The game on December 2nd 1990 between the Eagles and the Bills was not just one of the most important games of the season. It was an iconic game in the history of pro football. First off the Bills with their new no huddle shotgun offense with Quarterback Jim Kelly calling the plays at the line of scrimmage the Bills would go up 24-0 by the end of the first Quarter with Kelly going 8 for 8 for 229 yards and three touchdowns. What made this so impressive was who Kelly was doing this against. The Eagles defense was solid but not spectacular in 1990. They were 12th in yards and points against (slightly above average) and 7th in sacks. But in 1991 the Eagles defense behind new head coach Rich Kotite would become one of the best in NFL History. They would lose Quarterback Randall Cunningham to a season ending knee injury in the first week. But even with an anemic offense would win 10 games behind a defense that allowed only 221 yards per game (ridiculous by any time in history’s standards) and had a league best 55 sacks. The Eagles had between Reggie White, Cylde Simmons, Seth Joyner and Eric Allen (some of the best of this time and any time in NFL History) would form one of the best defenses in the Early 90’s. The Bills would have the Eagles defense confused early and often but the Eagles would adjust and make this a competitive game. In 1991 Randall Cunningham was out with a knee injury but in 1990 Randall Cunningham was the most electrifying player in all of football. In 1990 Randall Cunningham had one of the most unspoken of awesome QB Season’s in the history of the NFL. Cunningham ran for 942 yards, threw for 3,466 yards and had 30 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. Only Bobby Douglas in 1972 had more rushing yards for a Quarterback ever at this time (968 yards in 1972 and was only a marginal QB overall) and no other Quarterback had even topped 700 yards before Cunningham’s banner season. We now set the stage for the greatest play I’ve ever seen by a Quarterback in NFL History, which happened in this game. It’s now 24-9 Bills with 1 minute remaining in the 2nd Quarter. It’s 3rd and 14 with the Eagles at their own five yard line with a stop here the Bills will have a chance with great field position to extend their lead with at least a field goal before halftime. Cunningham would go back to pass with Bruce Smith coming behind him for a safety Randall Cunningham would crouch down as Bruce Smith would completely whiff on the big potential strip sack to possibly seal the game with Touchdown or Safety. Then Cunningham would roll to his left (or off hand side for a righty QB) and fling the ball 60 yards down the field to a well covered Fred Barnett who would make the catch and run it to the house for an improbable 95 yard touchdown. Rodgers, Mahomes, and Allen all have the capability of making that play but I’ve never seen any of them do anything that ridiculous. Those three and Cunningham or the only Quarterbacks that could make that play in the history of football and that’s it. Cunningham would later have good seasons but he was never the same type of awe inspiring talent after the injury in 1991. Randall Cunningham was the first great dual threat Quarterback, three decades ahead of his time. Randall Cunningham was the great NFL Cautionary Tale. This new pioneer offense (that some form of it is used in almost every game today) against a great defense and maybe the most gifted QB at his APEX we have ever seen (at this time) were going toe to toe on a Sunday afternoon in Buffalo New York. I thought I should shed some light on this moment in NFL History. For the game the Bills would hold onto win 30-23. The Bills were 10-2 and atop the AFC.
1990
The sting of 1989 as I said in Part III lingered. It could have broke the Bills apart but instead the 1990 Bills was probably the best Bills team of All Time in any season. The Season however did not start out that great. The Bills would lose 30-7 to the Dolphins in Week 2 and would be down 21-9 in the 4th Quarter in a Week 4 game against the defending AFC Champion Denver Broncos and appeared likely to fall to 2-2 on the year. But a blocked field goal would flip the game as Nate Odomes would block a 24 yard field goal attempt that Cornelius Bennett would pick up and take to the house. The next Broncos drive the Bills would tip a John Elway pass and Bills corner Leonard Smith would take the tipped pass to the house for a touchdown to give the Bills the lead. On the very next Broncos play John Elway would fumble the snap and the Bills would recover. Running back Kenneth Davis would take the next play to the house and all of a sudden the Bills were up 29-21 scoring three touchdowns while only running one offensive play from scrimmage for two yards. The Bills would hold on to win 29-28 in a game that they were outgained 410-197.
This would be the turning point in the Season as the Bills would win 10 of their next 11 games outscoring their opponents by 141 points during the run. Jim Kelly would have a career high 101.2 passer rating. Thurman Thomas had 1,297 yards and 11 touchdowns. But who had the banner season was Bruce Smith. Smith would have a monster season recording 101 tackles, 19 sacks and four forced fumbles. Bruce Smith was your 1990 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The biggest game in the 1990 Season was in Week 16 against that same team as many times before, the Miami Dolphins.
Jim Kelly and the Bills had a scare the previous week with a knee sprain that will sideline him for the final two weeks of the regular season. Bills fans can breathe a sigh of relief that the injury was not significant and Kelly would return for the playoffs. But there is a huge difference in being the number 1 seed or the number 4 seed in the playoffs. So for this game the Bills would have to turn to a player that we mentioned briefly in Part III, enter current Colts head coach and longtime Bills Backup Quarterback Frank Reich….
Frank Reich was born in Freeport New York (on Long Island) but would grow up in Lebanon Pennsylvania (near Harrisburg). Frank Reich would go to college at the University of Maryland. Other notable attendances of the University of Maryland was Scott Van Pelt and Stefon Diggs. Frank Reich was not even a starter in college backing up former Bengals and Jets great Boomer Esiason for three seasons (what a QB room Maryland had in the Early 80’s). In Reich’s Senior Year backing up former Bills third string Quarterback Stan Gelbaugh (yes Stan Gelbaugh was on the Bills roster at various points from 1986-1989, random football fact). The most memorable game in Frank Reich’s college career came In a game on November 10th, 1984. Reich would come in for an ineffective Gelbaugh with the Terrapins down 31-0 at the half at Jim Kelly’s alma mater Miami. Frank Reich would lead at the time the largest comeback in college football history throwing six touchdowns in the second half for a 42-40 victory (remember that tidbit for later). Reich would go 3-0 in a cameo in 1989 to keep the Bills afloat and the Reich was the leader in the clubhouse to be the starter in 1986 before Jim Kelly came over after the USFL folded, but this was maybe the biggest game in Buffalo in 25 years. The open window to the Super Bowl was right in front of them if they could win this game.
Frank Reich was awesome on this day. As he would go 15-21 for 234 yards and two touchdowns. Combined with Thurman Thomas running for 30 yards and 154 yards and a touchdown of his own the Bills would run away with a 24-14 win in a game that was never that close. For the second time in three years the Bills would finish with an 8-0 Home Record. Also with the win the Bills clinched homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. The AFC for the first time ever will run through Rich Stadium.
Three weeks after Frank Reich would lead the Bills to victory over the Dolphins Jim Kelly would return from injury. Waiting in front of him was, you guessed it the Miami Dolphins. It was a cold damp day in Buffalo with winds gusting to 20 miles an hour so it was going to be a slugfest right? Absolutely not, the Bills would not waste anytime as Jim Kelly would throw a dime to Andre Reed to put the Bills up early 7-0. The snow would start to fall early in the second Quarter and most snow games are like the 07 Bills Browns or the 17 Bills Colts games (which we will discuss in later Chapters). But with two of the best Quarterbacks of all time going head to head no snow storm was going to stop the offenses on this day in Western New York. After a Jim Kelly to James Lofton touchdown with still five minutes to play in the first half the Bills were up 27-10. But Dan Marino would not be denied. After a two yard touchdown pass from Marino to lineman Roy Foster the Dolphins had cut the deficit to only three (30-27). On the Bills next drive the Bills would have a 4th and 2 at the Dolphins 34 in what is known as no mans land. The smart guy would say the Bills should go for it and they did. Kelly would find Tight End Keith McKeller for the first down. The drive would be capped off with a Thurman Thomas five yard touchdown run and the Bills would pull away for a 44-34 victory. In a snowstorm this game would feature 78 Points, 923 yards of total offense and 662 passing yards. This for the time and the weather conditions was probably the most explosive offensive output ever put in any game (especially a playoff game). This is completely my opinion with receivers slipping on passing routes all game long (including Andre Reed a huge third and two the play before the McKeller completion) Jim Kelly and Dan Marino both had historically awesome games (Marino 323 yards 3 touchdowns, Kelly 339 yards 3 touchdowns).
The AFC Championship would feature the Bills and the Los Angeles Raiders. The Raiders were coming off a victory over the Bengals the previous week but lost their most valuable player (running back Bo Jackson) to an hip injury (that would tragically end his career). The Raiders you can tell were deflated from the get go as the Bills would come out swinging and never let up. The Bills were up 21-3 after a Darryl Talley pick six with the game still in the first Quarter. The Bills were up 41-3 at the Half scoring the most first half points in Playoff history. Officially the second half was simply a coronation. The Bills would win 51-3. The stadium would go crazy. The Bills had never been to the Super Bowl. They were supposed to be there in Super Bowl I and did not pull through. But 25 years later the Bills have finally arrived in the big game. Unlike their last trip to Tampa they the Bills will be playing to win this time.
Super Bowl 25
The Gulf War was at it’s heaviest conflict in January of 1991. We could go into it, but many of you Historians know what happened and if you don’t there is plenty of documentaries and books that cover this conflict. But we have to mention it to put into context the mood of our country at this time. Was the Super Bowl a great distraction for many in our country on a late January evening, absolutely it was but many questioned the appropriateness of even playing the game. But as in any War or Conflict our Country has had over it’s history the number one hope Is that our troops are safe, as many of our loved ones were in the Middle East at this time. The Super Bowl between the Bills and Giants was one of the best ten Super Bowl’s ever without debate. But the most iconic moment of this Super Bowl may have come before the game. Whitney Houston’s Star Spangled Banner was one of the most iconic moments of any Super Bowl ever. Her powerful vocals with U.S Flags waving behind her and the fighter jets flying above at the end of Houston’s impeccable performance still gives me goose bumps to this day.
Now onto the game. Jim Kelly and Giants Quarterback Phil Simms both got injured in a Bills Giants game in Week 15 of that Season (a 17-13 Bills victory). Kelly was able to return for the playoffs but Phil Simms with a broken foot was out for the Season. But Giants backup Quarterback Jeff Hostetler was able to go on a magical postseason run with a huge 15-13 Upset over the 49ers in the NFC Championship game. The Bills were favored by 6.5 in Vegas and had scored almost 100 points in their two playoff games and were rolling on all cylinders and were rightfully so expected to win by most. But on the other side the Giants had the best defensive coordinator in football. This man would haunt Bills fans dreams for two decades. You know him, Bill Belichick.
The Giants were one of the best defensive teams in all of football in 1990. 1st in points allowed, 2nd in yards and yards per play allowed, led by maybe the best defensive player of all time linebacker Lawrence Taylor. Belichick would employ an interesting strategy against the Bills high octane offense. The Giants would play 8 or 9 in coverage and not blitz Jim Kelly (who destroyed the Blitz in 1990). The Giants would try to control the game with clock and ball control and it worked. The Giants would have the ball for over 40 minutes and would run 18 more plays. But still the game was close throughout. The Bills would be up 12-3 in the second Quarter after a Bruce Smith sack/safety of Jeff Hostetler. However, the super backup would lead the Giants on a quick strike touchdown drive to get to within two at the half. We shift now to early in the fourth when Thurman Thomas would run in an awesome 31 yard touchdown bouncing off two potential tacklers to take a 19-17 lead (Thurman would run 15 times for 135 yards in the game). The Giants would retaliate going on an almost 7 minute drive with the Giants picking up three huge third down conversions. The Bills defense would make a goal line stand and hold the Giants to a chip shot Matt Bahr field goal to put the Giants back up 20-19 with 8 minutes to play. Teams would exchange punts and the Bills would get the ball back at their own ten with 2:16 left. A field goal to win the Super Bowl. Back in 1990 kickers did not have the range they do today (except for Hall of Famer Morten Anderson) so to get into comfortable range for kicker Scott Norwood (who was 1-5 on kicks above 40 yards on grass in his career at this point) the Bills would have to get to the Giants 22 (but let’s call it the 20). So 70 yards in a little over two minutes. The Bills would get to work, Thurman Thomas would run for 21 yards, then Kelly would scramble for ten. Bills now at the Giants 46 with 48 seconds remaining. 26 more yards to get into comfortable range. 6 yard completion to tight end Keith McKeller but stopped in bounds clock ticking, then a draw play to Thurman Thomas for 10 yards (clever play call but he was stopped in bounds and the Bills would not be able to run anymore plays). The Bills at the Giants 30 and within easy field goal for Justin Tucker or Matt Prater in today’s game but was in very uncomfortable range for 1991 Scott Norwood. The Bills needed 70 yards but got 60. Regardless it’s the only option they got so out comes Norwood to try to become a folk hero in Western New York until the end of time. The snap is good and the kick is made, at first it looked like it may sneak in but the kick would fade further right and the famous announcer (who still does Sunday night football today) responds with “no good wide right”. Wide right is the maybe the most two painful words to a Bills fan to this day. The Bills had finally made it to the big game, victory was on their doorstep but they fell just short.
1991
After falling just short in 1990 the Bills would again dominate the AFC in 1991. The Bills would would break all of the offensive records they set the previous season. The Bills would score a franchise record 458 points and average over 400 yards a game (407.8 yards per game, a normalcy today but an elite offense of all time good in 1991). Jim Kelly would set his career high in yards (3,844) and touchdowns (33). But the biggest star of 1991 would be the MVP of the NFL that season, Thurman Thomas. Thurman Thomas would run for 1,407 yards and caught 62 passes for 620 yards and 12 touchdowns (hell of a fantasy season). The Bills would start the season with a bang (gaining almost 600 yards of offense in a 35-31 Week 1 win over the Dolphins). They would begin 5-0 and 10-1, they played angry blowing out opponents all season (winning 8 games by double digits). The Bills would go 13-3 for the second straight season and again get the number one seed in the playoffs. Many teams who lost the Super Bowl would miss the postseason the following year. From 2000-2008 only one Super Bowl loser (the 06 Seahawks) would even return to the Postseason (this would change starting with the 09 Cardinals as majority of recent Super Bowl losers have returned to the playoffs). But the Bills who maybe had the most heartbreaking Super Bowl defeat of them all would return the following season to be just as good if not better, a testament to the pure grit of this football team.
The Divisional round opponent for the Bills was the Kansas City Chiefs (a team that blew out the Bills in Week 6 33-6). So the Bills would have their hands full against the Chiefs right? Um no… The Bills would blow out the Chiefs 37-14 in a game that was never close. Jim Kelly would find Andre Reed on two different long touchdown passes to go up 14-0 early in the 2nd and never look back. The Bills would over double the Chiefs in total yards (448-213). Now onto the AFC Championship game against John Elway and the Denver Broncos (three times in the previous five years AFC Champions).
The Broncos had an outstanding defense in 1991 being third in points allowed finishing with a 12-4 record. We all remember the catalyst for this current Bills run (a weird 29-28 Bills victory in Week 4 of 1990 when the Broncos dominate every stat possible except the scoreboard). This game would be a brutal defensive struggle with the Game being scoreless at the half (but the Broncos blowing some scoring chances including a missed field goal hit off the right upright). But in a surprising defensive struggle the Bills needed a play from their defense and would get one in the third quarter from an unlikely source. Bills Linebacker Carlton Bailey would jump a screen pass to give the Bills the first score of the game on the 11 yard pick six (only his second pick of his career). It took almost 40 minutes for someone to score and finally it was the Bills defense that would come through. Broncos kicker David Treadwell would miss a second field goal (from 37 this time) in the 4th and then for the first time all day the Bills would go on a drive. The drive would stall at the Broncos 27 and out comes that man again Scott Norwood, with a chance to seal the game and put the Bills back in the Super Bowl. A chance for redemption.
Scott Norwood had as brutal of an offseason as one could. He missed a very difficult kick to win the Super Bowl but was still given the opportunity and didn’t pull through. Norwood was always a solid kicker (made the pro bowl in 1988) and was 20-29 in 1990 (which was league average for that time). He was a very quiet man, beloved by his teammates and fans. Many other cities would vilify the kicker for his miss. But not Buffalo, they embraced Norwood and would on the arrival home after the Super Bowl loss many fans would applaud him (would be 30,000 fans waiting at the airport, good ol Buffalo!). Only in Buffalo would someone who would miss that kick would get that response. This was not the Super Bowl but it was a chance to give the Bills another shot to get back to the Big game. This 44 yard attempt would not be easy on a 30 degree day with 30 mile an hour winds and the opposing kicker already missing two from closer range, but lining up for the kick was Scott Norwood. Norwood would kick the ball almost directly in the same spot as the previous January (right on the right upright). But unlike the previous kick the ball would curve into the middle of the uprights. Norwood’s teammates would mob him, the crowd would go crazy. Hey hey hey hey hey, you make me wanna shout playing on the loud speakers. The Isley Brothers late 50’s hit no longer their song, but now the Buffalo Bills celebration hit (It would later be remade by Scott Kemper in 1993 with the lyrics change to let’s go Buffalo. You can’t go to a Bills game or tailgate without fans singing that song, one of the best team songs in the league). Scott Norwood just got redemption, in life you don’t always get the ultimate redemption (he would have loved to be kicking that kick to win the super bowl). But for Scott Norwood it was a great moment for him and for the city of Buffalo. For the Second straight season the Bills are in the big game. Onto to Minnesota goes the Bills.
Super Bowl 26
Waiting on the other side was the Washington football team. The 1991 Washington football team was one of the best Football teams not just in the 1990s but all time. They went 14-2, they had a point differential of plus 261 (one of the best point differential’s in NFL History, since the merger only the undefeated 07 Patriots and 99 Rams were better, probably underrated by me as I rated the 85 Bears and 84 49ers higher on my greatest teams of all time list). They had one of the best offensive lines in NFL History, known as the hogs. They ran for over 2,000 yards. They outscored their opponents 65-17 in the playoffs showing the regular season was not a fluke. The Bills unlike the previous Super Bowl were a touchdown underdog, but the Bills were a hungry, motivated team coming into the game. This game would be different than the previous year right?
The Bills first play from scrimmage was a broken play that running back Kenneth Davis would go the wrong way (because Thurman Thomas couldn’t find his helmet was only reason why Davis was even in the game). Jim Kelly would make something out of the play (gaining three yards) but the drive would stall. The game was scoreless after the first quarter but the game would quickly get away from the Bills in the second Quarter. Washington would score on consecutive drives to go up 10-0. Then the turning point play would occur. Jim Kelly would throw a pass to James Lofton which if thrown on target could have been a big play, but the pass was underthrown and hall of fame cornerback Darrell Green would catch the ball like he was shagging fly balls at baseball practice. Washington would score again to go up 17-0. The Bills would have a chance to attempt a field goal at the end of the first half but Andre Reed would lose his cool on a bang bang play and would get an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty which would take the Bills out of field goal range.
The very first play of the second half Jim Kelly would throw a second interception (this time by linebacker Kurt Gouveia), this was more an ill advised throw on a blitz that wasn’t picked up by Thurman Thomas but still on the Quarterback to eat it and take the sack. Washington would score quickly thereafter to go up 24-0 and the game was subsequently over. The Bills would score some garbage time points and make the 37-24 final look closer than the game really was. For the second straight year the Bills were the bridesmaids instead of the Bride. How can a team recover from being so close again.
1992
1992 would start off great for the Bills again as they would begin the Season outscoring their opponents 153-45 in going 4-0. They looked like they were going to be the best team in the history of the NFL. The one game that was not a blowout was a Week 2 34-31 win over the 49ers in the only game in NFL History (still to this day) to not have a single punt. It was a game that looked like the Chiefs-Rams circa 2018 in how much offense was in this game (1,086 total yards of offense, crazy there was only 65 total points scored!). But unlike 1990 and 1991 the Bills would crater after the 4-0 start.
The Bills would lose in Week 5 37-10 at home to the Dolphins. They would blow a 13-3 4th Quarter lead to the 4-7 Colts (in a 16-13 overtime defeat). Then the following Week would lose to Browning Nagle (never heard of him and neither have you!) and the 3-9 Jets 24-17, suffering the Bills worst home loss of the entire 1990’s. Yet with all of this the Bills would have a chance to clinch the division and home field advantage for the third season in a row with a Week 17 win in Houston. But disaster would happen as Jim Kelly would sprain his knee early in the game and the Bills would get trounced 27-3. The Dolphins would catch the Bills at 11-5 and the Dolphins would get the tiebreaker due to a better division record. Which occurred because the Bills lost to bad Colts and Jets teams earlier in the year in back to back weeks. The Bills would be the 4 seed and be playing at home but no homefield advantage this season. To make matters worse Jim Kelly is out with a knee injury, the Bills will have to turn to Frank Reich. The opponent, the team the Bills just got blown out by six days prior, the Houston Oilers.
Wildcard Game 1992
We shift to the third Quarter with the Oilers up 28-3 (yes it’s 28-3 Oilers at the half!!!). Frank Reich would throw a pick six to Oilers safety Bubba McDowell (on a ball that went through Keith McKeller’s hands) now Houston is up 35-3 two minutes into the third. The fans start heading for the exits, the Bills Super Bowl appearances in a row streak appears to be ending a two, just a Season where the Bills maybe got too complacent or the AFC had simply caught up (with those losses to the Colts and Jets I think it’s the former). But then….
The Bills would go on a quick drive to make it 35-10. The ensuing kickoff the Bills would recover the sneaky onside kick (they are down 35-10 wouldn’t you be playing kick safe there OIlers?). A quick score from Reich to special teams demon/third wide receiver Don Beebe and the Bills have cut the lead to 35-17 with still 7 minutes left in the third Quarter (on a play that should have been deemed illegal Don Beebe ran out of bounds came back in and was first to touch the ball which should be illegal touching). Regardless Bills catch a break as fans are trying to get back into the stadium who had previously left. Oilers three and out then the Bills again score this time a 26 yard touchdown from Reich to Andre Reed. Now it’s 35-24 and we are still in the third Quarter (Rich Stadium is going insane). Warren Moon gets picked off by Bills safety Henry Jones at the Houston 23 (this can’t be happening right?). The Bills would have a 4th and 5 and they could kick a field goal (but remember no two point conversions in 1992 so the Bills would still be down 2 scores). But Marv Levy can sense the Bills are in great position to steal this game with a touchdown so he goes for it. A beautiful seam route run by Andre Reed with a perfect pass by Frank Reich, touchdown. The game was 35-3 Houston with 13 minutes left in the 3rd. 11 minutes later it’s 35-31. I can remember absolutely insane crowd moments in recent memory. A few come to mind, the Mahomes to Sammy Watkins touchdown in the 2019 AFC Championship game overtaking 50 years of frustration in one moment. The Minneapolis Miracle (Stefon Diggs!!!). The Adam Vinitari snow field goal. This is on par with those moments. The stadium was so loud in this moment you would think you are listening a crowd asking for an encore at a rock concert, there is still 2 minutes left to play in the third quarter (as Van Miller so eloquently put it’s Pandemonium). This game and this moment may have been the wildest moment in the history of Rich Stadium. But there’s still the 4th Quarter to go.
In the 4th Quarter the Bills would take the lead (!!!) on a 17 yard Reich pass to Andre Reed with 3:08 to play. As in other moments in Bills-Oilers history (some just great games between these teams) the Bills taking a 38-35 lead after the Oilers were up the Oilers would fold right? We are talking about Warren freaking Moon!!! Moon would lead the Oilers down the field but the Bills defense would hold and force the Oilers to kick a 26 yard Al Del Greco field goal. 38-38, we are going to overtime. The Oilers would win the toss. Remember also in 1992 first score wins (even a field goal on the first drive).
3rd and 3 on the Oilers drive at their own 27. Warren Moon throws a pass to nowhere, the only player in the area was Nate Odomes (who have made many big plays before and he does it again). Odomes intercepts the pass and tack on a face mask penalty and the Bills are the Oilers 20. A field goal to win and the Bills are already in range. The Bills would make the tough decision of not retaining kicker Scott Norwood after the 1991 Season. Bringing in former Bucs kicker Steve Christie. Christie was 24-30 in 1992 (80 percent and one of the best kickers in the game that season, he was an upgrade over Norwood). Christie would hit the 31 yard field goal and the Bills had done it!! Frank Reich who completed the biggest college football comeback in NFL History also completed the biggest comeback in NFL History (32 points still the biggest comeback ever to this day). A day Bills fans will never forget.
The Bills would cruise to 24-3 and 29-10 road victories over the Steelers and Dolphins with Jim Kelly returning in the AFC Championship game. The Bills are back for a third straight year in the Super Bowl. Only the 72-74 Dolphins had previously accomplished that feat. This time the Bills were riding impressive momentum they could not be stopped right? Onto Pasadena California.
Super Bowl 27
Awaiting on the other side was an upstart Cowboys team lead by former University of Miami Head coach Jimmy Johnson. Impressively the third straight year an historically great NFC East team (and different teams every season) was in the big game. Anyone who has watched football knows who Jimmy Johnson, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin are so let’s go to the game.
The game would start off great for the Bills with special teams legend Steve Tasker blocking a punt and giving the Bills the ball at the Cowboys 16. The Bills would capitalize with a Thurman Thomas touchdown for the early 7-0 lead. The Bills next drive would be going well with the Bills driving and at midfield after a beautiful 21 yard pass from Kelly to Andre Reed. But the following play Jim Kelly would get hit as he was throwing and get picked off by Cowboys corner James Washington. The Cowboys would capitalize on an Aikman to Jay Novacek Touchdown pass and the game would be tied at 7. The very next play from scrimmage Kelly would get strip sacked by Charles Haley and the ball would be picked up by Jimmie Jones and taken to the house and just like that 14-7 Cowboys, uh oh…
The Bills would drive down the field on their next drive. We are now into the second Quarter and the Bills would be inside the Cowboys 1 and it’s fourth and goal. One yard away from a tied game and game on. Jim Kelly would roll out on playaction but it didn’t fool Cowboys safety Thomas Everett as he would pick off Kelly’s toss and thwart the Bills attempt at a counter. Jim Kelly would reaggravate his knee injury on the next drive. Here comes super sub Frank Reich to save the day.
Reich would lead the Bills down the field to get a field goal and cut the deficit to 14-10, we have ourselves a game. But the Cowboys would drive down for a touchdown (21-10). Thurman Thomas would fumble on the next play. A quick Aikman to Irvin touchdown (their second touchdown in 15 seconds). Now it’s 28-10. Then Frank Reich would throw an interception for the Bills fifth turnover of the first half. Again it’s a route 28-10 at the half in a game that appeared to be very competitive early. A Michael Jackson halftime show that was great, forgotten and now downright sad (knowing what we allegedly know about Jackson). Unfortunately for the Bills one more half to go.
Bills would make the game slightly interesting with a late third Quarter Frank Reich to Don Beebe touchdown to get within two scores (31-17). But the Cowboys would counter with Troy Aikman’s 4th Touchdown pass of the game (a 45 yarder to Alvin Harper) to put the game away. The most memorable play of this super bowl was with 7 minutes left and the Cowboys now up 52-17. Frank Reich would get strip sacked by Jim Jeffcoat for the Bills 8th turnover of the game. Cowboys defensive end Leon Lett is running down the field with no Bill near him. But Lett would slow up towards the end zone (showboating) and Bills receiver Don Beebe hustling the whole play would slap the ball out of Lett’s right hand right before he crossed the plain of the end zone and the ball would go through the end zone for a touchback. This play symbolized this Buffalo Bills team. To get back to a third super bowl and lose again is improbable and showed the grit and determination this team had. Even in an embarrassing performance they were not going to quit.
1993
The 1993 Buffalo Bills would return to form finishing 12-4 and winning their fifth divisional title in 6 years and claim homefield advantage for the 3rd time in 4 Seasons. The Bills would even get revenge on the Cowboys (13-10 in Week 2) with a Matt Darby interception of Troy Aikman with the Cowboys in easy field goal range with 16 seconds left. The Bills would beat the Dolphins 47-34 in a wild Week 14 game to take over the division for good. The Bills were in position again to go back to the Super Bowl. No one wanted to see the Bills back in the big game. But the Bills players thrived in it, creating T-Shirts that said “let’s tick them off and go for four”!.
The 1993 divisional playoffs would bring in the Los Angeles Raiders and a former nemesis (Jeff Hostetler). The game would be the coldest in Bills playoff history with temperatures around zero degrees and the wind chill around minus 15. The game would go back and forth with the Raiders taking a 23-22 lead on a late third Quarter 86 yard touchdown from Hostetler to Tim Brown. But as the Bills would do so many times the Bills would respond immediately going on an 80 yard drive capped by a 22 yard touchdown pass to newly acquired receiver Bill Brooks to put the Bills back on top. The Bills would go on another drive late running out the final 7 minutes to survive a hard fought 29-23 win. Little would we know this would be the very last playoff game the Los Angeles Raiders would ever play.
In the AFC Championship game the Bills would play the Chiefs and their newly acquired Quarterback (Joe Montana you may have heard of him). The Bills would control the game from the get go as the Chiefs would get to within 7 with a late third Quarter Marcus Allen touchdown but the Bills would pull away in the 4th with two long fourth Quarter drives to win 30-13. Say it ain’t so, the Bills are back in the Super Bowl for the 4th year in a row!!!! Onto Atlanta we go.
Super Bowl 28
The Bills were playing a familiar team, yup it’s Cowboys again. This time no one expected the Bills to compete (the Cowboys were 10.5 point favorites even though the Bills had defeated the Cowboys earlier in the season). But the Bills unlike the previous two Super Bowls would play a clean solid first half and take a 13-6 into halftime. But when you have lost three years in a row and the previous two had been in embarrassing fashion all you need is one play to change the course of a struggling teams confidence and that would happen on the third play of the third Quarter.
Thurman Thomas would get a hand off and would fumble the ball and the ball would helplessly roll right into the hands of James Washington (not him again!!) who would take it 46 yards for a game changing touchdown. Bills next drive would stall. Cowboys would drive down the field for an Emmitt Smith touchdown to go up 20-13. Then on the first play of the 4th Quarter Jim Kelly would throw an interception to James Washington (let’s just make James Washington a bad word). Emmitt Smith would score again and before you know it it’s 30-13 Cowboys and the Bills have officially lost their 4th Straight Super Bowl.
To put this into perspective this Bills run is legendary. No team since this Bills team has even made it to three straight Super Bowls mind you four (The Chiefs have a chance this year). The Bills would lose all four games with the final three being by a combined score of 119-54. Jim Kelly would have a TD-INT Ratio of in Super Bowls of 2 to 7 (with both TD’s coming in garbage time of Super Bowl 26). One of the best Quarterbacks of all time would be so bad in the biggest game. This four year run will be remembered as one of the greatest four year runs an NFL team has ever made. If Scott Norwood’s kick goes through the uprights this team is admired instead of mocked. However, I think the 90-93 Bills should be admired for all of their accomplishments. These Bills teams were resilient, tough, and fun. The superlatives can go on, as you will soon find out the 1994 Bills will not make it to the playoffs mind you the Super Bowl. Let’s remember this great run and move forward shall we.
1994-1995
The 1994 Bills could never get going. Jim Kelly was just okay with a decent (not great) 84.6 passer rating. Thurman Thomas would run for only 3.8 yards per carry (one of his worst numbers of his career). The Bills would be hovering around playoff contention at 6-5 going into a Thanksgiving day game against the Lions. But the Bills would get trounced 35-21 in a game that they would get shredded by journeyman Quarterback Dave Krieg (underrated Quarterback but was 36 and declining at this time) as Krieg would throw for 351 yards and 3 touchdowns for a perfect 158.3 passer rating. The Bills would fade down the stretch and finish 7-9 for their first losing season since the strike shortened 1987 Season. The dam had finally broke.
1995 would see the Bills revert back to respectability going 10-6 and reclaiming their throne atop the AFC East. Jim Kelly and the offense was respectable but no longer elite (13th in points, 8th in yards). The defense was also respectable if not average (12th in points, 18th in yards). But the 1995 Bills were assisted by a huge free agency pickup. Defensive End and 1995 AP Defensive player of the Year Bryce Paup…
Bryce Paup played with the Green Bay Packers his first five seasons but his most memorable play in Green Bay was the hit that injured Randall Cunningham in 1991 and turned Cunningham into Drew’s ultimate NFL Cautionary tale (everything works full circle in sports!). Paup went from good in Green Bay to great in Buffalo. Paup would have 17.5 sacks in 1995 and 33 sacks in only 43 games in a Bills Uniform. There are many debates whether Paup should have been a Bills ring of famer since he only played there 3 Seasons (but at an elite level in that short time frame). Bryce Paup is arguably the best free agency signing in Bills history.
The Bills would be in position to win the division going into Week 16 with a game against you know who. Who else would it be but Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins. The Bills would pull out a hard fought 23-20 win with the Bills running out the final 4 minutes on a drive dominated on the ground. The Bills ended up being the third seed in the AFC and have to play on Wildcard Weekend. The opponent, well you guessed it right if you said the Miami Dolphins.
On this day the Bills would dominate the game from start to finish with the Bills running for 341 yards and having the ball for almost 35 minutes. The game would have over 1,000 yards of total offense (1,038 to be exact) but the game was never close as the Bills would be up 27-0 at the end of third Quarter and win 37-22. This would be the last game Don Shula would ever coach. The legendary coach (and still winningest coach in NFL History, 347 wins, 328 in regular season) passed away this spring. I think Bills Mafia can also respect all of Don Shula’s accomplishments. What a run Don Shula had down in South Beach.
The Bills would lose 40-21 in the divisional round in Pittsburgh in a game that the Bills were dominated from the get go. Bam Morris had 106 yards and two touchdowns. The Bills made it competitive briefly in the fourth before the Steelers ran the ball down the Bills throat for two sealing touchdown drives late. The Bills were back in the playoffs in 1995. But it felt different, they were no longer the class of the AFC. 1996 felt like it could be their final run to getting back to the Super Bowl.
The 95 Bills would have one of the funniest football commercials pre super bowl you have ever seen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhMD8PAjnjw), recommend you check it out.
1996
The Bills in 1996 were led by an excellent defense (6th in points, 9th in yards, 3rd in yards per play, 3rd in sacks). Bruce Smith would have a resurgent year having 13.5 sacks and five forced fumbles to be named first team All Pro. But the offense was just not the same. Jim Kelly would have his worst season of his career having only 14 touchdowns to 19 interceptions for a passer rating of a paltry 73.2. The Bills would be 9-3 and in position to win the division but would suffer a late season three game losing streak only scoring 42 points in the three games to get them to 9-6 and the Bills would be forced to Play a Week 17 win and in game against the Chiefs. With the Patriots already clinching the division all the Bills could do was get to the 4 seed with a win or be eliminated completely with a loss.
The Bills would be trailing 9-3 midway through the third Quarter in another game that the Bills defense would keep the Bills in when Jim Kelly and the offense would finally get something going thanks to help from a Bruce Smith strip sack of Chiefs Quarterback Steve Bono. The Bills would get a field goal before putting together their first touchdown drive of the game early in the 4th. Jim Kelly would find Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed and tight end Lonnie Johnson on three consecutive big plays before sealing the drive with a four yard touchdown pass to back up tight end Tony Kline to go up 13-9. After Bills linebacker Chris Spielman would intercept Steve Bono, Kelly would lead the Bills down the field again finding receiver Quinn Early to put the game away for a 20-9 victory. Bills have made it back into the playoffs and have themselves a favorable matchup playing a team only in their second ever season, the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Bills would look good early scoring touchdowns on their first two drives to go up 14-7 midway through the first. But on this day with the Bills offense performing better the defense would not be it’s dominant self. After a big redzone stand by the Jags they would go 84 yards with running back Natrone Means scoring on a 30 yard touchdown run to put the Jags up 17-14 midway through the second. We now shift to the 4th Quarter with the game tied at 20, the Bills defense will finally make a big play with Linebacker David White tipping a Mark Brunell pass that corner Jeff Burris would snag and take 58 yards to the house, Bills up 27-20. But the Jags would drive right down the field with a Brunell to Jimmy Smith score tying up the game at 27. With 8 minutes to play Jim Kelly can take the Bills down the field and put the Bills in position to win and possibly begin another playoff run. Bills with a third and 7 at midfield, Jim Kelly now 36 years old knows this is likely his last ride as he takes the snap. He does a pump fake but drops the ball, he picks it up and now it’s a broken play so Kelly takes off. At the Jags 46 he gets crunched by two Jaguars lineman and Kelly loses the ball. Jags corner Aaron Beasley recovers the fumble. not how the play was designed. The Jags would get into field goal range for Mike Hollis. In his career from 40-49 yards Hollis was 9-15 from this range (okay not great), Hollis kick is curving right and it hits the post and goes in. Bears fans know very well that when the ball hits the side of the upright that there is no knowing which way the ball would bounce but Hollis would get the lucky bounce and the Jags would take the lead. Jim Kelly would be out with a concussion for the rest of the game and in comes new backup Quarterback Todd Collins….
With Frank Reich leaving the Bills after the 1994 Season the Bills needed at the very least a new backup Quarterback, but they also needed an heir apparent to the aging Jim Kelly. Collins was drafted in the 2nd Round (45th overall), he went to a big program (Michigan) and was highly touted throughout his life (being 6’4, 225 prototypical Quarterback size with a big arm). Collins was okay in the regular season starting three games for an injured Jim Kelly and holding the team together winning 2 out of 3 games. This was a different beast however with Collins coming into a home playoff game down three with a chance to be the hero…
Collins would lead the Bills to a three and out and a strip sack fumble from Jags defensive end Tony Brackens with 20 seconds remaining which thwarted any comeback and ended the game in the most anti-climatic way possible. This is still to this day the only home playoff loss the Bills have ever suffered at Rich Stadium. Who would know that the Bills would not play another home playoff game for 25 years. Who would know Jim Kelly getting carted off the field would be the last time we would ever see Jim Kelly in an NFL Game. Who would know what is next for an aging team at the end of an historic run. The Bills are about to enter the great beyond.