It was a year of missed opportunity.
The Bills were handed the NFL’s second-easiest schedule in 2008, when their opponents finished with a combined record of 116-140. They played only four eventual playoff teams. Archrival New England was without MVP quarterback Tom Brady, lost for the final 15 games with a knee injury.
And what did the Bills do? They managed to fumble away this rare alignment of the stars, tumbling after a 5-1 start to finish 7-9 for a third consecutive season under coach Dick Jauron.
The team’s playoff drought is now at a franchise-record nine seasons. Only the Bills, Lions and Texans haven’t made the playoffs this decade.