Buffalo was a strange place in the fall of 2016. If you were there, you remember the vibe. It was year two of the Rex Ryan experiment, and the "playoff drought" was no longer just a statistic; it was a heavy, suffocating blanket that draped over every tailgate at New Era Field. Honestly, the 2016 Buffalo Bills season shouldn't have been as chaotic as it was. On paper, they had the league's best rushing attack. LeSean McCoy was dancing through defenders like they were statues. Tyrod Taylor was protecting the football. And yet, the wheels didn't just come off—they basically exploded in a spectacular fashion that only a franchise in the middle of a 17-year postseason hiatus could manage.
The season didn't start with a bang. It started with a whimper in Baltimore. A 13-7 loss where the offense looked like it was stuck in mud. Then came a Thursday night shootout against the Jets that felt like a fever dream. Ryan Fitzpatrick, of all people, torched a Rex Ryan defense for nearly 400 yards. People were calling for heads after week two. Literally. Rex fired his offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, just six days after that Jets loss. It was a classic "distract from the defense" move that everyone saw through, but weirdly enough? It kind of worked for a minute.
The Anthony Lynn spark and that four-game heater
When Anthony Lynn took over the play-calling, the 2016 Buffalo Bills season suddenly found a pulse. They went on a four-game tear that had Western New York dreaming of January football. They bullied Arizona. They shut out the Patriots in Foxborough—which, yeah, Jacoby Brissett was starting because Jimmy Garoppolo was hurt and Tom Brady was suspended, but a win in that stadium is still a win. Then they handled the Rams and the 49ers.
By mid-October, the Bills were 4-2. Shady McCoy was averaging over five yards a carry. He finished the year with 1,267 yards and 13 touchdowns, looking every bit like the "Philadelphia Version" of himself. But the depth behind him was the real story. Mike Gillislee was a touchdown machine in the red zone. This team could run on anyone. They finished the year first in the NFL in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and yards per carry. You don't see that often from a team that finishes under .500. It’s almost impossible to be that good at one specific thing and still fail the class.
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Why the defense couldn't stop a nosebleed
Here is the part that drives Bills fans crazy. Rex Ryan was supposed to be a defensive genius. That was his whole brand. "Build a bully," he said. But the defense in the 2016 Buffalo Bills season was a mess of missed assignments and confusion. They couldn't stop the run when it mattered, and they certainly couldn't stop the pass. They allowed 23.6 points per game.
Stephon Gilmore, who would go on to be a Defensive Player of the Year elsewhere, was often left on an island or looked frustrated with the scheme. Then you had the injuries. Top pick Shaq Lawson missed the start of the year. Sammy Watkins, the guy they traded the farm for, had a foot that just wouldn't heal. He played eight games. Eight. When your WR1 is out and your defense is giving up 30 points to the Dolphins at home in a must-win game, your season is cooked.
That Dolphins game in Week 16 was the final nail. Jay Ajayi ran for over 200 yards. Again. It was the second time he did it to Buffalo that year. Watching the Bills defense consistently fail to set an edge was like watching a recurring nightmare. They lost 34-31 in overtime. It was heartbreaking, sloppy, and perfectly representative of the era.
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The Tyrod Taylor dilemma
Tyrod Taylor is a polarizing figure in Buffalo history. During the 2016 Buffalo Bills season, he threw for 3,023 yards, 17 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions. He also ran for nearly 600 yards. Those are "safe" numbers. He didn't lose you games, but the coaching staff—and eventually the front office—felt like he didn't win them either. He struggled to throw into tight windows. He wouldn't pull the trigger on intermediate routes.
The drama peaked in Week 17. The front office made the call to bench Tyrod for EJ Manuel. Why? Because Tyrod had an injury guarantee in his contract. If he got hurt in a meaningless Week 17 game against the Jets, the Bills would have been on the hook for about $30 million. It was a business decision that felt gross to the players. Rex Ryan was fired before that final game, refusing to be the one to bench his guy. Anthony Lynn stepped in as the interim coach, EJ Manuel started, played terribly, got benched for Cardale Jones, and the Bills lost 30-10. It was an embarrassing end to a season that had so much statistical promise.
Realities of the 7-9 finish
Look at the stats and you'll see a team that should have been 10-6. They had a positive point differential for a good chunk of the year. They had a Pro Bowl linebacker in Lorenzo Alexander who came out of nowhere to record 12.5 sacks at age 33. It was one of the greatest "one-hit wonder" seasons in NFL history. Kyle Williams was still a force on the interior. Richie Incognito was making Pro Bowls on the offensive line.
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But the 2016 Buffalo Bills season was defined by the stuff that didn't show up in the box score. It was defined by the "Buffalo 12th Man" noise and the folding tables getting smashed in the parking lot, contrasted against a team that lacked discipline on the field. They were among the most penalized teams in the league. They lacked a "Plan B" when the run game was neutralized. Most importantly, they lacked a cohesive vision between the coaching staff and the front office led by Doug Whaley.
Moving forward from the Rex Ryan era
If you're looking to understand the modern Buffalo Bills, you have to look at the wreckage of 2016. It was the "rock bottom" of the drought era because it was the moment ownership realized that winning the press conference isn't the same as winning games. Sean McDermott was hired shortly after, and the culture shift was immediate.
To truly grasp the impact of this season, don't just look at the 7-9 record. Analyze the rushing efficiency metrics of that 2016 squad compared to the league average. You’ll find that they were historically dominant on the ground, yet failed because of a total collapse in defensive fundamentals—the very thing their head coach was hired to fix.
For those researching this era or building a historical sports database, focus on the "Points For" vs. "Points Against" discrepancy in the Bills' losses that year. It reveals a team that could score but lacked the situational awareness to close out games. Study the Week 16 loss to Miami specifically; it is a masterclass in how poor gap discipline can ruin a season. That game remains the blueprint for what not to do on defense, and it served as the catalyst for the entire organizational overhaul that eventually brought Josh Allen to town.
Check the injury reports from the 2016 training camp as well. The struggle began before the first kickoff, with Reggie Ragland going down and Shaq Lawson starting on the PUP list. It’s a reminder that in the NFL, depth is often more important than star power. If you’re tracking the evolution of the AFC East, the 2016 Bills are the perfect case study in how an elite run game is wasted without a competent pass defense.