| 1986 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ralph Wilson |
| General manager | Bill Polian |
| Head coach | Hank Bullough Marv Levy |
| Home field | Rich Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–12 |
| Division place | 4th AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | None |
The 1986 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 17th season in the National Football League, and the 27th overall.
Although the Bills were only 2–6 at the midway point of the season, their games were much more competitive than in years past. (Only two of their losses in the first eight games were by more than a touchdown.) Still, after a 6-point Week Nine loss to Tampa Bay, the Bills fired coach Hank Bullough, and hired former Kansas City coach Marv Levy to replace him. (Though Levy was not on the Bills' coaching staff, he had served as a television analyst for the team during the 1986 preseason and was hired away from his executive role from the Montreal Alouettes because of that team's terminal financial situation.) Levy would win his first game with the Bills against Pittsburgh in Week Ten, and one more game against Kansas City in Week Thirteen, finishing with a 2–5 record in his first half-season as head coach.[a]
Years later, Bills offensive tackle Will Wolford alleged that the team purposely lost the week 9 game to Tampa Bay in order to get Bullough fired.[1]
The Bills ended their 22-game losing streak on the road by beating the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, 17–14. Coincidentally, the Bills beat the Chiefs, 14–9, in the road game leading up to the losing streak in 1983.
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