The 2014Buffalo Billsseason is the franchise's 45th season in the National Football League, 55th season of competition, second under head coachDoug Marrone and first since the team's founding owner, Ralph Wilson, died in March 2014 at the age of 95, leaving the team under new ownership for the first time in its history. His widow, Mary, owned the team until October 8, 2014, when it was announced that Buffalo Sabres owner, local developer and multi-billionaire Terrence Pegula and his wife Kim were unanimously voted new owners at the league meetings in New York City. On March 5, 2014, three weeks before Wilson's death, the Bills announced the postponement of the Bills Toronto Series for one year. Bills President and CEO Russ Brandon will evaluate the series in the future, possibly to permanently cancel games in Toronto. The Bills won their first two games, a 23-20 overtime road win at Chicago (their first-ever victory at Soldier Field) and an emotionally raucous 29-10 home win against division rival Miami, a game played just days after the announcement that the Pegulas would be purchasing the team and keeping it in Buffalo. But Buffalo lost their next two, a 22-10 loss at home against San Diego and a 23-17 loss on the road at Houston, after which Marrone benched quarterback E.J. Manuel (their first round pick the previous year) in favor of journeyman Kyle Orton. In his first start as a Bill against Detroit at Ford Field, Orton threw for 308 yards as Buffalo came back from a 14-0 halftime deficit to defeat Detroit 17-14 following an eventual game-winning 58-yard field goal by kicker Dan Carpenter. Buffalo would lose its next game, a 37-22 loss at home against New England before coming back from a 16-10 deficit against Minnesota to win 17-16 after Orton threw for 283 yards, two touchdowns, the second of which to rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins and connecting with tight end Scott Chandler for 18 yards to convert a 3rd-and-12 and 24 yards to convert a 4th-and-20, respectively (Orton also had an interception and a lost fumble, one of three for the Bills offense). Unfortunately for Buffalo, running backs C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson were both injured in the first half. With running back Bryce Brown, who the Bills traded their conditional fourth-rounder that can become a third-round selection (that they had acquired in the trade that sent Stevie Johnson to San Francisco) to Philadelphia, inactive for the game against Minnesota and with no time to find anyone to help carry the ball, running back Anthony Dixon, who the Bills signed as a free agent from San Francisco was left to carry the ball himself, with fullback Frank Summers assisting.
On February 27, 2014, the NFL announced that, to celebrate the induction of wide receiver Andre Reed, the Bills would play the New York Giants in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, which took place on August 3, 2014 and was aired on NBC, following the network's premiere of WrestleMania XXX.[1] The remainder of the Bills' preseason opponents were announced on April 9, 2014.
Networks and times for Sunday games from Weeks 14–17 are subject to change as a result of flexible scheduling.[3]
For the first time since 2007, the Bills will not play a game in Toronto, as the Bills Toronto Series was suspended in March 2014.[4]
Indicates that the game was blacked out locally. NFL's blackout policies state that a home game cannot be televised locally if it is not sold out 72 hours prior to start time.
Game summaries
Week 1: at Chicago Bears
Week One: Buffalo Bills at Chicago Bears – Game summary
^ abNew England defeated Denver head-to-head (Week 9, 43–21).
^ abPittsburgh defeated Indianapolis head-to-head (Week 8, 51–34).
^ abcdKansas City finished ahead of San Diego in the AFC West based on head-to-head sweep (Week 7, 23–20; Week 17, 19–7). Houston finished ahead of Kansas City and Buffalo based on conference record. Kansas City finished ahead of Buffalo based on head-to-head victory (Week 10, 17–13). San Diego finished ahead of Buffalo based on head-to-head victory (Week 3, 22–10).
^ abJacksonville finished ahead of Oakland based on record vs. common opponents (1–4 to 0–5).
^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.
Footnotes
^The Bills traded their original first-round selection (No. 9 overall) and their 2015 first- and fourth-round selections to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for the Browns' first-round selection (No. 4 overall).
^ abThe Bills traded their original second-round selection (No. 41 overall) to the St. Louis Rams in exchange for the Rams' second- and fifth-round selections (Nos. 44 and 153 overall, respectively).
^ abThe Bills traded their original fifth-round selection (No. 149 overall) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for the Buccaneers' seventh-round selection (No. 221 overall) and a 2015 fifth-round selection.
^The Bills traded their sixth-round selection (No. 185 overall) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for wide receiverMike Williams.
^The Bills traded their original seventh-round selection (No. 224 overall) to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange running back Bryce Brown and the Eagles' seventh-round selection (No. 237 overall). The trade also includes a conditional future draft selection, which the Eagles could receive from the Bills in either 2015 or 2016. If Brown hits undisclosed statistical rushing targets in 2014, the Eagles will receive the Bills' 2016 third-round selection, otherwise, the Eagles could receive the Bills' 2015 fourth-round selection, which the Bills conditionally acquired in a trade that sent wide receiver Stevie Johnson to the San Francisco 49ers. However, if Johnson does not meet certain statistical receiving targets with the 49ers in 2014, the trade with the 49ers will be voided, and if Brown does not meet certain statistical rushing targets with the Bills in 2014, the Bills will not have to send a future selection to the Eagles.
^"No Toronto in 2014." WGR. Retrieved March 5, 2014. "WGR has learned that the Buffalo Bills will not play in Toronto this season. The future of the Toronto Series is unclear. Keep it locked to WGR for details"
