Analyzing the Buffalo Bills’ overall record against each AFC East rival

History has not been so kind to the Buffalo Bills. There are a lot more downs than ups in the history of the franchise, that’s undeniable. At the same time, the Bills have also been on the right side of history at times. Depending on when you started watching the Bills, you can point to the good and bad moments of this franchise.

The Bills are the only team in the AFC East that has yet to win a Super Bowl and have a losing record in both the regular season (473-501-8) and the playoffs (19-21). While the playoff record should improve in the coming years, there is still a lot of work to be done to improve the regular season record.

In their division alone, the Bills haven’t had much success overall, but they have had the pleasure of winning the AFC East for the past four seasons. Those past four years have been great compared to the 20 years that Bills fans have had to endure.

With that, we look at the Bills’ record against each AFC East rival using Pro Football Reference.

-The Bills lead the regular-season series 68-58, with a playoff win over New York.

The Jets are the only team in the division where the Bills are .540. At one point, the Bills beat the Jets 10 straight games from 1987-92, winning five of those games by double digits. These two teams always have tough matchups against each other, especially recently with split season series the last two seasons. For the first time in a long time, expectations are higher for the Jets this season than they are for the Bills. Regardless, Buffalo will need to beat the Jets to avoid losing the division to them.

Dolphins lead series 62-58-1

Bills lead playoff series 4-1

In the 1970s, the Bills lost every game against the Dolphins from 1970-79. It was Buffalo’s worst stretch of football against the Dolphins, and thankfully things have changed since then. The Bills are 10-2 against the Dolphins since drafting Josh Allen (also beating them in the playoffs). In eight of those wins, the Bills scored 30+ points, which shows the offensive dominance Miami has had to endure.

The Dolphins will be hot on Buffalo’s heels this season and will try to steal the lead in the AFC East. Miami had a chance to grab the top spot last year, but then they gave up and the Bills took control of the division from them in Week 18.

Patriots lead series 78-50-1

The playoff record is 1-1

Between 2000 and 2019, the Bills beat the Patriots just five times. Winning five games in 19 seasons is just embarrassing. It seemed like a given that New England would sweep the Bills almost every year when Tom Brady was around. Every time these two teams met, it was Buffalo’s Super Bowl. After Brady left in 2020, the series swung in Buffalo’s favor. The Bills have only lost to the Patriots twice. Buffalo has beaten New England six times (and in the playoffs in a perfect game where the offense scored a touchdown on every drive).

The Patriots are embarking on a complete rebuild with a new regime. Buffalo should be able to maintain control of this series for many seasons to come.