The Buffalo Bills is a professional American Football (gridiron) team in the National Football League. As members of the AFC East Division, they are a part of the NFL’s American Football Conference (AFC). The team, based in the Buffalo metropolitan area in western New York, plays its home games at the Highmark Stadium, in Orchard Park, New York. The team was originally founded as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960 – the opposition league to the NFL. However, after the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, they became a part of the NFL.
The name ‘Buffalo Bills’ came from a previous Buffalo franchise that was part of the All-America Football Conference, named after the famous Western frontiersman, Buffalo Bill. Most of its fan base comes from the western New York area – and this is the only team that plays its home games in the state of New York. However, the franchise does have some support in Ontario, Canada due to the franchise’s close proximity to the Canadian border. Ralph Wilson originally owned the team. However, after he passed away in 2014, Terry and Kim Pegula purchased the franchise.
Historically, the team has won 13 division titles, many of which came in the late 1980s and early 1990s when the franchise won six straight divisional titles. The Bills also won two consecutive AFL Championships in 1964 and 1965, which made them the only major professional sports champions representing Buffalo.
After they joined the NFL, the Bills consistently contended for postseason berths. Particularly, the team experienced success during the late 1980s and 1990s, during the Jim Kelly era. At this time, not only did they win six consecutive division titles, but they also appeared in four consecutive Super Bowls – an NFL record. However, the team lost all of these Super Bowls, a streak of championship-game futility that hounds the franchise even in modern times.
Between 2000 and 2016, the Buffalo Bills suffered a long playoff drought – not just for the NFL but for all four major North American professional sports. However, in the latter part of the 2010s, they hit form again, when they again became regular postseason contenders. As of yet, they still haven’t managed to reach the Super Bowl since the Kelly era. Heading into the 2023/24 season, the Bills are currently the team to have appeared in the Super Bowl the most without ever managing to win.
All About The Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills was one of eight founding members of the American Football League in 1960. In the first two seasons, they were considered one of the worst teams in the league. However, when they added quarterback Jack Kemp and running back Cookie Gilchrist to their roster in 1962, their fortunes started to turn. It was that year that Cookie Gilchrist was named the AFL’s MVP – and in the following season, he broke records by rushing 243 yards in one game.
In his first full season with the team, in 1963, Kemp helped to lead the Buffalo Bills to the playoffs and the very next season they won 12 of their 14 regular-season games and ended the season with the highest-ranked offense and defense in the AFL. Topping it all off, the Bills beat the San Diego Chargers in 1965, winning its first championship in five years of existence. They repeated the success in 1965 – again beating the Chargers and managed to make it through to the 1966 AFL championship game, but lost out to the Kansas City Chiefs – and missed out on entry into the very first AFL-NFL World Championship Game – now known as the Super Bowl.
The Buffalo Bills Player Personne
- Owner: Terry Pegula and Kim Pegula
- Head Coach: Sean McDermott
- General Manager: Brandon Beane
The Buffalo Bills Main Rivalries
The Buffalo Bills main rivals in the NFL are:
The Miami Dolphins
Many consider the Dolphins to be the Bills most famous rival. Although they both started out in the American Football League, the Dolphins joined in 1966 as an expansion team, whereas Buffalo was a founding team. The rivalry between the two really started to gain ground in the 1970s, when the Dolphins beat the Bills for 20 consecutive games, which was the NFL record for consecutive wins against one opponent. However, the Bills broke the run by winning their first matchup in the 1980s.
In the following decades, the fortunes changed – as future-Hall-of-Famer Jim Kelly joined Buffalo as their quarterback. A strong rivalry between him and the Dolphins quarterback, Dan Marino, grew in the 1980s and 1990s. Miami did appear in a Super Bowl under Marino but it was Buffalo that was the dominant team in the nineties for their conference.
When the two players retired, an era where the New England Patriots dominated resulted. Miami and Buffalo still remain fierce rivals. They are pretty close in terms of win-loss records, but it is the Dolphins that lead the overall series with 62 wins to the Bills 56 wins and 1 draw. However, in the playoffs, the Buffalo Bills have the advantage with 4 wins to 1 – which includes the 1992 AFC Championship Game. Furthermore, Buffalo eliminated Miami from the 2022/23 NFL playoffs with a 34-31 victory in the Wild Card round.
The New England Patriots
This rivalry first started when both of the teams became original members of the American Football League in 1960 – before the merger. After procuring quarterback Tom Brady, the New England Patriots became the dominating force of the AFC East division – beating the Bills on a regular basis. With Brady starting, the Patriots posted a record of 32-3 against the Bills. This has now led to many of the fans turning their bitter rivalries away from the Dolphins and to the Patriots.
However, since the departure of Tom Brady, the Buffalo Bills have started to fare a little better. When Brady was suspended for deflate-gate, the Bills managed to defeat the Patriots 16-0. Then, after he left the team for Tampa Bay in 2020, the Bills won both of the games in the next season, including a 38-9 win at Gillette Stadium. At the moment, mostly thanks to the Brady era with New England, the Patriots lead the head-to-head series against Buffalo 77-49-1.
The New York Jets
The New York Jets franchise, like Buffalo, was originally an AFL team. Both represented cities in the state of New York, although the Jets actually play their home games in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just across state lines. Although the rivalry, to some extent, represents the differences between Western New York and New York City, it isn’t considered as intense as the Bills rivalry with the Patriots or Dolphins – and some may even say that the fans even hold a grudging respect for the other if they aren’t playing each other. The games between these two teams can, however, become ugly and end up with a mediocre performance from both teams.
Recently the rivalry did heat up a little when Rex Ryan, the former Jets Head Coach, joined the Bills as Head Coach for two seasons – along with former Jets quarterback Sam Darnold being drafted. To date, the Buffalo Bills lead the series 68-57, which includes a 1981 Wild Card game playoff win.
Buffalo Bills Facts
All the facts and stats about the Buffalo Bills:
Buffalo Bills Nicknames
- Wings
- Americans
- New Yorkers
- Nickles
- Brewer/Distillers
Championships Wins:
To date, the Buffalo Bills have won two League Championships – in 1964 and 1965 but no Super Bowl Champions post-AFL/NFL merger.
NFL/NFC Conference Championships
In the Buffalo Bills franchise history, they have won the AFC Conference Championships four consecutive times:
- 1990
- 1991
- 1992
- 1993
Division Championships
The Buffalo Bills have won 13 division championships – 3 AFL Eastern Division titles:
- 1964
- 1965
- 1966
Plus the NFL team has won 9 AFC East Division titles:
- 1980
- 1988
- 1989
- 1990
- 1991
- 1993
- 1995
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
Playoff Berth Appearances
The Buffalo Bills clinched NFC playoff spots 21 times since they were first established:
- Four times in the AFL: 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1966.
- Seventeen times in the NFL: 1974, 1980, 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Buffalo Bills Home Fields
Since they were first created, the Buffalo Bills have had two home fields:
- The War Memorial Stadium between 1960 and 1972
- The Highmark Stadium from 1973 until present
Buffalo Bills Pro Football Hall of Famers
Players nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame are considered to have made an outstanding contribution to professional football.
Players
- No. Player Position Dates Induction
- 32 O. J. Simpson RB 1969–1977 1985
- 66 Billy Shaw OG 1961–1969 1999
- 12 Jim Kelly QB 1986–1996 2002
- 80 James Lofton WR 1989–1992 2003
- 68 Joe DeLamielleure OG 1973–1979, 1985 2003
- 34 Thurman Thomas RB 1988–1999 2007
- 78 Bruce Smith DE 1985–1999 2009
- 83 Andre Reed WR 1985–1999 2014
- 81 Terrell Owens WR 2009 2018
Coaches and Contributors
- Name Position Seasons Inducted
- Marv Levy Head coach 1986-1997
- . General Manager 2006–2007 2001
- Ralph Wilson Owner 1959–2014 2009
- Bill Polian General Manager 1984–1992 2015
- Tom Flores Asst. Coach 1971 2021
Buffalo Bills Most Valuable Player Awards
Here are all the Most Valuable Player Awards (MVP) received by Buffalo Bills players:
- Season Player Position
- 1973 OJ Simpson RB
- 1991 Thurman Thomas RB
Buffalo Bills FAQs
Can I Bet on NFL Draft Fantasy Menu Games?
If you live in a state where fantasy betting is legal then yes – and there are now more NFL sites for fantasy football bets than ever before. Find a chosen site, download draft fantasy filter and look through Falcons players such as Matt Ryan or Kyle Pitts to put on your team.
Where Can I Bet on the Bills Winning the Super Bowl?
If you live in a legal betting state then there are lots of options. Most bookies offer this option – simply pick a betting site that offers features such as live streaming, audio gallery, promo offers and excellent odds. Click on Super Bowl, menu, teams and look through your favorite teams. You can choose between all sorts of bets such as Moneyline, Totals, Against the Spread and also props bets such as single-player playlist playoffs performances etc.
Find out the form of your team – and their realistic chances. Look at their Instagram, Twitter, Facebook pages, gamepass games insights, CBS Sports news etc – to look for form, suspension and injuries. Check out location network news, pause – and come to a clear decision as to whether you believe the Bills can win. Stake your money and place the bet!
