The 2007 Buffalo Bills season was the 38th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL) and their 48th season overall.
The Bills finished their 2007 season with a record of 7–9 and tied their 7–9 record in 2006,The Bills also finished 7–9 in 2008 but failed to qualify for the playoffs, and continued a playoff appearance drought started with the 1999–2000 season. The 8-year playoff drought became the longest such stretch in team history.Through the 2016 season
The opening game of the season was notable in that tight end Kevin Everett was injured on a kickoff. Everett sustained a fracture and dislocation of his cervical spine that his doctors characterized as "life-threatening" the day after the injury, stating it was likely to leave him with permanent neurological impairment. However, on September 11, 2007, Everett showed significant movement in his arms and legs, which led doctors to speculate that he might eventually be able to walk again. Everett walked in public for the first time at Ralph Wilson Stadium before the home finale against the New York Giants on December 23, 2007.
Coaching staff Head coach Dick Jauron entered his second year with the Bills, where was joined by Offensive Coordinator Steve Fairchild and Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell.
Offseason NFL draft
The Bills experienced varying degrees of success with their first three draft picks in the 2007 Draft. Running back Marshawn Lynch made the AFC's Pro Bowl squad in 2008; his career in Buffalo, however, was often marred by off-field issues. Paul Posluzny was a solid defender for the Bills for four seasons. Quarterback Trent Edwards became the Bills' starting quarterback in Week 3 of 2007, when starter J. P. Losman was injured by the New England Patriots' Vince Wilfork. Edwards was the Buffalo's starting quarterback, until he was waived early in the 2010 season in favor of Bills backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Personnel Staff/coaches
Final roster
Schedule Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 New Orleans Saints W 13–10 1–0 Louisiana Superdome Recap 2 Atlanta Falcons L 10–13 1–1 Ralph Wilson Stadium Recap 3 Tennessee Titans L 17–28 1–2 Ralph Wilson Stadium Recap 4 Detroit Lions W 16–13 2–2 Ford Field Recap
Regular season Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 9 Denver Broncos L 14–15 0–1 Ralph Wilson Stadium Recap 2 September 16 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 3–26 0–2 Heinz Field Recap 3 September 23at New England Patriots L 7–38 0–3 Gillette Stadium Recap 4 September 30 New York Jets W 17–14 1–3 Ralph Wilson Stadium Recap 5 Dallas Cowboys L 24–25 1–4 Ralph Wilson Stadium Recap 6Bye 7 October 21 Baltimore Ravens W 19–14 2–4 Ralph Wilson Stadium Recap 8 October 28 at New York Jets W 13–3 3–4 Giants Stadium Recap 9 November 4 Cincinnati Bengals W 33–21 4–4 Ralph Wilson Stadium Recap 10 November 11 at Miami Dolphins W 13–10 5–4 Dolphin Stadium Recap 11 November 18 New England Patriots L 10–56 5–5 Ralph Wilson Stadium Recap 12 November 25 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 14–36 5–6 Jacksonville Municipal Stadium Recap 13 December 2 at Washington Redskins W 17–16 6–6 FedExField Recap 14 December 9 Miami Dolphins W 38–17 7–6 Ralph Wilson Stadium Recap 15 December 16 at Cleveland Browns L 0–8 7–7 Cleveland Browns Stadium Recap 16 December 23 New York Giants L 21–38 7–8 Ralph Wilson Stadium Recap 17 December 30 at Philadelphia Eagles L 9–17 7–9 Lincoln Financial Field Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Denver Broncos
The Bills began their 2007 campaign at home against the Denver Broncos. In the first quarter, the Bills struck first with WR/PR Roscoe Parrish returning a punt 74 yards for a touchdown. Then, near the end of the period, the Broncos got on the board with kicker Jason Elam getting a 21-yard field goal. Denver went on to get the only score of the second quarter, as Elam kicked a 48-yard field goal.
On the opening kickoff for the second half, Bills TE Kevin Everett suffered a cervical spine injury. He was rushed to Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital for an emergency surgery.
In the third quarter, rookie Bills RB Marshawn Lynch got a 23-yard TD run. Afterwards, the Broncos pulled within two as QB Jay Cutler completed a 5-yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall (followed by a failed 2-Point Conversion). Near the end of the fourth quarter, Cutler drove his team into field goal range and with no timeouts left, Denver's special teams came on and Elam kicked the game-winning 42-yard field goal with no time left on the clock.
With the shocking loss, the Bills began the season at 0–1.
Week 2: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Hoping to rebound from a last-second home loss to the Broncos, the Bills (with TE Kevin Everett on the mind) went to Heinz Field for their Week 2 match-up against the throwback-clad Pittsburgh Steelers. In the first half, the Bills struggled on offense while their defense only allowed three Jeff Reed field goal (a 34-yard field goal in the first quarter, along with a 28-yard and a 39-yard field goal). In the third quarter, Buffalo got their only score of the game as kicker Rian Lindell nailed a 24-yard field goal. For the rest of the game, the Steelers dominated, with QB Ben Roethlisberger completing a 1-yard TD pass to TE Matt Spaeth later in the period, along with RB Willie Parker getting an 11-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.
With the loss, the Bills fell to 0–2.
Week 3: at New England Patriots
Trying to snap a two-game skid, the Bills flew to Gillette Stadium for a Week 3 divisional fight with the New England Patriots. In the first quarter, QB J. P. Losman was immediately injured on the first offensive play of the game. He finished the series, but ended up on the bench for the rest of the game. After New England took the lead with kicker Stephen Gostkowski's 24-yard field goal, rookie QB Trent Edwards played the rest of the game for Buffalo. The Bills got their only score of the game as RB Marshawn Lynch got an 8-yard TD run, and a Rian Lindell extra point put the Bills ahead surprisingly 7–3. However, in the second quarter, the Patriots were able to open up their running game when Bills rookie standout Paul Posluszny was lost due to a broken arm. This left passing lanes open, and for the rest of the game, the Patriots dominated. QB Tom Brady's 8-yard TD pass to TE Benjamin Watson and a 3-yard TD pass to WR Randy Moss made it 17–7 at the half. In the third quarter, New England continued its conquest with Brady's 4-yard TD pass to WR Jabar Gaffney and RB Sammy Morris' 4-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, the Patriots ended the day with Brady and Moss hooking up with each other again on a 45-yard TD pass.
With their third-straight loss, the Bills fell to 0–3.
Week 4 vs. Jets
There were many factors that made the Bills underdogs before Week 4- an 0–3 start coming off of a demoralizing loss to the New England Patriots, a starting quarterback in Trent Edwards who was starting his very first NFL game, numerous defensive injuries of starters, and an opponent in the New York Jets that had just gotten its first win over the Miami Dolphins. Things started off well for the Bills as Edwards led the offense down into Jets territory, but a Robert Royal fumble caused by Jonathan Vilma ended a promising drive. The Jets could not get any sort of momentum from the turnover, and were forced to punt.
In the second quarter, things heated up as the Bills once again managed to gain several first downs, only to see the Jets force another turnover as a deep ball by Edwards meant for Lee Evans was intercepted by Andre Dyson. Three events late in the first half led to a flurry of big plays- Bills safety Donte Whitner tackled Jets RB Leon Washington inbounds to keep the clock running, quarterback Chad Pennington faked a spike and completed a pass to put the Jets in field goal range with a couple of seconds left, and Jets kicker Mike Nugent clanged the ball off the right upright, leaving the game scoreless at the half.
The second half saw the Bills take the lead on a 10-yard run by Marshawn Lynch, his second of the year. It was all set up by Edwards going 4 for 4 on the drive. The Jets tied it at 7 on an inspired drive by Pennington, who found Laveranues Coles in the end zone for a touchdown.
The fourth quarter saw the Bills take advantage of the Jets when reserve defensive back Jabari Greer intercepted Pennington. The Bills cashed in as Edwards found reserve tight end Michael Gaines on a bootleg 4th down play at the Jets 1-yard line, and once again the Bills got more points when kicker Rian Lindell kicked a 46-yard field goal to make it 17–7. The Jets came right back with points of their own as Leon Washington rambled in to cut the lead to 17–14. After a Buffalo punt with less than 2 minutes remaining, the Jets failed to score as a forced pass by Pennington with 6 seconds left ended up in the acrobatic arms of Terrence McGee, preserving the 17–14 victory. The Bills took over second place in the AFC East at 1–3 because of the win, while the Jets fell to 1–3.
Week 5: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Coming off their divisional home win over the Jets, the Bills stayed at home, donned their throwback uniforms, and played their first home Monday Night football game in 13 years against the undefeated Dallas Cowboys. In the first quarter, Buffalo got off to a fast start with DB George Wilson returning an interception 25-yard for a touchdown, along with the only score of the period. In the second quarter, the Cowboys tied the game with QB Tony Romo completing a 22-yard TD pass to TE Jason Witten. Afterwards, Buffalo increased its lead with kicker Rian Lindell getting a 24-yard field goal, along with DE Chris Kelsay intercepting a Romo pass in the endzone for a touchdown. Dallas ended the half with kicker Nick Folk getting a 47-yard field goal.
In the third quarter, Dallas drew closer with Folk kicking a 29-yard field goal. The Bills immediately responded with CB Terrence McGee returning a kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown. The Bills led 24–13 until 3:46 left in the fourth quarter, when the Cowboys got within 8 points with Folk getting a 37-yard field goal. From there, things began to look grim for Buffalo as a Trent Edwards interception eventually turned into Romo's 4-yard TD pass to WR Patrick Crayton. The two-point conversion was no good, but Dallas got a successful onside kick. With only 3 seconds left, Folk came out for a 53-yard field goal. The first try was good, yet it was negated with Head Coach Dick Jauron calling time out (repeating a move done by both the Denver Broncos in week 2 and the Oakland Raiders in week 3). However, the technique that worked for Denver and Oakland for this year failed as Folk got the game-winning 53-yard field goal as time ran out, despite the Bills defense getting 6 turnovers from Romo (5 interceptions and 1 fumble).
With the heart-breaking loss, the Bills entered their bye week at 1–4.
Week 7: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Coming off their bye week, the Bills stayed at home for a fierce Week 7 intraconference duel with the Baltimore Ravens. This match-up was notable for RB Willis McGahee heading back to Buffalo to play against his former team.
In the first quarter, the Bills got the first blood with kicker Rian Lindell getting a 29-yard field goal for the only score of the period. In the second quarter, Buffalo increased its lead with Lindell nailing a 26-yard and a 35-yard field goal. In the third quarter, the Ravens began to climb back into the game with McGahee getting a 46-yard TD run. The Bills responded with Lindell getting a 41-yard field goal, along with McGahee's successor, RB Marshawn Lynch, getting a 1-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, Baltimore drew closer as QB Kyle Boller completed a 15-yard TD pass to WR Derrick Mason. Buffalo managed to hold on for the victory.
With the win, the Bills improved to 2–4.
Week 8: at New York Jets