2004 Buffalo Bills season

2004 Buffalo Bills season
Head coach Mike Mularkey
General manager Tom Donahoe
Owner Ralph Wilson
Home field Ralph Wilson Stadium
Results
Record 9–7
Division place 3rd AFC East
Playoff finish did not qualify

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 straight 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 are statistically the best NFL team (in their record-keeping history) to have failed to qualify for the playoffs.[2]

The Bills set an NFL record by returning six kickoffs for touchdowns in 2004.

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

NFL Draft

Main article: 2004 NFL Draft

The Bills drafted future starters Lee Evans from Wisconsin and J.P. Losman from Tulane in the first round of the 2004 Draft. Buffalo also signed undrafted tight end Jason Peters from Arkansas and converted him into a Pro Bowl offensive tackle. Buffalo traded their 2004 second round pick and 2005 first round pick to move into position to draft Losman.

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

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result TV Time Attendance
1 September 12, 2004 Jacksonville Jaguars L 13–10 CBS 1:00pm
72,389
2 September 19, 2004 at Oakland Raiders L 13–10 CBS 4:05pm
53,610
3 Bye
4 October 3, 2004 New England Patriots L 31–17 CBS 1:00pm
72,698
5 October 10, 2004 at New York Jets L 16–14 CBS 4:15pm
77,976
6 October 17, 2004 Miami Dolphins W 20–13 CBS 1:00pm
72,714
7 October 24, 2004 at Baltimore Ravens L 20–6 CBS 1:00pm
69,809
8 October 31, 2004 Arizona Cardinals W 38–14 FOX 1:00pm
65,887
9 November 7, 2004 New York Jets W 22–17 CBS 1:00pm
72,574
10 November 14, 2004 at New England Patriots L 29–6 ESPN 8:30pm
68,756
11 November 21, 2004 St. Louis Rams W 37–17 FOX 4:15pm
72,393
12 November 28, 2004 at Seattle Seahawks W 38–9 CBS 4:05pm
66,271
13 December 5, 2004 at Miami Dolphins W 42–32 CBS 1:00pm
73,084
14 December 12, 2004 Cleveland Browns W 37–7 CBS 1:00pm
72,330
15 December 19, 2004 at Cincinnati Bengals W 33–17 CBS 1:00pm
65,378
16 December 26, 2004 at San Francisco 49ers W 41–7 CBS 4:05pm
63,248
17 January 2, 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers L 29–24 CBS 1:00pm
73,414

Game summaries

Week 1

1 234Total
• Jaguars 0 337 13
Bills 7 003 10

[4]


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

References

  1. ↑ 2004 Buffalo Bills
  2. ↑ Football Outsiders – FO Mailbag: Best DVOA to Miss the Playoffs
  3. ↑ Last Winless Team in Each NFL season
  4. ↑
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