The 2025 Buffalo Bills’ season has been written, but the book is incomplete. Before we cast our full attention toward the 2026 season, let’s take one last glance back over our shoulder for our annual look at the Plays That Defined the prior campaign.
For any newcomers, first and foremost; Welcome! When it comes to the “rules” of this exercise, we’re not voting for our favorite highlight necessarily, but the one that best captures the essence of the game. Put differently, if you had to choose just one play to show someone to explain as much of the contest as possible, which would you choose?
Sometimes it’s just not your day. On a rainy winter day (the literal worst weather for being in the stands), the Bills had the stats for a victory. They had nearly twice as many first downs as the Eagles (20 to 11), half a yard per rush better on the ground, and nearly two-and-a-half times the passing yardage. Buffalo held the ball for over 10 minutes more than Philadelphia. The Bills had only one turnover.
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So what happened? The bad plays were all just at the worst time. Well, on offense that is. The defense held pretty strong all game. Josh Allen and company looked like self-defeating gremlins and still almost pulled out a win. Very depressing. It’s a good thing nothing lasts forever, even cold December rain.
Sack and fumble (Q1; 4:10)
If there was one common thread in Philadelphia stopping Buffalo, it might be sacks. Of the five, this is for sure the worst. What with the fumble and the next drive resulting in the Eagles’ one touchdown and all.
Blocked extra point (Q4; 5:11)
When you lose by one point they’re all pretty important. Not only did this blocked extra point directly remove one off the scoreboard, but it was probably also a factor into another play lower down the list. This was Michael Badgley’s second and last game with Buffalo and while this wasn’t entirely his fault, Bills fans were glad to see 67-year old Matt Prater back the next week.
Last stop (Q4; 3:36)
As noted, the Bills’ defense held up quite well in this game. I had several stops to choose from, but elected to go with their final stop. This allowed the offense to take the field again to drive for the tie or win.
Trick play (Q4; 1:51)
Will this actually be a play I put in the poll to vote on, or is it here just because it’s fun and we could use a bit of fun in these things? Stay tuned!
Failed two-point try (Q4; 0:05)
Ahem. Deep inhale…
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Which play best defines the Bills’ loss?
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