What are the four most memorable Wild Card games in Buffalo Bills history?
The Buffalo Bills are preparing to play their 10th Wild Card game in franchise history and with a win over the New England Patriots on Saturday will even their record to 5-5. This is a round of the playoffs the Bills have struggled with and prior to their win last year against the Indianapolis Colts they had lost five straight Wild Card games.
While the Bills currently have a losing record in Wild Card games, they have actually played well against divisional opponents in this round. They are 2-1 with the wins coming in 1981 against the New York Jets and 1995 against the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins would return the favor in 1996 and beat Buffalo in the Wild Card round.
When looking at the games in the Wild Card round, these are the four most memorable games starting with the one that ended the playoff drought.
4. Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (2017 playoffs)
This was the first year for Sean McDermott as head coach and he was able to lead the team to the playoffs that season, which ended one of the longest playoff droughts in professional sports at 17 years. That year, the Bills needed some help and got it after beating the Miami Dolphins in the form of a long Andy Dalton touchdown pass to help the Bengals beat the Ravens.
The Buffalo Bills would have to travel for their Wild Card matchup and play the Jaguars in Jacksonville. It was a defensive struggle between the two teams as they entered halftime tied at three.
The score remained tied until just before the end of the third quarter when Blake Bortles would throw a touchdown pass to give the Jaguars a 10-3 lead. The Bills were in position late to tie the game and had the ball around midfield before Tyrod Taylor would be forced to leave the game due to a concussion.
Nathan Peterman would come into the game and throw an interception on his fourth pass attempt that would seal the victory for the Jaguars. While Buffalo didn’t win the game, the reason this game is memorable is that it finally put an end to the playoff drought.
3. Buffalo Bills vs. Tennessee Titans (1999 playoffs)
While the previous game ended the playoff drought, this was the last game the Buffalo Bills played in the playoffs that essentially started the playoff drought. The Bills would travel to Tennessee to play the Titans and come up short in a game that has been given the nickname “Music City Miracle”.
The reason this game is so memorable is that the Titans would win the game in the final seconds on a kickoff return for a touchdown that included a throw across the field from Frank Wycheck. Even though the play was reviewed by the refs, and they confirmed the call on the field of a backward lateral, it is still one of the more debated plays in NFL history.
The reason it is debated is that it looks like Wycheck starts the throw behind the 25-yard line but is caught by Kevin Dyson on the other side of the line.
The other reason this is a memorable game is due to the decision by Wade Phillips to name Rob Johnson the starting quarterback over Doug Flutie. That year, Doug Flutie had started 15 games and had sat the regular season finale to rest up for the playoffs.
Rob Johnson would play great in his place in the regular season finale with 287 passing yards and two touchdowns. Phillips after that game would decide to stick with Johnson, who would go on to struggle against Tennessee with only 131 passing yards.
There is a big “What if” from that game and many fans wonder what the outcome might have been if Buffalo had stuck with Doug Flutie for that game.
2. Buffalo Bills vs. Indianapolis Colts (2020 playoffs)
In 2017, the Buffalo Bills ended their playoff drought but last year they were able to end their playoff win drought. The last time the Bills had a playoff win was in 1995 when the Bills beat the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card round.
Similar to a number of other Wild Card games, this game once again came down to one of the final plays. The two teams remained within one score of each other until the beginning of the fourth quarter when Josh Allen would find Stefon Diggs for a touchdown to give Buffalo a 24-10 lead.
However, the Colts would come back and the Bills would only have a 27-24 lead in the closing minutes. Indianapolis would get to mid-field but come up short on a few hail mary attempts with Micah Hyde knocking down the final attempt. The win would allow the Bills to advance in the playoffs for the first time in 25 years.
1. Buffalo Bills vs. Houston Oilers (1992 playoffs)
Without question, the most memorable Wild Card game came during the 1992 season when the Buffalo Bills had the greatest comebacks in NFL history. The Bills would be entering this game without starting quarterback Jim Kelly, who suffered a knee injury the previous week against the Oilers and turn to Frank Reich.
The Oilers jumped out to an early lead and Buffalo looked like they were on their way to getting knocked out of the playoffs early. Houston would build their lead up to 35-3 in the third quarter before Buffalo would score 28 straight points in the quarter and take a 38-35 lead into the fourth.
The Oilers would respond with a field goal in the fourth and the two teams would eventually head to overtime. However, Steve Christie came through with a 32-yard field goal and secure the win.
This game is not only one of the greatest playoff games in Buffalo Bills history but one of the top games ever in franchise history.