Thomas rumbled for 116 yards and the defense scored two touchdowns in an easy 28-0 win over the woeful Green Bay Packers. In 1987, Levy got the Bills to 7-8 (there were only 15 games played due to a players’ strike). Until before the 1986 season.
Although the teams of the 1990s are more heralded due to their Super Bowl appearances, the 1988 Bills were a surprise team, made even more surprising by their longevity, perseverance and dominance. The Bills led 14-3 in the fourth quarter. The Bills dispersed running game duties among four players, Robb Riddick and Jamie Mueller at fullback, along with Ronnie Harmon at halfback.
The Bills threw for fewer passing yards in 1988 than they did in 1986 (3,182 to 3,363), and their scoring in 1988 was just 14th in the league. It was, without question, the best time in history to be a sports fan in Western New York.].
It was a tough, physical game, but Thomas ground out 86 yards and the Bills won 13-10. The Bills committed 12 penalties and rushed for just 39 yards.
1988 Buffalo Bills: Paving The Way For An AFC Dynasty, The Seasonal Narrative Of The 1978 Cincinnati Reds, 1978 Purdue Football: A Breakout For Jim Young & Mark Herrmann, 1978 Ohio State Football: A Tough Season & The End Of Woody Hayes. Conlan would be the 1987 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Odomes would go on to be one of the AFC’s best defensive backs over the next half-dozen seasons. That was the bad news.
Kelly completed 16/25 for 180 yards to give the offense just enough juice to win. Buffalo entered 1988 with legitimate playoff aspirations.Kelly was 28-years-old and would throw for over 3,300 yards in a Pro Bowl season. Buffalo hung tight in the first playoff game in Rich Stadium history against the Oilers on New Year’s Day 1989, and then had to go to Cincinnati the following week, where they fell in a 21-10 rout to the Bengals. Buffalo lost 24-3. They won the AFC East again the next season. The Indianapolis Colts had won the AFC East in 1987, and they came to Buffalo the following week. Click the images below to be taken into the library and back to another era.
Kelly threw for 315 yards and three touchdown passes and Buffalo took the lead in the fourth quarter, eventually winning 34-23. The following season appeared that it might hold some promise for the first time in years. And they were ready.
What the Bills did not have much of in ’86 was much else in the way of skill-players.
Buffalo opened the season at home with the Minnesota Vikings, a team on the rise and fresh off reaching the NFC Championship Game in 1987. From 1970, the year that the NFL merged with the decade-old American Football League, through 1979, the Bills won 36.1% of their games. Simpson's all-time team rushing record with 12,074 yards.
1988 Buffalo Bills, 1988 NFL, 1988 NFL season, 1988 sports, Buffalo Bills history, NFL history articles, sports history articles. Buffalo was 20th (out of 28 teams) in scoring, 15th in passing yards and 21st in rushing yards.
That was after two straight 2-14 seasons. Buffalo would end up as the #2 seed behind Cincinnati, and it would prove costly.
Buffalo’s running game, though not quite elite, was very efficient. Andre Reed was a Pro Bowl receiver and caught 71 passes for 968 yards. Two years later, the run of Super Bowl trips began. The Bills ended a streak of four consecutive losing seasons by winning the AFC East; they finished the NFL's 1988 season with a record of 12 wins and 4 losses; it was the club's first winning season since 1981, its first 12-win season since the 1964 AFL championship season, and only the fifth double-digit win season in team history. With their first two picks in the 1987 Draft, they selected Penn State linebacker Shane Conlan and Wisconsin defensive back Nate Odomes. This offense was completely unable to make up for Buffalo’s lack of defense, which allowed 348 points, 20th in the league. Director of Football Operations – Bob Ferguson, Administrative Assistant to the Head Coach –.
And those years were absolutely glorious for Bills fans.
The Bills got zero yards rushing, and even though Kelly played reasonably well, the lack of a running game against the league’s best defense was too much to overcome. Bennett’s presence gave the Bills’ defense instant credibility in 1987, even though he only played in eight games. The Bills got five turnovers, blocked a punt for a touchdown, and Kelly threw for 288 yards in a 36-28 win. The 1988 season was the first for running back Thurman Thomas, nose tackle Jeff Wright, and linebacker Carlton Bailey.
The Bills hosted the Patriots a week later and won another AFC East game in a division where everyone except Miami would finish over .500.
The Bills dug a big hole, trailing 17-0 in the first quarter. Kelly went 17/29 for 204 yards and hooked up with Reed twice for touchdowns.
The franchise made the postseason seven times in eight years under Levy and it was the 1988 Buffalo Bills that got the run started. The franchise made the postseason seven times in eight years under Levy and it was the 1988 Buffalo Bills that got the run started. The Bills had a dominant defense in 1988: they gave up the fewest points (237) and the fewest total yards (4,578) in the AFC in 1988.
The 1988 Buffalo Bills season was the 29th season for the team and the 19th season in the National Football League (NFL).
It didn’t appear that the Bills were going to get better anytime soon. In 1984 and 1985, the Bills had back-to-back 2-14 debacles.
Template:1988 NFL season by team. Buffalo’s real strength, however, was their defense, arguably the best in the AFC. The Bills were 8–0 at home for the first time in their franchise history. Thomas would rush for 881 yards, despite only carrying the ball 207 times (42.7% of total team carries by a running back) while sharing carries with Robb Riddick, Jamie Mueller and Ronnie Harmon. Thomas ran in from 11 yards out and gave the Bills a 14-3 lead. The Bills also picked up long-time Chiefs defensive lineman Art Still, giving the Bills one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.
The Bills started the Reagan ’80s with a bang, going to the playoffs in 1980 and ’81, and winning their first-ever NFL playoff game in the latter season. 1988 Buffalo Bills (NFL) 1st place American Football Conference Eastern Division 12-4-0 .750
Defensive end Sean McNanie and linebacker Eugene Marve were serviceable players, as was long-time Buffalo cornerback Steve Freeman. The Bills were the #2 seed in the AFC (behind #1 Cincinnati), giving the Bills their first home playoff game since the 1966 AFL Championship, and their first ever playoff game at Rich Stadium.
They also traded for hard-hitting Cardinals safety Leonard Smith, who would be the vocal leader of the defense well into the Super Bowl years. The defensive unit was given the nickname "Blizzard Defense,"[4][5] alluding to Buffalo's harsh winters. Their point-differential was negative-61, 23rd in the NFL.
Thomas would set an NFL record by leading the league in yards-from-scrimmage for four consecutive years, from 1989–1992.
Through their first 18 seasons in the NFL, they won 37.9% of their games, with three total playoff appearances (and one Chuck Knox-era win) to show for it. The 1988 Buffalo Bills season was the 29th season for the team and the 19th season in the National Football League (NFL). Their 46 quarterback sacks were tied for 4th in the league, and although they only had 15 interceptions, seven of those were made by safety Mark Kelso. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Out of the NFL’s 32 teams, the Bills have the 10th-worst winning percentage of any franchise since 1960 (0.467 through the 2011 season). They were able to restore their mojo by beating up the Los Angeles Raiders at home 37-21, keyed by Thomas’ 106 rushing yards. At 11-1, the Bills were in the catbird seat in the AFC, and poised to clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs – a huge advantage, as Buffalo was undefeated at home. The United States Football League had folded, and so before the ’86 season, an influx of former USFL players entered the NFL. The Patriots were far from a powerhouse.
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Nose tackle Fred Smerlas and inside linebacker Shane Conlan also reached the Pro Bowl on a unit that was not only talented, but young. Head coach Marv Levy was named NFL Coach of the Year by The Sporting News and UPI.
The “Blizzard Defense” was born. The Bills would end the season 4-12, failing to win consecutive games, and going 1-7 on the road. TheSportsNotebook has individual articles on the most consequential teams from that time period, from their key players to their season-defining moments. They held the great Colt running back Eric Dickerson to 66 yards. Buffalo Bills players listed alphabetically or numerically. But Kelly threw three picks, and the Bengals found a running game while the Bills didn’t. All that was left was to win at Indianapolis and the road to the Super Bowl would go through Buffalo.
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