2007 Buffalo Bills season
 |
This article documents a current sports-related event. Information may change as the event progresses. |
| 2007 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Dick Jauron |
| Home Field | Ralph Wilson Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 1-4 |
| Place | T-2nd |
| Playoff Finish | TBD |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 2006 | 2008 |
The 2007 Buffalo Bills season will be the 38th season for the team in the National Football League and 48th season overall. They will try to improve upon their 7-9 record in 2006 and are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.
Coaching staff
Head coach Dick Jauron will be entering his second year with the Bills. He will be joined with Offensive Coordinator Steve Fairchild and Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell.
Schedule
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Time/Result | Game Site | TV | Final Score | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 10, 2007 | New Orleans | 8 PM EDT | Louisiana Superdome | CBS | W 13-10 | 1-0 |
| 2 | August 17, 2007 | Atlanta | 7 PM EDT | Ralph Wilson Stadium | WKBW | L 13-10 | 1-1 |
| 3 | August 24, 2007 | Tennessee | 7 PM EDT | Ralph Wilson Stadium | WKBW | L 28-17 | 1-2 |
| 4 | August 30, 2007 | Detroit | 7 PM EDT | Ford Field | WKBW | W 16-13 | 2-2 |
Division standings
| AFC East | ||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | 2007 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 230 | 92 | Details | |||
| Buffalo Bills | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 65 | 118 | Details | |||
| New York Jets | 1 | 5 | 0 | .167 | 105 | 154 | Details | |||
| Miami Dolphins | 0 | 6 | 0 | .000 | 128 | 182 | Details | |||
|
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against |
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Regular Season
The 2007 NFL regular season schedule was announced, and brought a favorable schedule where the Bills play six of their first 10 games at home.
The Buffalo Bills 2007 regular season schedule
Season Summaries
Week 1: vs. Denver Broncos
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 15 |
| Bills | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Game time: 1:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM CDT
- Game weather: 70
°F (Windy & Rainy) - Game attendance: 71,132
- Referee: Gerry Austin
- TV announcers: (CBS): Gus Johnson & Randy Cross
Game summary
The Bills began their 2007 campaign at home against the Denver Broncos. In the first quarter, the Bills struck first with WR/PR Roscoe Parrish returning a punt 74 yards for a touchdown. Then, near the end of the period, the Broncos got on the board with kicker Jason Elam getting a 21-yard field goal. Denver would go on to get the only score of the second quarter, as Elam kicked a 48-yard field goal.
On the opening kickoff for the second half, a scary injury occurred to Bills TE Kevin Everett, as he suffered a cervical spine injury[1]. He would end up being carted off the field, and was rushed to Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital for an emergency surgery. It was due to the fastest application of cold ever applied to an injured spine that gave Everett a chance to walk again despite the initial grim prognosis.
In the third quarter, Buffalo struck again as rookie RB Marshawn Lynch got a 23-yard TD run. Afterwards, the Broncos pulled within two as QB Jay Cutler completed a 5-yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall (followed by a failed 2-Point Conversion). Near the end of the fourth quarter, Cutler drove his team into field goal range and with no timeouts left, Denver's special teams came on and Elam kicked the game-winning 42-yard field goal with no time left on the clock.
With the shocking loss, the Bills began the season at 0-1.
Scoring drives
Q1 - BUF - 6:17 - 74-yard TD Punt Return by Roscoe Parrish (Rian Lindell kick) (7-0 BUF)
Q1 - DEN - 0:33 - Jason Elam 21-yard FG (7-3 BUF)
Q2 - DEN - 7:51 - Elam 48-yard field goal (7-6 BUF)
Q3 - BUF - 6:24 - 23-yard TD run by Marshawn Lynch (Lindell kick) (14-6 BUF)
Q3 - DEN - 0:54 - 5-yard TD pass from Jay Cutler to Brandon Marshall (Two-Point Conversion Failed) (14-12 BUF)
Q4 - DEN - 0:00 - Elam 42-yard FG (15-14 DEN)
Week 2: at Pittsburgh Steelers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Steelers | 3 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 26 |
at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Hoping to rebound from a last-second home loss to the Broncos, the Bills (with TE Kevin Everett on the mind) went to Heinz Field for their Week 2 match-up against the throwback-clad Pittsburgh Steelers. In the first half, the Bills struggled on offense while their defense only allowed three Jeff Reed field goal (a 34-yard field goal in the first quarter, along with a 28-yard and a 39-yard field goal). In the third quarter, Buffalo would get their only score of the game as kicker Rian Lindell nailed a 24-yard field goal. For the rest of the game, the Steelers dominated with QB Ben Roethlisberger completing a 1-yard TD pass to TE Matt Spaeth later in the period, along with RB Willie Parker getting an 11-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.
With the loss, the Bills fell to 0-2.
Week 3: at New England Patriots
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Patriots | 3 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxboro,
Massachusetts
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 74°F (Clear)
- TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Rich Gannon (color commentator)
- Referee: Scott Green
- Game Attendance: 68,756
Trying to snap a two-game skid, the Bills flew to Gillette Stadium for a Week 3 divisional fight with the New England Patriots. In the first quarter, QB J.P. Losman was immediately injured on the first offensive play of the game. He would finish the series, but ended up on the bench for the rest of the game. After New England took the lead with kicker Stephen Gostkowski's 24-yard field goal, rookie QB Trent Edwards played the rest of the game for Buffalo. The Bills would get their only score of the game as RB Marshawn Lynch got an 8-yard TD run, and a Rian Lindell field goal put the Bills ahead suprisingly 10-7. However, in the second quarter, the Patriots were able to open up their running game when Bills rookie standout Paul Posluszny was lost due to a broken arm. This left passing lanes open, and for the rest of the game, the Patriots dominated. QB Tom Brady's 8-yard TD pass to TE Benjamin Watson and a 3-yard TD pass to WR Randy Moss made it 17-7 at the half. In the third quarter, New England continued its conquest with Brady's 4-yard TD pass to WR Jabar Gaffney and RB Sammy Morris' 4-yard TD run. In the fourth quarter, the Patriots ended the day with Brady and Moss hooking up with each other again on a 45-yard TD pass.
With their third-straight loss, the Bills fell to 0-3.
Week 4: vs. New York Jets
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Bills | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 17 |
at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New
York
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 75°F (Sunny)
- TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle (play-by-play) and Solomon Wilcots (color commentator)
- Referee: John Parry
- Game Attendance: 70,600
There were many factors that made the Bills underdogs before Week 4- an 0-3 start coming off of a demoralizing loss to the New England Patriots, a starting quarterback in Trent Edwards who was starting his very first NFL game, numerous defensive injuries of starters, and an opponent in the New York Jets that had just gotten its first win over the Miami Dolphins. Things started off well for the Bills as Edwards led the offense down into Jets territory, but a Robert Royal fumble caused by Jonathan Vilma ended a promising drive. The Jets could not get any sort of momentum from the turnover, and were forced to punt.
In the second quarter, things heated up as the Bills once again managed to gain several first downs, only to see the Jets force another turnover as a deep ball by Edwards meant for Lee Evans was intercepted by Andre Dyson. Three events late in the first half led to a flurry of big plays- Bills safety Donte Whitner tackled Jets RB Leon Washington inbounds to keep the clock running, quarterback Chad Pennington faked a spike and completed a pass to put the Jets in field goal range with a couple of seconds left, and Jets kicker Mike Nugent clanged the ball off the right upright, leaving the game scoreless at the half.
The second half saw the Bills take the lead on a 10 yard run by Marshawn Lynch, his second of the year. It was all set up by Edwards going 4 for 4 on the drive. The Jets tied it at 7 on an inspired drive by Pennington, who found Laveranues Coles in the end zone for a touchdown.
The fourth quarter saw the Bills take advantage of the Jets when reserve defensive back Jabari Greer intercepted Pennington. The Bills cashed in as Edwards found reserve tight end Michael Gaines on a bootleg 4th down play at the Jets 1 yard line, and once again the Bills got more points when kicker Rian Lindell kicked a 46 yard field goal to make it 17-7. The Jets came right back with points of their own as Leon Washington rambled in to cut the lead to 17-14. After a Buffalo punt with less than 2 minutes remaining, the Jets failed to score as a forced pass by Pennington with 6 seconds left ended up in the acrobatic arms of Terrence McGee, preserving the 17-14 victory. The Bills took over second place in the AFC East at 1-3 because of the win, while the Jets fell to 1-3.
Week 5: vs. Dallas Cowboys
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 0 | 10 | 3 | 12 | 25 |
| Buffalo | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Game time: 8:30 PM EDT
- Game weather: 73
°F (Partly Cloudy) - Game attendance: 71,575
- Referee: Walt Anderson
- TV announcers: (ESPN): Mike Tirico (play-by-play) & Tony Kornheiser, Ron Jaworski (color commentators)
Coming off their divisional home win over the Jets, the Bills stayed at home and played their first Monday Night football game in 13 years against the undefeated Dallas Cowboys. In the first quarter, Buffalo got off to a fast start with DB George Wilson returning an interception 25-yard for a touchdown, along with the only score of the period. In the second quarter, the Cowboys tied the game with QB Tony Romo completing a 22-yard TD pass to TE Jason Witten. Afterwards, Buffalo increased its lead with kicker Rian Lindell getting a 24-yard field goal, along with DE Chris Kelsay intercepting a Romo pass in the endzone for a touchdown. Dallas would end the half with kicker Nick Folk getting a 47-yard field goal.
In the third quarter, Dallas drew closer with Folk kicking a 29-yard field goal. Fortunately, the Bills immediately responded with CB Terrence McGee returning a kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, the Cowboys got within 8 points with Folk getting a 37-yard field goal. From there, things began to look grim for Buffalo as a Trent Edwards interception eventually turned into Romo's 4-yard TD pass to WR Patrick Crayton. Fortunately, the two-point conversion was no good. However, Dallas got a successful onside kick. With only 3 seconds left, Folk came out for a 53-yard field goal. The first try was good, yet it was negated with Head Coach Dick Jauron calling time out (repeating a move done by both the Denver Broncos in week 2 and the Oakland Raiders in week 3). However, the technique that worked for Denver and Oakland for this year failed as Folk got the game-winning 53-yard field goal as time ran out, despite the Bills defense getting 6 turnovers from Romo (5 interceptions and 1 fumble).
With the heart-breaking loss, the Bills entered their bye week at 1-4.
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