, 316 yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions CIN – Carson Palmer – 19/34, 230 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions Top rushers BUF – Fred Jackson – 21 rushes, 116 yards, 2 touchdowns CIN – Cedric Benson – 25 rushes, 124 yards, 1 touchdown Top receivers BUF – Stevie Johnson – 8 receptions, 137 yards, 3 touchdowns CIN – Jordan Shipley – 5 receptions, 71 yards Top tacklers BUF – Paul Posluszny – 6 tackles, 4 assists CIN – Dhani Jones – 6 tackles, 2 assists

After coming away with their first win the Bills flew to Paul Brown Stadium for an AFC duel with the Bengals. Ryan Fitzpatrick matched his career high with four touchdown passes during Buffalo's biggest comeback in 13 years, and the Bills won their second consecutive game Sunday, 49–31 over the bumbling Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals (2–8) appeared to be in control after Johnathan Joseph's interception return put them ahead 28–7 in the second quarter. The Bengals' smallest crowd since 2003 saw a vintage collapse. Buffalo (2–8) took advantage of Cincinnati's depleted secondary—Joseph and safety Chris Crocker went out late in the first half—for its biggest comeback since it overcame a 26–0 deficit and topped the Indianapolis Colts 37–35 on Sep 21, 1997, according to STATS LLC. Steve Johnson caught three of the touchdown passes, including an 11-yarder that put Buffalo ahead 35–31 early in the fourth quarter. Johnson finished with eight catches for 137 yards and 3 touchdowns.

With the win, Buffalo improved to 2–8 and are still in postseason contention.

After Week 11, The Buffalo Bills won the GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Week and now are nominated for the Never Say Never moment of the 2010 season.

Week 12: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 12: Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Steelers	7	6	0	3	3	19
Bills	0	0	7	9	0	16

at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

• Date: November 28
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C) (Cloudy)
• Game attendance: 69,642
• Referee: John Parry
• TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots
• http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2010112801/2010/REG12/steelers@bills

Game information

First quarter PIT – Rashard Mendenhall 1 yard run (Shaun Suisham kick), Steelers 7–0, Drive: 13 plays, 78 yards, 7:54. Second quarter PIT – Shaun Suisham 45 yard field goal, Steelers 10–0, Drive: 14 plays, 51 yards, 6:12. PIT – Shaun Suisham 46 yard field goal, Steelers 13–0, Drive: 8 plays, 54 yards, 1:39. Third quarter BUF – Fred Jackson 65 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Steelers 13–7, Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 1:09. Fourth quarter BUF – Rian Lindell 29 yard field goal, Steelers 13–10, Drive: 11 plays, 69 yards, 3:45. BUF – Rian Lindell 32 yard field goal, Tied 13–13, Drive: 4 plays, 9 yards, 1:47. PIT – Shaun Suisham 48 yard field goal, Steelers 16–13, Drive: 9 plays, 50 yards, 5:06. BUF – Rian Lindell 49 yard field goal, Tied 16–16, Drive: 6 plays, 23 yards, 0:44. Overtime PIT – Shaun Suisham 41 yard field goal, Steelers 19–16, Drive: 13 plays, 58 yards, 7:06. Top passers PIT – Ben Roethlisberger – 20/33, 246 yards BUF – Ryan Fitzpatrick – 23/45, 265 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception Top rushers PIT – Rashard Mendenhall – 36 rushes, 151 yards, 1 touchdown BUF – Fred Jackson – 12 yards, 59 yards Top receivers PIT – Hines Ward – 7 receptions, 107 yards BUF – Fred Jackson – 5 receptions, 104 yards, 1 touchdown Top tacklers PIT – James Harrison – 5 tackles, 1 assist, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble BUF – Donte Whitner – 8 tackles, 10 assists

Coming off their win over the Bengals, the Bills went home, donned their throwbacks, and played a Week 13 intraconference duel with the Pittsburgh Steelers. This was head coach Chan Gailey's first time facing the Steelers since leaving team in 1998 to become the new head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Gailey served as the Steelers' wide receiver coach from 1994 to 1995 and as offensive coordinator from 1996 to 1997. Buffalo trailed early in the first quarter as Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall got a 1-yard touchdown run. Pittsburgh added onto their lead in the second quarter with kicker Shaun Suisham getting a 45-yard and a 46-yard field goal.

The Bills answered in the third quarter as quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick found running back Fred Jackson on a 65-yard touchdown reception. Buffalo would tie the game in the fourth quarter with a 29-yard and a 32-yard field goal from kicker Rian Lindell. The Steelers would regain the lead as Suisham made a 48-yard field goal, yet the Bills tied the game again with Lindell's 49-yard field goal. Wide Receiver Stevie Johnson dropped what would have been a 40-yard, game-ending touchdown pass in overtime. However, Pittsburgh got the last laugh in overtime as Suisham booted the game-winning 41-yard field goal.

With the loss, the Bills fell to 2–9 and were eliminated from postseason contention.

Week 13: at Minnesota Vikings

Week 13: Buffalo Bills at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	7	0	0	7	14
Vikings	7	24	0	7	38

at Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

• Date: December 5
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: None (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 64,012
• Referee: Jerome Boger
• TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots
• http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2010120500/2010/REG13/bills@vikings

Game information

First quarter BUF – Drayton Florence 40 yard interception return (Rian Lindell kick), Bills 7–0, MIN – Sidney Rice 31 yard pass from Tarvaris Jackson (Ryan Longwell kick), Tied 7–7, Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 2:49. Second quarter MIN – Adrian Peterson 2 yard run (Ryan Longwell kick), Vikings 14–7, Drive: 4 plays, 14 yards, 1:41. MIN – Adrian Peterson 3 yard run (Ryan Longwell kick), Vikings 21–7, Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 2:07. MIN – Sidney Rice 6 yard pass from Tarvaris Jackson (Ryan Longwell kick), Vikings 28–7, Drive: 2 plays, 5 yards, 0:47. MIN – Ryan Longwell 38 yard field goal, Vikigns 31–7, Drive: 12 plays, 62 yards, 5:08. Third quarter Fourth quarter MIN – Adrian Peterson 43 yard run (Ryan Longwell kick), Vikings 38–7, Drive: 1 plays, 43 yards, 0:06. BUF – David Nelson 12 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Vikings 38–14, Drive: 5 plays, 43 yards, 1:02. Top passers BUF – Ryan Fitzpatrick – 15/25, 158 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception MIN – Tarvaris Jackson – 15/22, 187 yards, 2 touchdowns, 3 interceptions Top rushers BUF – Fred Jackson – 11 rushes, 42 yards MIN – Adrian Peterson – 16 rushes, 107 yards, 3 touchdowns Top receivers BUF – Lee Evans – 3 receptions, 82 yards MIN – Sidney Rice – 5 receptions, 102 yards, 2 touchdowns Top tacklers BUF – Paul Posluszny – 11 tackles, 4 assists, 1 sack MIN – Husain Abdullah – 5 tackles, 2 assists

The Bills' twelfth game was an interconference duel with the Vikings. It featured Bills LB Arthur Moats' hit on Vikings QB Brett Favre, which would end the longest streak of quarterback starts in NFL history at 297 games. The Bills took the lead with CB Drayton Florence returning an interception 40 yards for a touchdown. They soon fell behind with Vikings backup QB Tarvaris Jackson throwing a 31-yard TD pass to WR Sidney Rice. Followed in the second quarter by RB Adrian Peterson getting a 2 and a 3-yard TD run. Then Jackson found Rice again on a 6-yard TD pass, followed by kicker Ryan Longwell nailing a 38-yard field goal. They continued to struggle in the fourth quarter when Peterson ran 43 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. The Bills responded with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick getting a 12-yard TD pass to TE David Martin.

With the loss, Buffalo fell to 2–10.

Week 14: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week 14: Cleveland Browns at Buffalo Bills – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	3	3	0	0	6
Bills	0	10	0	3	13

at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

• Date: December 12
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C) (Rain)
• Game attendance: 50,861
• Referee: Scott Green
• TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui and Steve Beuerlein
• http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2010121201/2010/REG14/browns@bills

Game information

First quarter CLE – Phil Dawson 19 yard field goal, Browns 3–0, Drive: 9 plays, 54 yards, 4:49. Second quarter BUF – David Nelson 11 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Bills 7–3, Drive: 14 plays, 89 yards, 8:14. CLE – Phil Dawson 25 yard field goal, Bills 7–6, Drive: 11 plays, 73 yards, 5:36. BUF – Rian Lindell 30 yard field goal, Bills 10–6, Drive: 9 plays, 63 yards, 3:38. Third quarter Fourth quarter BUF – Rian Lindell 19 yard field goal, Bills 13–6, Drive: 6 plays, 22 yards, 3:07. Top passers CLE – Jake Delhomme – 12/20, 86 yards, 1 interception BUF – Ryan Fitzpatrick – 14/23, 142 yards, 1 touchdown Top rushers CLE – Peyton Hillis – 21 rushes, 108 yards BUF – Fred Jackson – 29 rushes, 112 yards Top receivers CLE – Mohamed Massaquoi – 3 receptions, 43 yards BUF – Jonathan Stupar – 3 receptions, 45 yards Top tacklers CLE – T. J. Ward – 7 tackles, 1 assist BUF – Akin Ayodele – 6 tackles, 4 assists

Hoping to snap a two-game losing streak the Bills played on home ground for an AFC duel against the Browns. The Bills trailed early as kicker Phil Dawson got a 19-yard field goal, but they took the lead in the second quarter as QB Ryan Fitzpatrick completed an 11-yard TD pass to WR David Nelson. The lead was narrowed when Dawson made a 25-yard field goal, but was expanded after kicker Rian Lindell nailed a 30 and a 19-yard field goal.

With the win, the Bills improved to 3–10.

Week 15: at Miami Dolphins

Week 15: Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	0	10	7	0	17
Dolphins	0	7	0	7	14

at Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

• Date: December 19
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C) (Cloudy)
• Game attendance: 65,511
• Referee: Jeff Triplette
• TV announcers (CBS): Bill Macatee and Rich Gannon
• Recap

Game information

First quarter Second quarter BUF – David Nelson 18 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Bills 7–0, Drive: 9 plays, 35 yards, 4:26. BUF – Rian Lindell 29 yard field goal, Bills 10–0, Drive: 5 plays, 32 yards, 1:59. MIA – Ronnie Brown 6 yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), Bills 10–7, Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 3:57. Third quarter BUF – Stevie Johnson 15 yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Rian Lindell kick), Bills 17–7, Drive: 11 plays, 86 yards, 6:25. Fourth quarter MIA – Brandon Marshall 9 yard pass from Chad Henne (Dan Carpenter kick), Bills 17–14, Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards, 6:59. Top passers BUF – Ryan Fizpatrick – 16/26, 223 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception MIA – Chad Henne – 33/45, 276 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception Top rushers BUF – Fred Jackson – 15 rushes, 36 yards MIA – Ronnie Brown – 10 rushes, 39 yards, 1 touchdown Top receivers BUF – Stevie Johnson – 6 receptions, 69 yards, 1 touchdown MIA – Brandon Marshall – 11 receptions, 106 yards, 1 touchdown Top tacklers BUF – Drayton Florence – 7 tackles MIA – Yeremiah Bell – 9 tackles

Coming off their win over the Browns the Bills flew south to Sun Life Stadium for an AFC East rivalry rematch against the Dolphins. The second quarter saw the Bills taking the early advantage with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick completing an 18-yard TD pass to WR David Nelson. This was followed by kicker Rian Lindell nailing a 29-yard field goal. The Dolphins responded with RB Ronnie Brown getting a 6-yard TD run, but the Bills increased their lead in the third quarter with Fitzpatrick throwing a 15-yard TD pass to WR Stevie Johnson. The lead was narrowed in the fourth quarter with QB Chad Henne getting a 9-yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall, but the Bills defense was solid enough to hang them on for the win.

With the win, Buffalo improved to 4–10.

Week 16: vs. New England Patriots

Week 16: New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	7	17	7	3	34
Bills	3	0	0	0	3

at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

• Date: December 26
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 22 °F (−6 °C) (Cloudy)
• Game attendance: 68,281
• Referee: Alberto Riveron
• TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots
• Recap

Game information

First quarter BUF – Rian Lindell 26 yard field goal, Bills 3–0, Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 4:52. NE – Danny Woodhead 29 yard run (Shayne Graham kick), Patriots 7–3, Drive: 4 plays, 48 yards, 1:47. Second quarter NE – Rob Gronkowski 8 yard pass from Tom Brady (Shayne Graham kick), Patriots 14–3, Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:25. NE – Shayne Graham 34 yard field goal, Patriots 17–3, Drive: 10 plays, 52 yards, 3:35. NE – Alge Crumpler 4 yard pass from Tom Brady (Shayne Graham kick), Patriots 24–3, Drive: 7 plays, 27 yards, 1:51. Third quarter NE – Rob Gronkowski 8 yard pass from Tom Brady (Shayne Graham kick), Patriots 31–3, Drive: 3 plays, 11 yards, 0:44. Fourth quarter NE – Shayne Graham 26 yard field goal, Patriots 34–3, Drive: 11 plays, 47 yards, 5:53. Top passers NE – Tom Brady – 15/27, 140 yards, 3 touchdowns BUF – Ryan Fitzpatrick – 18/37, 251 yards, 3 interceptions Top rushers NE – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 19 rushes, 104 yards BUF – Fred Jackson – 13 rushes, 81 yards Top receivers NE – Rob Gronkowski – 4 receptions, 54 yards, 2 touchdowns BUF – Naaman Roosevelt – 4 receptions, 74 yards Top tacklers NE – Tully Banta-Cain – 6 tackles, 2 assists BUF – Akin Ayodele – 11 tackles, 6 assists

Coming off their win over the Dolphins the Bills played an AFC East rivalry rematch against the Patriots. In the first quarter the Bills had the early lead as kicker Rian Lindell hit a 26-yard field goal, but failed to maintain this lead as the Patriots dominated the rest of the game with Danny Woodhead getting a 29-yard TD run, followed by QB Tom Brady completing an 8-yard TD pass to TE Rob Gronkowski, then with kicker Shayne Graham nailing a 34-yard field goal, and with Brady completing a 4 and an 8-yard TD pass to TE Alge Crumpler and to Gronkowski. After that Graham made a 26-yard field goal.

With the loss, the Bills fell to 4–11.

Week 17: at New York Jets

Week Seventeen: Buffalo Bills (4–11) at New York Jets (10–5)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	0	0	7	0	7
Jets	10	7	7	14	38

at New Meadowlands Stadium • East Rutherford, New Jersey

• Date: January 2
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Overcast • 48 °F (9 °C) • Wind W 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h; 4.3 kn)
• Game attendance: 79,019
• Referee: Carl Cheffers
• TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker
• GameBook

Game information
Bills Brian Brohm 10/23, 106 Yds, 3 INT Fred Jackson 13 Rush, 35 Yds Stevie Johnson 5 Rec, 72 Yds Jets Mark Brunell 6/12, 110 Yds, 2 TD, INT Joe McKnight 32 Rush, 158 Yds Braylon Edwards 1 Rec, 52 Yds, TD

The Bills' final game was a division rivalry rematch against the Jets. The Bills trailed early with kicker Nick Folk making a 28-yard field goal. Their offense struggled as CB Marquice Cole returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown, which was then followed by QB Mark Brunell making a 17-yard TD pass to WR Santonio Holmes. The Bills made their only score of the game with FS Jairus Byrd returning an interception 37 yards for a touchdown, but they fell further behind after Brunell found WR Braylon Edwards on a 52-yard TD pass. This was followed by QB Kellen Clemens scrambling 10 yards for a touchdown, then with RB John Conner getting a 16-yard TD run.

With the loss, the Bills finish with a 4–12 record.

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Bills Jets 1 4:58 12 79 7:30 Jets 28-yard field goal by Nick Folk 0 3 2 9:07 Jets Interception returned 35 yards for touchdown by Maurice Cole, Nick Folk kick good 0 10 2 0:15 8 59 1:45 Jets Santonio Holmes 17-yard touchdown reception from Mark Brunell, Nick Folk kick good 0 17 3 13:06 Bills Interception returned 37 yards for touchdown by Jairus Byrd, Rian Lindell kick good 7 17 3 6:41 2 58 0:46 Jets Braylon Edwards 52-yard touchdown reception from Mark Brunell, Nick Folk kick good 7 24 4 9:18 5 27 2:31 Jets Kellen Clemens 10-yard touchdown run, Nick Folk kick good 7 31 4 6:45 5 34 2:17 Jets John Conner 16-yard touchdown run, Nick Folk kick good 7 38 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 7 38

References

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2010 Buffalo Bills season.

1. ESPN: AFC East's Best – #11
2. Pro Football Focus – Kyle Williams: Beast
3. . Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
4. Football Outsiders: Four Downs – AFC East
5. Pro Football Reference – 2010 Buffalo Bills
6. ["2006 Buffalo Bills Statistics & Players | Pro-Football-Reference.com".}]
7. John Wawrow (September 27, 2010). "Bills release QB Trent Edwards – NFL Wire". The Buffalo News. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
8. Mark Long (September 28, 2010). "Jaguars claim QB Edwards off waivers from Bills – NFL Wire". The Buffalo News. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
9. Tim Booth (October 5, 2010). "Bills send RB Lynch to Seahawks – NFL Wire". The Buffalo News. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
10. . Archived from the original on April 2, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
11. Final 2010 DVOA Ratings
12. Pro Football Reference; 2010 Buffalo Bills
13. "2010 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved December 8, 2013.