The Buffalo Bills ended the 2025 regular season with a 35-8 win over the New York Jets, and now the attention moves to the playoffs.
The Buffalo Bills are heading to the playoffs as the AFC’s sixth seed after beating the New York Jets 35-8 in front of a sold-out Highmark Stadium.
The Bills finished the season with a record of 12-5, good enough for second in the AFC East. It’s the ninth time in franchise history that they’ve won at least 12 games, and just the second time they’ve done it in back-to-back seasons.
Here are the positives and negatives from Buffalo’s Week 18 win.
Positives:
Total Domination: From the opening kick, Buffalo controlled play and had their way with the Jets. Buffalo outgained New York 250-63 in the first half and finished the game with 470 yards compared to 122 for New York.
Mitch Trubisky: The Buffalo Bills might have one of the best backup quarterbacks in the NFL. Mitch Trubisky went 22-of-29 for 259 yards and four touchdowns on Sunday. He also managed to keep the Jets from getting an interception, making them the first team in NFL history to go an entire season without a pick.
While Buffalo’s chances to win a Super Bowl fall drastically if Josh Allen can’t play for whatever reason, Trubisky clearly has the trust of the coaching staff to go out there and try and win a game.
Bills Backup Defense: Buffalo’s defense has been the subject of many questions all season long. One thing that was shown on Sunday was the quality of the depth for Buffalo. Against the Jets, the Bills defense, which consisted mostly of backups, left its mark all evening long.
With their performance, the Bills also locked up the number one pass defense in the NFL, allowing just 53 team passing yards. They finish with an average of 156.9 passing yards allowed per game.
Ray Davis: Ray Davis has proven to be a reliable option in the return game. On Sunday, he showed that, if needed, he can produce in the backfield as well. Davis finished the game with 151 yards on 21 carries. He also had 23 yards and a touchdown on two receptions. The 151 yards was the first time in Davis' career he's rushed for 100 yards.
Negatives:
No More Home Games: There wasn’t much in the way of negative from the one-sided win. So, let’s look at the fact that, barring a miracle in the playoffs, the Bills have played their final game at the 52-year-old Highmark Stadium.
Five decades of memories are set to be demolished in the spring, and it’s bittersweet for many Bills fans. At least it was a fitting end as the stadium opened and closed with Bills wins over the Jets.
Kicker Needs: The Buffalo Bills head into the playoffs likely needing a kicker. After missing two games with a quad injury, Matt Prater came back and made three extra points. After that, however, he left the game with the same quad injury that kept him out for two weeks. It’s going to be something to monitor the upcoming week as the Bills may need to sign another new kicker for the playoffs.
The timing couldn’t possibly be worse.
Max Hairston Injury: For some reason, 2025 first round pick Max Hairston was on the field in the fourth quarter of a blowout win. He ended up suffering an ankle injury that sent him to the locker room early, and he didn't return. The Bills needed to get out of the game healthy, and they ended up losing two pieces that will be important come playoffs.