The Buffalo Bills came into 2020 believing this year could be special. It all came to fruition in NFL Week 15, with the Bills’ victory on Saturday Night Football returning them to supremacy in the AFC East.
For more than a decade, the New England Patriots have dominated this division. When Tom Brady departed in free agency, though, the divisional crown was finally up for grabs. After 11 consecutive AFC East titles, with 17 divisional banners in the 21st century, a new king sits atop the AFC East.
On Saturday, the Bills took the field with a shot at snapping their infamous streak. All Buffalo needed was a victory over the Denver Broncos to secure the AFC East. With Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs leading the way, this team came through once again in 2020.
When did the Buffalo Bills last win the AFC East?
It’s been 25 years since the Buffalo Bills last won the AFC East. While they have made the NFL Playoffs twice in the last three seasons, those came as a wild card team. This time around, Buffalo finally gets to hang the banner.
In that 1995 season, the Bills were led by head coach Mark Levy and walked away with the AFC East crown thanks to a 10-6 record. Jim Kelly was in the penultimate stage of his Hall of Fame career, posting a 22-13 TD-INT ratio and going 10-5 as the starter.
After winning the division in 1995, Buffalo placed second in 1996 behind a 10-6 record. The club would post two more double-digit win seasons (1998, ’99) before sliding into more than 15 seasons of futility in the cellar. Finally, that long 25-year stretch is over.
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NFL fans react to Buffalo Bills snapping 25-year drought, winning AFC East
As the final seconds ticked away on Saturday night and Buffalo celebrated, the football world exploded with reactions to the Bills winning the AFC East.