2006 Buffalo Bills season

The 2006 Buffalo Bills season began with the team trying to improve on their 5–11 record in 2005.

Offseason
General Manager Tom Donahoe was fired shortly after the end of the 2005 season. Marv Levy, who had coached the Bills from 1986–1997, was named as his replacement, with hopes that he would improve a franchise that failed to make the playoffs during Donahoe's tenure. Shortly thereafter, Mike Mularkey resigned as the Bills' head coach, citing family reasons along with disagreement over the direction of the organization. Dick Jauron, former coach of the Chicago Bears, was hired as his replacement.

NFL Draft
The Bills acquired their second pick (#26 overall) from a trade with Chicago.

Schedule
The Bills season opener at New England marked the first time the Bills did not open at home since 1999. The Bills played all of their games on Sunday afternoons this season, joining the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, and Tennessee Titans as teams without an appearance on primetime in 2006.

Week 1: at New England Patriots
''at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

The Bills opened the regular season on the road against the New England Patriots on September 10. The Bills got off to a fast start, as on the very first play of the game, OLB Takeo Spikes sacked opposing QB Tom Brady, causing a fumble and allowing the Bills to score a 5-yard TD, by MLB London Fletcher-Baker. The Pats would then tie the game up on a 9-yard pass to opposing WR Troy Brown. The Bills would regain the lead on a 53-yard FG by Rian Lindell. Afterwards, in the second quarter, RB Anthony Thomas would make the score 17–7 at halftime, with an 18-yard TD run. However, The Bills continued their late-game struggles from 2005, as they gave up 12 unanswered points (a 17-yard pass to Kevin Faulk, a 32-yard Field Goal by Stephen Gostkowski, and a safety by Ty Warren) in the final 30 minutes of the contest. With their first game a loss, the Bills start at 0–1.

Week 2: at Miami Dolphins
''at Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

For Week 2, the Bills traveled to Dolphin Stadium to take on the Miami Dolphins. The Bills managed to get the only score of the first half with a 33-yard field goal by Kicker Rian Lindell in the first quarter. It wasn't until the third quarter that the Bills were to score again. QB J.P. Losman threw a 4-yard pass to WR Josh Reed, while Lindell kicked a 45 and a 43-yard field goal. Even though the Dolphins managed to score in the fourth quarter on a 23-yard pass to WR Chris Chambers (with a failed 2-point conversion), the Bills defense dominated the game, as they sacked Dolphins QB Daunte Culpepper seven times (along with two forced fumbles) and blocking a punt, allowing Buffalo to win easily. With the win, the Bills moved to 1–1.

Week 3: vs New York Jets
''at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Dressed up in their 1960s throwback jerseys, the Bills played their Week 3 home-opener against their fellow division rival, the New York Jets. Buffalo started off with QB J.P. Losman throwing a 51-yard TD pass to WR Roscoe Parrish for the only score in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Jets tied the game up with a 3-yard TD run by RB Kevan Barlow. The Bills managed to get a 36-yard Field Goal by Kicker Rian Lindell, but the Jets managed to take the lead, as QB Chad Pennington completed a 1-yard TD pass to TE Chris Baker within the closing seconds of the half. In the second half, the Bills fell behind as LB Victor Hobson returned a Buffalo fumble 32 yards for a touchdown, which would be the only score of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Bills tried to close the gap, as Lindell kicked a 28-yard field goal. However, the Jets increased their lead with RB Cedric Houston getting a 5-yard TD run. The Bills would get another touchdown, as Losman ran 12 yards for a touchdown. Even though the Bills recovered their onside kick; the Jets made the Bills go three-and-out for Buffalo's defeat. With the loss, the Bills dropped to 1–2.

Week 4: vs Minnesota Vikings
''at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Staying at home, the Bills took on the Minnesota Vikings. In the first quarter, Buffalo got a small deficit as Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell got a 37-yard field goal for the only score of the quarter. In the second quarter, the Bills scored on an RB Willis McGahee 1-yard TD run. Afterwards, Minnesota got a last-second field goal by Longwell, who kicked it from 49 yards out. In the third quarter, Buffalo pulled ahead as QB J.P. Losman completed an  8-yard TD pass to WR Peerless Price for the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, the Bills scored a 28-yard field goal with kicker Rian Lindell. However, the Vikings QB Brad Johnson completed a 29-yard TD pass to WR Marcus Robinson. Buffalo prevented the two-point conversion and ran the clock out. , giving the Bills to get their first home victory of the year.

Week 5: at Chicago Bears
''at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

The Bills traveled to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears, where Head Coach Dick Jauron would go up against his former team. From the start, Buffalo was in trouble, as Bears kicker Robbie Gould kicked two field goals in the first quarter (a 42-yarder and a 43-yarder). Then, in the second quarter, three straight touchdowns came from the Bears (a 8-yard pass to WR Bernard Berrian, RB Cedric Benson's 1-yard run, and a 15-yard pass to WR Rashied Davis) put the Bills in a deep hole. In the third quarter, Gould put up another field goal for Chicago (a 32-yarder), while in the fourth quarter, Gould would kick a 41-yard field goal and Benson would get another 1-yard TD run. The Bills would get a late touchdown, as QB J.P. Losman completed a 5-yard strike to WR Lee Evans, ending the Bears 11-quarter streak of not allowing their opponents to score a TD. In the end, Buffalo ended up getting routed and it would drop them to 2–3.

Week 6: at Detroit Lions
''at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

The Bills flew to Ford Field to take on another NFC North team, the Detroit Lions. From the start, the winless Lions were dominated the first quarter, as kicker Jason Hanson kicked a 43-yard field goal, while RB Kevin Jones got a 7-yard TD run. In the second quarter, Buffalo got into the game, as QB J.P. Losman completed a 44-yard TD pass to WR Roscoe Parrish. However, Detroit responded, as QB Jon Kitna completed a 28-yard TD pass to WR Roy Williams. The Bills would get kicker Rian Lindell to get a 53-yard field goal to end the half. After a scoreless third quarter, Lions kicker Hanson got a 29-yard field goal, putting Detroit up 20–10. The Bills tried to catch-up, as Losman completed a 4-yard TD pass to TE Ryan Neufeld. The Lions ended up getting win #1 as the Bills fell to 2–4.

Week 7: vs New England Patriots
''at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Coming off a road loss to the Lions, the Bills returned home for a rematch with their AFC East rival, the New England Patriots. Previously, Buffalo almost won and New England came back to win. This time, it wasn't even close. In the first quarter, the Patriots took an early lead with RB Corey Dillon running 8 yards for a TD. Kicker Rian Lindell would get a 40-yard field goal, but the Patriots wouldn't allow Buffalo to score, as Dillon got a 12-yard TD run. After a scoreless second quarter, the Pats continued to make the game difficult for the Bills as in the third quarter, QB Tom Brady threw a 35-yard TD pass to rookie WR Chad Jackson for the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, Lindell would get another field goal, as he kicked one from 46 yards out, but New England put the game away as Brady completed a 5-yard TD pass to WR Doug Gabriel. After getting swept by the Patriots, the Bills had lost three-straight games and fallen to 2–5.

Week 9: vs Green Bay Packers
''at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Coming off their Bye Week, the Bills stayed at home for a Week 9 game with the Green Bay Packers. In the first quarter, even though RB Willis McGahee would leave the game with injured ribs, kicker Rian Lindell kicked a 28-yard field goal, which gave the Bills the only score of the period. In the second quarter, Buffalo's defense scored as LB London Fletcher-Baker returned an interception 17 yards for a touchdown for the only score of the period. In the third quarter, QB Brett Favre hooked up with WR Donald Driver on a 1-yard TD pass for the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, Green Bay kicker Dave Rayner kicked a 49-yard field goal to tie the game up. The Bills increased their margin as QB J.P. Losman completed a 43-yard TD pass to WR Lee Evans. Afterwards, a 76-yard interception return by rookie Free Safety Ko Simpson set up a 14-yard TD run by RB Anthony Thomas, which finished the scoring in favor of Buffalo. With the win, the Bills improved to 3–5.

Week 10: at Indianapolis Colts
''at the RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana Fresh off of their victory over the Packers, the Bills flew to the RCA Dome for a Week 10 match-up with the Indianapolis Colts. In the first quarter, Buffalo got off to a fast start with kicker Rian Lindell making a 22-yard field goal for the only score of the period. In the second quarter, Indianapolis struck back with QB Peyton Manning completing a 1-yard TD pass to WR Reggie Wayne. The Colts would follow-up with kicker Adam Vinatieri kicking a 31-yard field goal. The Bills defense made a stand, as CB Terrence McGee returned a fumble 68 yards for a touchdown. In the third quarter, Indianapolis regained the lead with RB Joseph Addai completing a 5-yard TD run. Buffalo would respond with Lindell making a 30-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Bills drew closer with Lindell's 43-yard field goal and had a chance to take the lead late in the game, but a 41-yard try went wide right, sealing the victory for the Colts. With the loss, the Bills fell to last place in the AFC East at 3–6.

Week 11: at Houston Texans
''at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

The matchup at Houston was expected to be a boring affair, but it was anything but. The first quarter saw a dominating offensive performances by WR Lee Evans, who caught six passes for 205 yards and a pair of 83-yard scores. Evans fell just five yards short of the NFL mark for most yards receiving in a quarter, set by Qadry Ismail in 1999. However, Houston was not intimidated and kept the game close going into the half. In the second half, the Bills' offense slowed down greatly, but Houston kept flying, mostly on the arm of QB David Carr, who tied the NFL record for most consecutive completions in a game with 22. DB Dunta Robinson intercepted a Losman pass and ran it in for an easy score, giving the Texans a 21–17 edge that would hold until the waning seconds, when Losman led the Bills down the field and hit WR Peerless Price with a pass in the back of the end zone with nine seconds left (the play was reviewed and upheld). In the 24–21 victory,  Losman set his career high for passing yardage with 340, and Evans set a new franchise record with 265 yards receiving. With the win, the Bills improved to 4–6.

Week 12: vs Jacksonville Jaguars
''at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

With the momentum of a last second victory against Houston and the return of RB Willis McGahee, who had missed the previous three weeks with rib injuries, the Bills took an early lead and held off the Jaguars at the end. After Jacksonville scored with :34 seconds remaining and after a questionable squib kick, J.P. Losman threw a pass down the sideline to WR Roscoe Parrish who just kept his toes in to set up a game winning Rian Lindell FG as time expired. Parrish had earlier made the game's biggest play of the game when he had an 82 yard punt return for a TD. With their second straight victory, the Bills moved up to 5–6.

Week 13: vs San Diego Chargers
''at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Keeping some slim playoff hopes alive, the Bills stayed at home, donned their throwback jerseys again, and faced a fierce Week 13 challenge against the San Diego Chargers. In the first quarter, the Chargers struck first with kicker Nate Kaeding getting a 42-yard field goal, while RB LaDainian Tomlinson got a 51-yard TD run. In the second quarter, Buffalo continued to struggle as QB Philip Rivers completed an 11-yard TD pass to TE Antonio Gates for the only score of the period. In the third quarter, the Bills scored with QB J.P. Losman completing a 5-yard TD pass to TE Robert Royal, while RB Willis McGahee got a 2-yard TD run. However, in the fourth quarter, Tomlinson got a 2-yard TD run. A 6-yard TD pass from Losman to WR Peerless Price closed the gap, abut a failed onside kick sealed any chance of Buffalo's comeback victory. With the loss, the Bills fell to 5–7.

Week 14: at New York Jets
''at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Hoping to avoid being swept by their AFC East rival, the Bills met the Jets at The Meadowlands. Bills RB Willis McGahee extended his string of 100-yard rushing games vs. the Jets to five with 125 yards on 16 carries. This included a 57-yard TD in the first quarter. After allowing a 10-yard TD pass from Jets QB Chad Pennington to WR Laveranues Coles and a Mike Nugent field goal, the Bills broke the game open with a 77-yard J.P. Losman pass to WR Lee Evans and a 58-yard interception return for a TD by CB Nate Clements. The Jets cut their deficit to 8 after a field goal on the ensuing possession, but would end up scoreless for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, the Bills defense held the Jets in check as a Pennington fumble in the third quarter set up another J.P. Losman TD pass; this time to TE Robert Royal. The Bills would add a field goal of their own in the fourth quarter to extend their lead 31–13. The Bills remained in playoff contention mathematically with a 6–7 record as they sat two games behind current wild card occupants Jacksonville and Cincinnati.

Week 15: vs Miami Dolphins
''at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

The Bills played at home against their rivals, the Miami Dolphins. In order to remain in contention for the playoffs, the Bills had to defeat Miami—which they did in convincing fashion.

Bills' quarterback J.P. Losman played well with 200 yards passing, 3 touchdown passes and no interceptions. However, Miami's quarterback, Joey Harrington was ineffective, throwing only 98 yards passing, with 2 interceptions and achieved a 0.0 passer rating.

After a scoreless first quarter, Losman threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to tight end Robert Royal, putting the Bills ahead 7–0 into halftime. In the third quarter, Losman threw a 27-yard pass to wide receiver Josh Reed, putting the Bills up by two touchdowns 14–0. In the final quarter, Losman threw another TD pass to wide receiver Lee Evans.

Miami had the ball on Buffalo's 1-yard line with 6 seconds left in the game. Looking for a touchdown, Miami's backup quarterback Cleo Lemon threw a pass intended for Chris Chambers but was batted down at the line of scrimmage by Ryan Denney, keeping the Dolphins scoreless.

With this win, the Bills improved their record to 7–7.

Week 16: vs Tennessee Titans
''at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

After the victory over Miami, the Bills stayed at home for a Week 16 intraconference game with the Tennessee Titans. The Titans (like the Bills) were 7–7 and also hunting for a wildcard berth.

In the first quarter, Buffalo scored first with kicker Rian Lindell getting a 21-yard field goal. Tennessee would respond with QB Vince Young completing a 22-yard TD pass to WR Bobby Wade. The Bills came back with RB Willis McGahee's 1-yard TD run. In the second quarter, the Titans regained the lead with kicker Rob Bironas getting a 42-yard and a 20-yard field goal. Afterwards, the Bills came back with Lindell kicking a 36-yard and a 45-yard field goal. Then, Tennessee went back into the lead with Young's 36-yard TD run. Buffalo would kick a 21-yard field goal from Lindell before halftime. In the third quarter, QB J.P. Losman completed a 37-yard TD pass to WR Lee Evans and  afterwards Lindell kicked a 24-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Titans won the game with Young completing a 29-yard TD pass to WR Brandon Jones and Bironas' 30-yard field goal. J.P. Losman led the Bills on one final drive down to the Titans 28, but driving against a wind that was gusting up to 20 mph, the Bills elected not to try a potential game-winning field goal. With the loss, not only did the Bills fall to 7–8, but it also knocked them out of the playoff race.

Week 17: at Baltimore Ravens
''at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

The Buffalo Bills ended their season with a loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Bills' quarterback J.P. Losman. threw for 237 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Willis McGahee rushed for 23 yards on 11 carries. Wide receiver Lee Evans had 7 receptions and 145 yards with 1 touchdown.

In the first quarter, Ravens' kicker Matt Stover made a 26-yard field goal, bringing the Ravens up 3–0 at the end of the first.

Just before halftime, Stover made another field goal, this time from 37 yards out. Ravens were leading 6–0 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Stover made his third field goal of the day, bringing the Ravens up 9–0. But a few moments later, Losman threw a deep pass to Lee Evans for a 44-yard touchdown. This brought the Bills in the game and down by only two points. A few minutes later, Losman threw a pass that was intercepted by Chris McAlister and returned for a touchdown.

In the fourth quarter, Matt Stover made his fourth and final field goal that increased the Ravens' lead.

The Bills lost and their final record was 7–9. However, this record was an improvement over last year's 5–11 record.