2004 Buffalo Bills season
2004 Buffalo Bills season | |
---|---|
Owner | Ralph Wilson Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 9–7 |
Division place | 3rd AFC East |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | DT Sam Adams OLB Takeo Spikes CB Nate Clements KR Terrence McGee |
The 2004 Buffalo Bills season was their 45th in the National Football League. The team improved upon their previous season's output of 6–10, finishing 9–7.[1] However, this was the fifth consecutive season in which the team missed the playoffs.
Buffalo needed a win in the final game of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers to qualify for the playoffs. However, despite the Steelers playing their third-stringers (which, notably, included Willie Parker, who would have his breakout performance in the game), Buffalo lost and subsequently missed the playoffs. It was the only winning season that Buffalo had in the 2000s (2000–2009) and would be the Bills' last winning season until 2014.
According to Football Outsiders, who has tracked every play in the NFL since the early 1990s, the 2004 Bills were statistically the best NFL team (in their record-keeping history) to have failed to qualify for the playoffs.[2]
The Bills set an
Their match with the Miami Dolphins in Week 6 is the only time in the NFL since 1968 that the last two winless teams have met each other.[3]
Offseason
Free Agency
The Bills failed to re-sign guard Ruben Brown and cornerback Antoine Winfield Sr. Both would end up signing with NFC North teams, with Brown signing with the Chicago Bears and Winfield signing with the Minnesota Vikings.
To replace the departed players, the Bills signed former Chicago Bears guard Chris Villarrial and former Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Troy Vincent.
NFL Draft
The Bills drafted future starters
Round | Pick # | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 13 | Lee Evans | Wide receiver | Wisconsin |
1 | 22 | J. P. Losman | Quarterback | Tulane |
3 | 74 | Tim Anderson | Defensive tackle | Ohio State |
4 | 109 | Tim Euhus | Tight end | Oregon State |
7 | 207 | Dylan McFarland | Offensive tackle |
Montana |
7 | 214 | Jonathan Smith | Wide receiver | Georgia Tech |
Roster
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | TV Time | Attendance | Record |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 12 | Jacksonville Jaguars | L 10–13 | CBS 1:00pm | 72,389 | 0–1 |
2 | September 19 | at Oakland Raiders | L 10–13 | CBS 4:15pm | 53,610 | 0–2 |
3 | Bye | |||||
4 | October 3 | New England Patriots | L 17–31 | CBS 1:00pm | 72,698 | 0–3 |
5 | October 10 | at New York Jets | L 14–16 | CBS 4:05pm | 77,976 | 0–4 |
6 | October 17 | Miami Dolphins | W 20–13 | CBS 1:00pm | 72,714 | 1–4 |
7 | October 24 | at Baltimore Ravens | L 6–20 | CBS 1:00pm | 69,809 | 1–5 |
8 | October 31 | Arizona Cardinals | W 38–14 | FOX 1:00pm | 65,887 | 2–5 |
9 | November 7 | New York Jets | W 22–17 | CBS 1:00pm | 72,574 | 3–5 |
10 | November 14 | at New England Patriots | L 6–29 | ESPN 8:30pm | 68,756 | 3–6 |
11 | November 21 | St. Louis Rams | W 37–17 | FOX 1:00pm | 72,393 | 4–6 |
12 | November 28 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 38–9 | CBS 4:15pm | 66,271 | 5–6 |
13 | December 5 | at Miami Dolphins | W 42–32 | CBS 1:00pm | 73,084 | 6–6 |
14 | December 12 | Cleveland Browns | W 37–7 | CBS 1:00pm | 72,330 | 7–6 |
15 | December 19 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 33–17 | CBS 1:00pm | 65,378 | 8–6 |
16 | December 26 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 41–7 | CBS 4:05pm | 63,248 | 9–6 |
17 | January 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 24–29 | CBS 1:00pm | 73,414 | 9–7 |
Note: Intra-divisional opponents are in bold text. |
Game summaries
Week 1
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Standings
AFC East | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(2) New England Patriots | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 5–1 | 10–2 | 437 | 260 | W2 |
(5) New York Jets | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 333 | 261 | L2 |
Buffalo Bills | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 5–7 | 395 | 284 | L1 |
Miami Dolphins | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 2–10 | 275 | 354 | L1 |
# | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division leaders | |||||||||||
1 | Pittsburgh Steelers | North | 15 | 1 | 0 | .938 | 5–1 | 11–1 | .484 | .479 | W14 |
2 | New England Patriots | East | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .492 | .478 | W2 |
3[a] | Indianapolis Colts | South | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .500 | .458 | L1 |
4[a] | San Diego Chargers | West | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 9–3 | .477 | .411 | W1 |
Wild cards | |||||||||||
5[b] | New York Jets | East | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .523 | .406 | L2 |
6[b] | Denver Broncos | West | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .484 | .450 | W2 |
Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
7[c][d] | Jacksonville Jaguars | South | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .527 | .479 | W1 |
8[c][d] | Baltimore Ravens | North | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 6–6 | .551 | .472 | W1 |
9[c] | Buffalo Bills | East | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .512 | .382 | L1 |
10 | Cincinnati Bengals | North | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .543 | .453 | W2 |
11[e] | Houston Texans | South | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .504 | .402 | L1 |
12[e] | Kansas City Chiefs | West | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 6–6 | .551 | .509 | L1 |
13[f] | Oakland Raiders | West | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .570 | .450 | L2 |
14[f] | Tennessee Titans | South | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .512 | .463 | W1 |
15[g] | Miami Dolphins | East | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 2–10 | .555 | .438 | L1 |
16[g] | Cleveland Browns | North | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .590 | .469 | W1 |
Tiebreakers[h]
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References
- ^ "2004 Buffalo Bills". Pro Football Reference.
- ^ "Best DVOA to Miss the Playoffs". FO Mailbag. Football Outsiders.
- ^ "Last Winless Team in Each NFL season". Football Geography.
- ^ "Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills — September 12th, 2004". Pro Football Reference.
- ^ "2004 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved April 6, 2024.