Top 5 Buffalo Bills games in history are something else
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5. December 26, 1964 Buffalo 20 San Diego 7
The 1964 Bills allowed just 913 yards rushing on 300 attempts during the regular season, a pro football record. The same defense registered fifty quarterback sacks, a team record that stands today, even though it was established in a 14-game season. They were the first American Football League team to win 13 games in a season. The 1964 defense also allowed only four touchdowns rushing all season. The only professional football player ever inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, without ever playing in the NFL, was a member of the 1964 Bills; guard Billy Shaw.
The Buffalo Bills hosted the defending AFL Champions, the San Diego Chargers for the AFL crown at War Memorial Stadium. It was the only AFL championship game not played on a Sunday. Buffalo QB Jack Kemp clinched the title with a late touchdown run. Kemp was 10 for 20 passing for 188 yards while Tobin Rote and John Hadl of the Chargers combined for only 13 for 36 for 149 yards and three interceptions.
Buffalo FB Cookie Gilchrist rushed for 122 yards on 16 carries and was named MVP.
4. September 21, 1997 Buffalo 37 Indianapolis 35
Buffalo outscored Indianapolis 37-3 before surrendering a last second touchdown and failed two point conversion for the victory.
The game was the second-greatest regular season comeback in NFL history (second only to a 28-point comeback by the 1980 49ers),
Running backs Marshall Faulk and Antowain Smith would play key roles in Super Bowl XXXVI when the St.Louis Rams met the New England Patriots.
3. September 16, 1973 Buffalo 31 New England 13
The Bills piled up 360 yards on 51 carries while throwing only 12 times with 9 completions. O.J. Simpson rushed for touchdown runs of 80 and 22 yards, and also completed a pass.
The offensive line of the Buffalo Bills was known as the Electric Company. It featured future Pro Football Hall of Famer, Joe DeLamielleure at left guard.
O.J. Simpson would continue his dominance of the New England defense with 219 yards rushing when they met for the second time on December 9th in Buffalo. This paved the way for his record breaking season of 2003 rushing yards. He was the first to break the 2000 yard rushing barrier in a single season which O.J. did in just 14 games.
2. September 16, 1974 Buffalo 21 Oakland 20
This matchup had the upstart Buffalo Bills against MNF kingpin, the Oakland Raiders. John Madden's crew owned Monday night, and his filthy defense held RB O.J. Simpson to only 78 yards. This was well below his 1973 per game average of 143 yards.
Oakland led 13-7 with two minutes to go. The Raiders had sacked Bills QB Joe Ferguson three times and taken its usual liberties with 10 penalties for 104 yards.
Oakland gave up the lead 14-13, on a 8 yard pass from QB Joe Ferguson to WR Ahmad Rashad. The Raiders then turned the ball over, but Buffalo did the same. Raiders DE Art Thoms picked up the Buffalo fumble and ran for a 29 yard TD to make 20-14 with 1:15 to play.
The Bills marched down the field in 49 seconds with a 13 yard TD pass from Ferguson to Rashad giving them the lead with 26 seconds remaining.
Oakland miraculously got into field goal range, but the living legend K George Blanda was wide right at the final gun. The NFL Buffalo Bills had finally arrived.
Wikipedia:
The season-opening contest in Buffalo on September 16 marked the start of a three-year stint for Alex Karras as a color commentator for the show. Karras had replaced Fred Williamson, who had originally replaced Don Meredith, but was dismissed after a poorly received effort during a few preseason contests.
During what would be Don Meredith's final season of his first Monday Night stint, he was the center of three incidents in a three-week stand. In the Oakland-Denver game on October 22, Meredith famous quipped, "We're in the Mile High City, and so am I" (referring to his marijuana use at the time), followed by his drinking through the Buffalo-Kansas City game the following week. Finally, on November 5 during the Steelers-Redskins matchup, he referred to President Richard Nixon by the nickname of "Tricky Dick".
1. January 3, 1993 Buffalo 41 Houston 38 (OT)
History:
On November 10, 1984, the University of Maryland’s backup quarterback Frank Reich throws six touchdown passes against the University of Miami in the second half of the Orange Bowl. The Terrapins, who had been losing 31-0 at the half, ended up winning the game 42-40.
In the first two quarters of the game, Miami out-gained the Terps 328 yards to 57 and ran up their 31-point lead--but they didn’t do it graciously. "The comeback never would’ve happened if it had not been for the attitude of the Miami Hurricanes," one Maryland player remembered. "No question about it. Those guys were the biggest cheap-shot, trash-talking, classless outfit of football players I’ve ever seen in my life."
It worked in college. Seems to reason, it should work in the NFL. QB Frank Reich and his Buffalo Bills trailed the Houston Oilers, 35-3 just minutes into the third quarter of their first round playoff game. Reich was filling in for the injured starter, Jim Kelly.
Buffalo was able to mount a drive early in the third quarter that resulted in a one yard TD run by RB Kenneth Davis. A recovery of an onside kick led to a TD pass from QB Frank Reich to WR Don Beebe. The next three drives all resulted in TD passes from Reich to WR Andre Reed, and a 38-35 lead. Houston would answer with an Al Del Greco field goal as regulation time expired with the teams tied at 38.
Houston Oilers QB Warren Moon completed 36 of 50 passes for 371 yards and four touchdowns. Moon did throw two interceptions, the second of which set up a 32 yard game winning field goal by Buffalo K Steve Christie in overtime.
Frank Reich would finish the afternoon completing 21 of 34 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns. He would lead the Bills over the Pittsburgh Steelers the following week, 24-3. It was back to the bench against the Miami Dolphins when starter, Jim Kelly returned for a 29-10 win in the AFC title game.
William Nack, Sports Illustrated:
Only seven active pro athletes would serve in Vietnam: six football players and a bowler. One of those who served was the starting OG, Bob Kalsu of the 1968 Buffalo Bills. On July 21, 1970, James Robert Kalsu became the only American professional athlete to die in combat in Vietnam. Bob Kalsu Jr. was born within 24 hours of his father's death. It took years for the younger Bob Kalsu to reconcile the death of his father in a war that seemed to mean so little to so few.
The battalion commander on Ripcord, Lieut. Col. Andre Lucas, learned of Kalsu's death. Lucas would die two days later, as the firebase was being evacuated, and for his part in defending it, he would win the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Paul Murphy is a freelance writer from New Hampshire.
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