When news broke that the Buffalo Bills were set to get a new stadium right across the street from the current one, it brought a lot of great excitement but also strong emotions in terms of bitter sweetness. Well, the new stadium is set to officially open at the start of next season. And very soon, the Bills and their fans will be saying bye to the original stadium that has had so many memories over the course of history.
Opening up in 1973, that stadium has witnessed some of the best and worst Bills history. Fans have attended games whether it was perfect weather or harsh blizzard-like conditions. Either way, fans never let the weather get in the way of them having fun.
This coming Sunday, the Bills will host the New York Jets in what could be the final game played in the original stadium. With the New England Patriots clinching the AFC East, the Bills will be a wild card team. Unless somehow the Bills get lucky and get the chance to host a playoff game at some point this coming postseason, this Week 18 matchup could feature the last game played in that stadium.
As fans prepare for what could be an extremely emotional game, it’s always fun taking a look back on some of the greatest moments in history that happened at Highmark, whether it happened as Highmark, Rich Stadium, Ralph Wilson Stadium or New Era Field.
What are some of the greatest moments that have happened at Highmark Stadium?
7.) Bills win snow bowl vs. Colts in 2017
In what was an absolutely big-time Buffalo experience weather wise, the Bills hosted the Indianapolis Colts in a game where the snow had to constantly be blown off the field just so players could see some of the field. It was a game where Nathan Peterman and Joe Webb were quarterbacks for the Bills.
However, the MVP of that game was running back LeSean McCoy who had 156 yards on the ground and a touchdown that ended up being the game-winner in overtime. Through the nasty and cold weather, the Bills delivered one of the most impressive wins in franchise history.
6.) O.J. Simpson eclipses 2,000 rushing yards in 1973
In 1973, O.J. Simpson became the first player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season and he did it in just 14 games. While he didn’t pass the 2,000 yard mark in Buffalo, he still averaged 143 yards per game that season. In home games alone, he averaged 150 yards on the ground. The Bills went 5-2 at home that season.
5.) Bills pull off big comeback vs. Patriots in 2011
Right in the middle of Buffalo’s playoff drought, the Bills got off to a hot 3-0 start that included a huge Week 3 win over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Both teams came into this game at 2-0, but the Patriots were expected to win because during the Brady era, the Bills rarely ever beat New England.
The Patriots at one point had a 21-0 lead, but the Bills came charging back scoring 17 unanswered points to make it a 21-17 game at one point. After New England kicked a field goal to go up 24-17, the Bills scored 14 straight points to go up 31-24. The Patriots would then tie it late in the 4th quarter, but the Bills got the last laugh with a walkoff field goal and beat the Patriots, 34-31. This game featured Brady throwing four interceptions.
4.) Bills end 20-game losing streak to Dolphins in 1980
For those who don’t know, the Bills didn’t beat the Miami Dolphins one time in the 1970s. From 1970-1979, the Bills went 0-20 against the Dolphins but once 1980 came around, that changed. Early on in September of that season, the Bills hosted the Dolphins and despite Joe Ferguson throwing five interceptions, that still wasn’t enough to help Miami extend their winning streak against Buffalo. The Bills won 17-7, giving them their first win over the Dolphins in a decade.
3.) 1990-1991: AFC Championship blowout win vs. Raiders
In the Bills’ first season of making the Super Bowl, they put on one of the biggest beatdown performances of the Los Angeles Raiders. To put it into perspective of how big of a blowout win it was for the Bills, they had a 41-3 lead over the Raiders going into halftime.
From start to finish, the Bills gave the Raiders no shot at winning this game. Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas did a phenomenal job leading the offense, and Buffalo’s defense played near perfect football. The Bills ended up winning 51-3 in one of the most lopsided conference games in NFL history.
2.) Bills destroy Patriots in 2022 wild card round
Now this game…oh boy was this a lot of fun to watch if you are a Bills fan. After taking nearly two decades of beatdowns at the hands of the New England Patriots, the Bills delivered a two-decade beatdown in just one game in the first round of the playoffs back in 2022.
The Bills and Patriots had split the regular season series and Buffalo would host New England in the wild card round. It was Mac Jones’ rookie year and he had beaten the Bills earlier that year with just throwing three passes in a game. You would think that New England could get by without issue, right? Well, wrong.
The Bills came out of the gates and didn’t let up one bit whatsoever. They didn’t punt or kick a field goal at all. It was touchdown after touchdown after touchdown. Buffalo had seven consecutive touchdown scoring drives and their defense was making Jones look like a rookie.
Buffalo ended up winning this game in a massive 47-17 blowout. For fans that grew up watching the Patriots dominate the Bills year after year, this was such a fun game to watch.
1.) 1992-1993: Greatest playoff comeback ever vs. Oilers
There is no question that this was going to be at the top of the list. In the 1992-1993 season, the Bills welcomed the Houston Oilers for a wild card battle that turned out to be one of the best games in not just the stadium, but in NFL history.
At one point, the Bills were down 35-3 in the second half. It looked like there was no chance that they could beat the Oilers, right? Well, all the doubters were proven wrong. Without Jim Kelly under center, it was Frank Reich who will forever be the quarterback under center during the greatest comeback of all time in playoff history.
From the third quarter on, the Bills ripped off 35 unanswered points to take a 38-35 lead in the 4th quarter. After Houston kicked a game-tying field goal to force overtime, the Bills would eventually pull off the ultimate comeback win with a Steve Christie 32-yard field goal in overtime to give Buffalo the win.
This will forever be the greatest memory that ever happened at the original stadium and you could make the argument that it isn’t even up for debate.