2026 Buffalo Bills season
American football team season
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The 2026 season is the Buffalo Bills' 57th in the National Football League (NFL), their 67th overall, their 12th full season under the ownership of Terry and Kim Pegula, their tenth under GM Brandon Beane and their first with Joe Brady as head coach. This will be their first season since 2016 without longtime head coach Sean McDermott, as he was fired on January 19, 2026, following their overtime defeat against the Denver Broncos in the 2025-26 Divisional round.[1][2] The Bills are seeking to improve upon their 12–5 record from the previous season, reclaim the AFC East title, and achieve their eighth straight winning season.
| 2026 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| |
| Owner | Terry and Kim Pegula |
| General manager | Brandon Beane |
| Head coach | Joe Brady |
| Offensive coordinator | Pete Carmichael Jr. |
| Defensive coordinator | Jim Leonhard |
| Home stadium | Highmark Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–1 |
| Division place | 1st AFC East |
| Uniform | |
 | |
This is the Bills' first season playing their home games at Highmark Stadium, replacing the old previous stadium, also named Highmark Stadium, which is in the process of demolition.[3] Starting with this season, the Canadian national anthem is played before every home game. This marks the first time an NFL team has played any anthem other than the American one in the United States.[4]
Off-season
Coaching changes
Following their defeat in the Divisional Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs, the Bills fired head coach Sean McDermott.[5][2]
On January 27, 2026, the Bills promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to be the team's replacement for Sean McDermott. He signed a 5-year deal to become the team's head coach. Brady previously spent the past two full seasons as the Bills' offensive coordinator under McDermott. He took the OC position on an interim basis in November 2023, after being hired as the team's quarterbacks coach in 2022.[6][7]
| Position | Name | Reason | 2026 Replacement | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Sean McDermott | Fired | Joe Brady | January 19 | [2] |
| Cornerbacks coach | Jahmile Addae | Accepted job with Miami Dolphins | Jay Valai | January 29 | [8] |
| Defensive coordinator | Bobby Babich | Accepted job with Green Bay Packers | Jim Leonhard | January 28 | [9] |
| Defensive line coach | Marcus West | Accepted job with Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Terrance Jamison | January 29 | [10] |
| Defensive quality control coach/Offensive advisor | Christian Taylor | Accepted job with Wyoming Cowboys | Craig Robertson | December 19[a] | [11] |
| Inside linebackers coach | position created | John Egorugwu | February 2 | [12] | |
| Linebackers coach | Al Holcomb | Accepted job with Las Vegas Raiders | position abolished | February 18 | [13] |
| Nickel cornerbacks coach | Mike Pellegrino | Accepted job with Philadelphia Eagles | position abolished | February 13 | [14] |
| Offensive assistant | position created | Trace McSorley | February 26 | [15] | |
| Offensive coordinator | Joe Brady | Promoted to head coach | Pete Carmichael Jr. | January 27 | [16] |
| Outside linebackers coach | position created | Bobby April III | February 1 | [17] | |
| Offensive line coach | Aaron Kromer | Retired | Pat Meyer | January 18 | [18] |
| Quarterbacks coach | Ronald Curry | Accepted job with Denver Broncos | Bo Hardegree | February 3 | [19] |
| Senior assistant | position created | John Fox | February 13 | [20] | |
| Senior defensive assistant | Ryan Nielsen | Accepted job with Minnesota Vikings | Jason Rebrovich[b] | January 31 | [21] |
| Special teams coordinator | Chris Tabor | Accepted job with Miami Dolphins | Jeff Rodgers | January 23 | [22] |
| Wide receivers coach | Adam Henry | Accepted job with Pittsburgh Steelers | Drew Terrell | January 28 | [23] |
Uniform changes
On July 27, 2026, the Bills announced new 'Nickel City' uniforms featuring a "all-gray jersey-pants combination" as "a tribute to the strength, grit and authenticity of Western New York's hard-working people throughout history".[24] The outfit also features a new helmet design resembling the "charging buffalo" team logo.[25] When it was announced, the new uniform received significant negative responses on all social media platforms.[26]
Season summary
Regular season
Week 1: at Houston Texans
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 3 | 21 | 3 | 9 | 36 |
| Texans | 7 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 31 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
- Date: September 13
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 71,008
- Referee: Alex Moore
- TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Ross Tucker and Evan Washburn
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Greg Rousseau had 2 forced fumbles in this game, with Terrel Bernard recovering one of those fumbles with only 9 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to secure victory for Buffalo in what was otherwise described as an offensive shootout.[27] With the win, the Bills defeated the Texans on the road for the first time since 2006 and overall since 2021. Additionally, Brady became the fourth coach in Bills history to win their debut as the team's head coach.[28] Tight end Dalton Kincaid had the most receiving yards by a Bills tight end since 1967, with 130 yards in this game.[29]
Recording four touchdowns in this game (two passing and two rushing), Josh Allen became the fastest quarterback in NFL history to reach 300 touchdowns in the regular season, at 129 games.[30] Allen's performance in this game was described as "impressive" and "memorable" by Sports Illustrated,[31] with CBS saying he "delivered in the game's most tense moments" and The Guardian saying "The Bills quarterback produced his usual thrills".[32][33]
Week 2: vs. Detroit Lions
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 0 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| Bills | 14 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 41 |
at Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Date: September 17
- Game time: 8:15 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 67 °F (19 °C)
- Game attendance: 60,644
- Referee: Ron Torbert
- TV announcers (WKBW/Prime Video): Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit and Kaylee Hartung
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
With their first win in Highmark Stadium, the Bills started 2–0 for the third consecutive season. Head coach Joe Brady became the first in franchise history to start his coaching career with two wins.[34] Greg Rousseau had another standout performance, with multiple sacks in this game.[35] This also marked Buffalo's 7th consecutive win against the Lions since 2006.
Despite experiencing flu-like symptoms before the game, Josh Allen had five total touchdowns (three passing and two rushing), 248 yards, and zero interceptions with a performance that The Athletic described as "dominant", "stellar", and "outstanding" and one that made USA Today say Allen is playing "the best he ever has".[36][37] With this game, Allen became the first player in NFL history with at least five touchdown passes and three touchdown runs through the first two games of the season. He also recorded his fourth career game with three touchdown passes and two touchdown runs, with no other player having more than two such performances.[38]
Week 3: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| Bills | 0 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
at Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Date: September 27
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Sunny, 68 °F (20 °C)
- Game attendance: 60,361
- Referee: Clete Blakeman
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
With the win, the Bills started 3–0 for the third consecutive season.
Week 4: vs. New England Patriots
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 29 |
| Bills | 0 | 17 | 0 | 9 | 26 |
at Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Date: October 4
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 69 °F (21 °C)
- Game attendance: 60,606
- Referee: Bill Vinovich
- TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Ross Tucker and Evan Washburn
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
With the loss, the Bills fell to 3–1 and began 0–1 against their division. This also marked the Bills' second straight home loss to the Patriots.
Week 5: at Los Angeles Rams
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 6 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 37 |
| Rams | 0 | 7 | 7 | 20 | 0 | 34 |
at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
- Date: October 12
- Game time: 8:15 p.m. EDT/5:15 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 69 °F (21 °C) (fixed roof)
- Game attendance: 73,882
- Referee: Scott Novak
- TV announcers (ESPN/ABC): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Lisa Salters
- Recap, Game Book
With the win, the Bills improved to 4–1 for the second consecutive year. This marked the first overtime win of Josh Allen’s career, after losing the previous seven scenarios including the postseason. This also marked the Bills' first regular season overtime win since the 2017 Snow Bowl.
Week 6: at Las Vegas Raiders
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Raiders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada
- Date: October 18
- Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT/1:25 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- TV: CBS
- Preview
Schedule and results
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 15 | Carolina Panthers | W 29–14 | 1–0 | Highmark Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | August 22 | at Cleveland Browns | W 31–7 | 2–0 | Huntington Bank Field | Recap |
| 3 | August 27 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 28–27 | 3–0 | Highmark Stadium | Recap |
Regular season
The Bills' 2026 schedule was released on May 14, 2026.[39]
| Week | Date | Time (ET) | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Network | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 13 | 1:00 p.m. | at Houston Texans | W 36–31 | 1–0 | Reliant Stadium | CBS | 71,008 | Recap |
| 2 | September 17 | 8:15 p.m. | Detroit Lions | W 41–31 | 2–0 | Highmark Stadium | Prime Video | 60,644 | Recap |
| 3 | September 27 | 1:00 p.m. | Los Angeles Chargers | W 24–16 | 3–0 | Highmark Stadium | Fox | 60,361 | Recap |
| 4 | October 4 | 1:00 p.m. | New England Patriots | L 26–29 | 3–1 | Highmark Stadium | CBS | 60,606 | Recap |
| 5 | October 12 | 8:15 p.m. | at Los Angeles Rams | W 37–34 (OT) | 4–1 | SoFi Stadium | ESPN/ABC | 73,882 | Recap |
| 6 | October 18 | 4:25 p.m. | at Las Vegas Raiders | Allegiant Stadium | CBS | ||||
| 7 | Bye | ||||||||
| 8 | November 1 | 1:00 p.m. | Baltimore Ravens | Highmark Stadium | CBS | ||||
| 9 | November 9 | 8:15 p.m. | at Minnesota Vikings | U.S. Bank Stadium | ESPN/ABC | ||||
| 10 | November 15 | 1:00 p.m. | at New York Jets | MetLife Stadium | CBS | ||||
| 11 | November 22 | 1:00 p.m. | Miami Dolphins | Highmark Stadium | Fox | ||||
| 12 | November 26 | 8:20 p.m. | Kansas City Chiefs | Highmark Stadium | NBC | ||||
| 13 | December 6 | 4:25 p.m. | at New England Patriots | Gillette Stadium | CBS | ||||
| 14 | December 13 | 8:20 p.m. | at Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | NBC | ||||
| 15 | December 19 | 8:20 p.m. | Chicago Bears | Highmark Stadium | CBS | ||||
| 16 | December 25 | 4:30 p.m. | at Denver Broncos | Empower Field at Mile High | Netflix | ||||
| 17 | January 3 | 1:00 p.m. | at Miami Dolphins | Hard Rock Stadium | CBS | ||||
| 18 | January 9/10 | TBD | New York Jets | Highmark Stadium | TBD | ||||
Notes
- Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
- Networks and times from Weeks 8–17 and dates from Weeks 12–17 are subject to change as a result of flexible scheduling; games in Weeks 9, 12, 15 and 16 are exempt.[40]
- The date, time and network for Week 18 will be finalized at the end of Week 17.[40]
Standings
Divisional standings
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Buffalo Bills | 4 | 1 | 0 | .800 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 164 | 141 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 110 | 94 | W2 |
| New York Jets | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 93 | 96 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 0 | 5 | 0 | .000 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 70 | 132 | L5 |
Conference standings
| Seed | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division leaders | |||||||||||
| 1 | Kansas City Chiefs | West | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 2–0 | 4–0 | .400 | .400 | W4 |
| 2 | Baltimore Ravens | North | 4 | 1 | 0 | .800 | 0–0 | 2–0 | .280 | .300 | W3 |
| 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars | South | 4 | 1 | 0 | .800 | 0–0 | 3–1 | .560 | .550 | W3 |
| 4 | Buffalo Bills | East | 4 | 1 | 0 | .800 | 0–1 | 2–1 | .360 | .300 | W1 |
| Wild cards | |||||||||||
| 5 | New England Patriots | East | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 1–0 | 3–1 | .680 | .667 | W2 |
| 6 | Denver Broncos | West | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 1–1 | 2–1 | .625 | .400 | W1 |
| 7 | Las Vegas Raiders | West | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 1–1 | 2–2 | .333 | .067 | L1 |
| In the hunt | |||||||||||
| 8 | Cleveland Browns | North | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 1–0 | 1–2 | .500 | .429 | L1 |
| 9 | Pittsburgh Steelers | North | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 1–1 | 2–2 | .520 | .467 | W1 |
| 10 | Cincinnati Bengals | North | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 0–1 | 2–2 | .360 | .133 | W1 |
| 11 | New York Jets | East | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 0–0 | 2–0 | .480 | .300 | W1 |
| 12 | Indianapolis Colts | South | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 1–0 | 1–3 | .563 | .250 | L1 |
| 13 | Houston Texans | South | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 1–1 | 1–3 | .440 | .000 | W1 |
| 14 | Miami Dolphins | East | 0 | 5 | 0 | .000 | 0–0 | 0–3 | .833 | .000 | L5 |
| 15 | Los Angeles Chargers | West | 0 | 5 | 0 | .000 | 0–2 | 0–3 | .560 | .000 | L5 |
| 16 | Tennessee Titans | South | 0 | 5 | 0 | .000 | 0–1 | 0–3 | .500 | .000 | L5 |
Roster changes
Arrivals
Departures
Trades
| Position | Arrived | From | Date of trade | Departed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | D. J. Moore 2026 5th-round pick | Chicago Bears | March 11, 2026[74] | 2026 2nd-round pick |
| CB | 2026 6th-round pick | Las Vegas Raiders | March 11, 2026[75] | Taron Johnson 2026 7th-round pick |
| C | 2027 6th-round pick | Indianapolis Colts | August 30, 2026[76] | Sedrick Van Pran-Granger 2027 7th-round pick |
Current roster
Draft results
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | Traded to the Houston Texans[A] | |||
| 28 | Traded to the New England Patriots[B] | From Texans[A] | |||
| 31 | Traded to the Tennessee Titans[C] | From Patriots[B] | |||
| 2 | 35 | T. J. Parker | DE | Clemson | From Titans[C] |
| 60 | Traded to the Chicago Bears[D] | ||||
| 62 | Davison Igbinosun | CB | Ohio State | From Broncos[E] | |
| 3 | 66 | Traded to the Denver Broncos[E] | From Titans[C] | ||
| 69 | Traded to the Tennessee Titans[C] | From Giants via Texans[A] | |||
| 91 | Traded to the Houston Texans[A] | ||||
| 4 | 101 | Traded to the Las Vegas Raiders[F] | From Titans[C] | ||
| 102 | Jude Bowry | OT | Boston College | From Raiders[F] | |
| 125 | Skyler Bell | WR | UConn | From Bears via Chiefs and Patriots[B] | |
| 126 | Kaleb Elarms-Orr | LB | TCU | ||
| 5 | 165 | Traded to the Tennessee Titans[C] | From Bears[D] | ||
| 167 | Jalon Kilgore | S | South Carolina | From Texans via Eagles and Texans[A] | |
| 168 | Traded to the Detroit Lions[G] | ||||
| 181 | Zane Durant | DT | Penn State | From Lions[G] | |
| 6 | 182 | Traded to the Denver Broncos[E] | From Raiders[H] | ||
| 208 | Traded to the New York Jets[I] | ||||
| 213 | Traded to the Chicago Bears[J] | From Seahawks via Jaguars and Lions[G] | |||
| 7 | 220 | Toriano Pride Jr. | CB | Missouri | From Jets[I] |
| 228 | Traded to the Las Vegas Raiders[H] | From Cowboys[K] | |||
| 239 | Tommy Doman | P | Florida | From Eagles via Jaguars, Browns, and Bears[J] | |
| 241 | Ar'maj Reed-Adams | OG | Texas A&M | From Bears[J] | |
| 242 | Traded to the Cleveland Browns[L] | ||||
Draft trades
- The Bills traded first- (26th overall) and third- (91st overall) round selections to the Houston Texans in exchange for first- (28th overall), third- (69th overall) and fifth- (167th overall) round selections.[77]
- The Bills traded a first-round selection (28th overall) to the New England Patriots in exchange for first- (31st overall) and fourth- (125th overall) round selections.[78]
- The Bills traded first- (31st overall), third- (69th overall) and fifth- (165th overall) round selections to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for second- (35th overall), third- (66th overall) and fourth- (101st overall) round selections.[79]
- The Bills traded a second-round selection (60th overall) to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a fifth-round selection (165th overall) and WR D. J. Moore.[80]
- The Bills traded third- (66th overall) and sixth- (182nd overall) round selections to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a second-round selection (62nd overall).[81]
- The Bills traded a fourth-round selection (101st overall) to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for fourth- (102nd overall) and 2027 seventh-round selections.[82]
- The Bills traded a fifth-round selection (168th overall) to the Detroit Lions in exchange for fifth- (181st overall) and sixth- (213th overall) round selections.[83]
- The Bills traded a seventh-round selection (228th overall) and CB Taron Johnson to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a sixth-round selection (182nd overall).[84]
- The Bills traded, on August 27, 2024, a 2026 sixth-round selection (208th overall) to the New York Jets in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round selection (220th overall) and CB Brandon Codrington.[85]
- The Bills traded a sixth-round selection (213th overall) to the Chicago Bears in exchange for two seventh-round selections (239th and 241st overall).[86]
- The Bills traded, on March 12, 2025, a 2025 sixth-round selection and CB Kaiir Elam to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for 2025 fifth- and 2026 seventh- (228th overall) round selections.[87]
- The Bills traded, on October 15, 2024, 2025 third- and 2026 seventh- (242nd overall) round selections to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round selection and WR Amari Cooper.[88]
| Name | Position | College | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Acker | FB | Wisconsin | [89] |
| Gabriel Benyard | WR | Kennesaw State | |
| Cade Denhoff | DE | Clemson | |
| Jordan Dunbar | CB | Missouri State | |
| Bruno Fina | OT | Duke | |
| Theron Gaines | DT | Tennessee Tech | |
| Kody Huisman | DT | Virginia Tech | |
| Ja'Mori Maclin | WR | Kentucky | |
| Desmond Reid | RB | Pittsburgh | |
| Max Tomczak | WR | Youngstown State | |
| Kani Walker | CB | Arkansas | |
| Da'Metrius Weatherspoon | OT | Syracuse |
Staff
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