Buffalo Bills Throwback Thursday: 1989 fourth-quarter comeback in Miami

By Cam Boon | Sep 24, 2015

We go back to 1989, and relieve the Buffalo Bills dramatic fourth-quarter comeback in Miami versus the Dolphins

Welcome to Throwback Thursday! Each week, we’ll preview the upcoming week’s game by taking a look back (sometimes WAY back) at a game either of relevance to the week, or something that happened to the day. Hope you enjoy, as we throw it back to Sept. 10, 1989:

As the Buffalo Bills get ready to play in Miami against their hated-rival Dolphins in Week 3, there is a unique trend about the type of game Buffalo is getting ready for this weekend. When it comes to late-afternoon games in Miami, the teams have played on 10 such occasions, with Miami emerging victorious in nine of them, and their only loss coming in 1989.

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The Bills marched into Miami for the first game of the 1989 season, in a matchup that highlighted the bad blood between Dan Marino‘s Dolphins and Jim Kelly‘s Bills. On a humid 82-degree day, the teams combined for six turnovers and 15 penalties, but nobody will ever focus on that.

After Marino hit Andre Brown for an eight-yard touchdown with 2:50 left in the game, the Dolphins led 24-13. They had all but sealed an opening day win against their hated rivals.

Kelly and his offense had other ideas, answering within a minute, on a 26-yard score throw to Flip Johnson. Buffalo decided not to kick the onside kick, and booted it deep.

The Bills’ defense would come up with the big play they needed, as Nate Odomes recorded his second interception of Marino, at the Buffalo 49 yard line with 1:44 to play. Kelly then did what the Hall of Famer does best, completing five of six passes, with the only incompletion coming on an offside penalty against the Dolphins.

At the two-yard line with two seconds to go, Kelly called his own number from the shotgun formation. He took three steps back, before flying through the offensive line, eluding a couple Dolphins defenders and diving into the end zone as time expired.

Kelly finished the day 25-of-40 for 265 yards and a single touchdown, while throwing no interceptions against Marino’s two. The game-winning run was also his lone rush of the day. Thurman Thomas led the team in both the rushing and receiving departments, carrying the ball 13 times for 94 yards and catching eight passes for 65 yards.

Outside of the two interceptions to Odomes, Marino completed 25 passes to nine different receivers, for a total of 255 yards and a touchdown.

As much as this was only one win in the first game of the season, it played a huge part in Buffalo’s success in the latter part of the season. After having a one-game lead on the Dolphins and a two-game lead on the Colts after Week 12, the Bills endured a three-game slide that had them fall down to 8-7, heading into the last game of the year.

Buffalo then defeated the Jets in Week 17, finishing at 9-7 and a game above those two teams to win the division. But had it not been for the late-game heroics in Miami, who knows if we’re talking about those great 1990s’ Bills teams at all. Confidence grows with trips to the playoffs.

Next: Richie Incognito Unsure of What to Expect in Miami

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