The current state of the Buffalo Bills is at an all-time high with great vibes as they prepare to go into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed. They will find out this weekend of who they will host in the first round, the Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, and Cincinnati Bengals.
For the last five season, the Bills have had a great stretch of football in the regular season, but the postseason has always ended in heartbreak. Whether it was the infamous “13 seconds” against the Kansas City Chiefs, getting heavily beaten down by the Bengals, or missing a game-tying field goal last season against the Chiefs, the Bills are trying to get over the playoff hump.
It wasn’t always this much of a struggle for the Bills at one point. From 1990-1993, they made it to four consecutive Super Bowls, but that is where the major heartbreak kicked in. Before experiencing that letdown, the Bills were unstoppable in the playoffs. However, their greatest playoff victory took place on January 3rd, 1993 against the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans).
The Buffalo Bills made history on this day back in 1993
The Bills finished with an 11-5 record, losing their last regular season game against the Houston Oilers, 27-3. The following week, the Bills and Oilers would face off again in Orchard Park. Instead of it being Jim Kelly vs. Warren Moon, Bills’ backup quarterback Frank Reich would be under center for this first playoff game.
It was a disastrous first half for the Bills, who after getting on the board and only being down 7-3, allowed the Oilers to score 28 unanswered points to go up 35-3 in the second half. There’s no way that the Bills could overcome this deficit, right? Guess again.
Being down by 32 points, the Bills rallied back and scored 35 unanswered points to take the lead in the fourth quarter, 38-35. After the Oilers tied the game to send it to overtime, kicker Steve Christie helped the Bills complete the greatest comeback in playoff history by making a 32-yard field goal to give the Bills a 41-38 victory.
Frank Reich and wideout Andre Reed connected for three touchdowns in the second half (Reed finished with 8 receptions for 136 yards and 3 touchdowns). Instead of Thurman Thomas being the main back in the backfield, Kenneth Davis was the one who found the endzone on the ground and led the Bills with 68 rushing yards.
The Bills’ defense came alive in the second half and would finish with 4 sacks and 2 interceptions on Moon, while also limiting running back Lorenzo White on the ground.
Buffalo’s comeback victory is considered one of the best wins in NFL history and it helped the Bills reach their third consecutive Super Bowl. Even though the final end-of-season result was horrific (a 52-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys), that win will live in on as one of, if not the best playoff win of all-time.