I can honestly tell you that as a Giants fan, I was scared. Of course, the Bills were at the height of their power at that point. They were on their way to their first ever Super Bowl, and so there was no talk of a curse, no fatigue or criticisms, as their would be a few years later, over how they were constantly good enough to get to the Super Bowl, but not good enough to win it.
No, in the 1990 season, the Bills seemed to get better and better with each passing week. They started off 1-1, and most people thought that they would be a decent team, probably a playoff team, but that was about it. They got crushed in Miami, and so they looked compromised. But they began to win again, starting with a Monday Night Football game at the Meadowlands, where they effectively crushed the Jets. It was the first of eight straight wins, and by the end of that, people began to really notice them. But there was still some skepticism, mostly because they were an AFC team, and AFC teams were regarded almost as second class citizens.
Then, they beat the Eagles, ending Philly's five game winning streak. A few weeks later, they took on the Giants at the Meadowlands. The Giants had been one of the NFC bullies for a few seasons, having won Super Bowl XXI four seasons earlier, winning the NFC East in 1989, and having just captured the NFC East for a second straight season with a win over Minnesota the week before. New York, like San Francisco, had raced out to an undefeated 10-0 start, and those two teams were regarded as the two best teams in the NFC, and thus, the NFL, up to that point. But the Bills won a tough, physical game over the Giants on the road that day, and suddenly, people began to see the Bills as not just one of the AFC favorites, but as a real threat to win the whole thing.
While NFC teams generally had come into each of the six prior Super Bowls as heavy favorites, with the AFC teams merely afterthoughts, Buffalo in 1990 was different. The Giants had looked dead in the water for many after that home loss to the Bills. It was their third loss in a span of four games, ending what slim hopes they had for home field advantage, and most felt that they could not beat the 49ers on the road. Hell, some people believed they were ripe for an early exit, that the third seed Chicago Bears could beat them. But the Giants crushed Chicago in the divisional round, and then did some of the things that they should have done in the first meeting at San Francisco, just barely squeaking past the Niners in the NFC Championship Game. They had just survived, but the Bills had cruised to the Super Bowl. As mentioned earlier, it felt like Buffalo was getting better with each passing week, and by January's playoff time, they looked unstoppable. They put up 44 points against Miami, and had just crushed the Raiders, 51-3. Almost all of the football experts looked at their incredible momentum, that talent, and the fact that they had beaten the Giants on the road just weeks before that. Buffalo became the first AFC favorites for the Super Bowl in a long time. Yes, as a Giants fan, I was a bit scared of them. It was all too easy to imagine the red hot Bills beating down the Giants like a red-headed stepchild.
Here's the thing, though: that might have actually been the problem. Yes, the Bills were very good, good enough to be serious favorites in that Super Bowl. And perhaps they allowed themselves to believe the hype just a little bit too much. They had partied on Super Bowl week quite a bit, when perhaps they should have shown a bit more discipline. One Bill player complained that they were not going to face the San Francisco 49ers, because the Niners were more famous. Another Bills player let it be known prior to the game that he was getting his finger measured for a ring. Bruce Smith seemed occupied with telling the world that he was more dominant than the Giants "LT." There was even some talk that the Bills were bound to be the next dynasty, the "Team of the 90's."
Confidence is one thing, but some of the Bills had what bordered on arrogance. After all, they had indeed beaten the Giants at Giants Stadium, but they had won narrowly, in a close game. They showed that they had the talent to defeat the Giants again on a neutral field, but it was hardly a case of being so much better that they could not possibly lose.
On game day, the Bills played well. But the Giants did some things that no one had successfully done against Buffalo in a long time. Bill Belichick, then the defensive coordinator for the Giants, set almost the entire defense downfield to cover the dangerous Buffalo pass game, thus daring Thurman Thomas and Buffalo's running game to beat them. Secondly, the Giants offense set out with a ball control offense, even more than usual. They knew Buffalo's offense was hot and dangerous, and so they knew that the best way to contain that was to keep the Bills offense off the field. The defense was on the field for a long time, and looked visibly worn down towards the end of the game. The Giants offense held onto the ball for an NFL record 40:27, which is still a Super Bowl record. Two-thirds of the game!
And still, the Giants just edged Buffalo by a single point. They threw the Bills off their game, and the offense of Buffalo looked far less explosive than they had in a long time. The defense was physically beaten and exhausted. Still, Buffalo still was driving for the winning field goal in the final two minutes, and just barely missed that field goal, at that. So close. Yet also so far away. That was the best chance that Buffalo would have in the big game.
The next year, the Bills set out to do what they had just missed out on doing in 1990. The offense steamrolled opponents, and the defense was tough. They rolled to an AFC best 13-3 record, and the last loss was a meaningless loss at home to Detroit, when the Bills had clinched everything that they needed to and rested their starters, just like they had the year before. They crushed the Chiefs, but then really struggled in a tough, defensive battle against an experienced Denver Broncos team. The Broncos revealed some vulnerabilities for the Bills, and in the Super Bowl, a very powerful and, frankly, underrated Washington team would completely dominate Buffalo for almost the entire game. The Bills defense looked overwhelmed for the first three quarters, and the offense just could not get anything going until they had spotted Washington a 24-0 lead well into the second half. By the Bills own admission, they only truly realized that they could play with these guys when it was already too late, when the game was almost decided. They rallied to make it closer, but lost once again.
By this point, losing Super Bowls began to be a pattern. The Bills were one of the AFC favorites the next season, and indeed, looked good going 11-4 into the final regular season game. With a win, the Bills would earn the top seed in the AFC playoffs for a third straight year. But they got crushed at Houston, 27-3, and that meant falling just short of the AFC East. They would have to go through the Wild Card round, as they hosted the same Oilers team that had just embarrassed them. The Oilers once again dominated, taking a 27-3 lead by halftime, and then capitalizing on a pick six to make it 35-3. Then came the most magical moment of that entire Bills era. Little by little, Buffalo chipped away at that lead. They scored four touchdowns in the third quarter to get within 35-31, and then they managed to take a lead in the fourth quarter. Houston managed to regain enough composure to get a tying field goal and force overtime. But in overtime, Warren Moon threw an interception. It seemed almost like it was fated, meant to be. Just moments later, the Bills kicked a field goal to complete what still stands as the greatest comeback, 41-38 in overtime. That gave Buffalo a jump, and they tore the top-seeded Steelers apart, 24-3 in Pittsburgh, before crushing the Fins in Miami, 29-10, for yet another trip to the Super Bowl.
But that was their worst Super Bowl appearance. They started off well enough, blocking a punt and then getting an early touchdown for a 7-0 lead. They were very much in the game for almost all of the first half, until Dallas got a touchdown for a 21-10 lead, and Buffalo turned the ball over deep in their own territory minutes later. The Cowboys capitalized for a 28-10 halftime lead. The Bills scored a touchdown late in the third quarter to close to within 31-17, and still had a chance. But they completely collapsed in an embarrassing fourth quarter, and Dallas won, 52-17. The Bills had committed a Super Bowl record nine turnovers, and were now the biggest losers in Super Bowl history, having lost three straight.
Here's the thing, though: that might have actually been the problem. Yes, the Bills were very good, good enough to be serious favorites in that Super Bowl. And perhaps they allowed themselves to believe the hype just a little bit too much. They had partied on Super Bowl week quite a bit, when perhaps they should have shown a bit more discipline. One Bill player complained that they were not going to face the San Francisco 49ers, because the Niners were more famous. Another Bills player let it be known prior to the game that he was getting his finger measured for a ring. Bruce Smith seemed occupied with telling the world that he was more dominant than the Giants "LT." There was even some talk that the Bills were bound to be the next dynasty, the "Team of the 90's."
Confidence is one thing, but some of the Bills had what bordered on arrogance. After all, they had indeed beaten the Giants at Giants Stadium, but they had won narrowly, in a close game. They showed that they had the talent to defeat the Giants again on a neutral field, but it was hardly a case of being so much better that they could not possibly lose.
On game day, the Bills played well. But the Giants did some things that no one had successfully done against Buffalo in a long time. Bill Belichick, then the defensive coordinator for the Giants, set almost the entire defense downfield to cover the dangerous Buffalo pass game, thus daring Thurman Thomas and Buffalo's running game to beat them. Secondly, the Giants offense set out with a ball control offense, even more than usual. They knew Buffalo's offense was hot and dangerous, and so they knew that the best way to contain that was to keep the Bills offense off the field. The defense was on the field for a long time, and looked visibly worn down towards the end of the game. The Giants offense held onto the ball for an NFL record 40:27, which is still a Super Bowl record. Two-thirds of the game!
And still, the Giants just edged Buffalo by a single point. They threw the Bills off their game, and the offense of Buffalo looked far less explosive than they had in a long time. The defense was physically beaten and exhausted. Still, Buffalo still was driving for the winning field goal in the final two minutes, and just barely missed that field goal, at that. So close. Yet also so far away. That was the best chance that Buffalo would have in the big game.
The next year, the Bills set out to do what they had just missed out on doing in 1990. The offense steamrolled opponents, and the defense was tough. They rolled to an AFC best 13-3 record, and the last loss was a meaningless loss at home to Detroit, when the Bills had clinched everything that they needed to and rested their starters, just like they had the year before. They crushed the Chiefs, but then really struggled in a tough, defensive battle against an experienced Denver Broncos team. The Broncos revealed some vulnerabilities for the Bills, and in the Super Bowl, a very powerful and, frankly, underrated Washington team would completely dominate Buffalo for almost the entire game. The Bills defense looked overwhelmed for the first three quarters, and the offense just could not get anything going until they had spotted Washington a 24-0 lead well into the second half. By the Bills own admission, they only truly realized that they could play with these guys when it was already too late, when the game was almost decided. They rallied to make it closer, but lost once again.
By this point, losing Super Bowls began to be a pattern. The Bills were one of the AFC favorites the next season, and indeed, looked good going 11-4 into the final regular season game. With a win, the Bills would earn the top seed in the AFC playoffs for a third straight year. But they got crushed at Houston, 27-3, and that meant falling just short of the AFC East. They would have to go through the Wild Card round, as they hosted the same Oilers team that had just embarrassed them. The Oilers once again dominated, taking a 27-3 lead by halftime, and then capitalizing on a pick six to make it 35-3. Then came the most magical moment of that entire Bills era. Little by little, Buffalo chipped away at that lead. They scored four touchdowns in the third quarter to get within 35-31, and then they managed to take a lead in the fourth quarter. Houston managed to regain enough composure to get a tying field goal and force overtime. But in overtime, Warren Moon threw an interception. It seemed almost like it was fated, meant to be. Just moments later, the Bills kicked a field goal to complete what still stands as the greatest comeback, 41-38 in overtime. That gave Buffalo a jump, and they tore the top-seeded Steelers apart, 24-3 in Pittsburgh, before crushing the Fins in Miami, 29-10, for yet another trip to the Super Bowl.
But that was their worst Super Bowl appearance. They started off well enough, blocking a punt and then getting an early touchdown for a 7-0 lead. They were very much in the game for almost all of the first half, until Dallas got a touchdown for a 21-10 lead, and Buffalo turned the ball over deep in their own territory minutes later. The Cowboys capitalized for a 28-10 halftime lead. The Bills scored a touchdown late in the third quarter to close to within 31-17, and still had a chance. But they completely collapsed in an embarrassing fourth quarter, and Dallas won, 52-17. The Bills had committed a Super Bowl record nine turnovers, and were now the biggest losers in Super Bowl history, having lost three straight.
The last stand for that great Bills era came in the 1993 season. They still had the talent on both sides, and they earned a 12-4 record, good enough for the top seed in the AFC playoffs. They survived a serious challenge by the Raiders, and then dominated the Joe Montana led KC Chiefs in the AFC title game. Then in a rematch against Dallas, they dominated the first half, taking a 13-6 lead into the lockers by halftime. But Troy Aikman said that it was the strangest halftime, as he saw in the eyes of Bills players that they did not believe that they could sustain it, that they were almost expecting disaster to strike. When it did, when Thurman Thomas fumbled in the third quarter, and the recovery went for a touchdown the other way, it felt like the Bills came undone. The Cowboys did not utterly humiliate the Bills in the second half of that game, like they had the year before. But they still did enough to earn a decisive 30-13 lead, and the Bills were handed a previously unthinkable fourth straight Super Bowl loss. All of the jokes came, and the Bills, to their credit, showed a sense of humor about it. Indeed, however, that would be the last chance for the Bills. They still have never returned to the Super Bowl since to this day in franchise history.
Yes, the Bills receive a lot of flack for not having actually won the big one. But think about all of the great teams and players who never even got to the Super Bowl even once. The Chargers of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s are one example. The Cleveland Browns of the mid- to late 1980’s, who kept knocking on the door, but kept also losing to Denver in the AFC title game. In the era when the Bills were seemingly going every year, there were two teams that I can think of, the Houston Oilers and the Philadelphia Eagles, who had very talented teams that probably should have reached the big game at least once, but never did. The Saints during that era had an incredible defense, but they never even won so much as a playoff game. The Chiefs of the nineties had some truly great teams, but never reached the Super Bowl, either. The Vikings of the late 90’s and early 2000’s, particularly that great 1998 team that had what was then the highest scoring offense in NFL history and went 15-1, but lost a big lead in the NFC title game. The San Diego Chargers during the Rivers era in the 2000’s, despite having some great teams. Some of the players who never reached the big game? Dick Butkus. Dan Fouts. Warren Moon. Eric Dickerson. Steve Largent. Derrick Thomas. Chris Doleman. Randall Cunningham. Barry Sanders. LaDanian Tomlinson. Tony Gonzalez. Tony Romo. Philip Rivers (at least so far). Adrian Petersen (so far). And there are plenty of other players who I did not even get around to, and probably some very good teams that slipped my mind, as well.
Buffalo never won the Super Bowl in the nineties. But they came as close as any team ever has without winning it, missing that field goal with seconds to go. Up until that point, they very much looked capable of winning the whole thing. They missed it by just a few feet. They kpt trying, kept fighting, and got back again. And again. And again. They went 14-2 against NFC teams during the regular season during that four year stretch, and that includes road wins against NFC bullies like the Giants, Dallas, San Francisco, and New Orleans. They enjoyed nine playoff wins during that four year run, and had the greatest comeback in NFL history, regular or postseason, to date. That is indeed an incredible list of accomplishments, and the Bills of that era produced numerous NFL Hall of Famers, including the owner, the General Manager, the head coach, and five players.
Those 1990’s Buffalo Bills were a great team. But they were a team that, unfortunately, just kept falling short, and in our modern society fixated only on the last one standing, the Bills are unjustly labeled as losers.
They were not losers. They were the very best team in the AFC during that era, year after year. The 1990 Bills were probably one of the very best single season teams not to have won the Super Bowl. And the Bills of the 1990’s, to me, were clearly the greatest team of any NFL era to have failed to win the Super Bowl. They deserve to be honored and remembered as one of the great teams in league history.
Yes, the Bills receive a lot of flack for not having actually won the big one. But think about all of the great teams and players who never even got to the Super Bowl even once. The Chargers of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s are one example. The Cleveland Browns of the mid- to late 1980’s, who kept knocking on the door, but kept also losing to Denver in the AFC title game. In the era when the Bills were seemingly going every year, there were two teams that I can think of, the Houston Oilers and the Philadelphia Eagles, who had very talented teams that probably should have reached the big game at least once, but never did. The Saints during that era had an incredible defense, but they never even won so much as a playoff game. The Chiefs of the nineties had some truly great teams, but never reached the Super Bowl, either. The Vikings of the late 90’s and early 2000’s, particularly that great 1998 team that had what was then the highest scoring offense in NFL history and went 15-1, but lost a big lead in the NFC title game. The San Diego Chargers during the Rivers era in the 2000’s, despite having some great teams. Some of the players who never reached the big game? Dick Butkus. Dan Fouts. Warren Moon. Eric Dickerson. Steve Largent. Derrick Thomas. Chris Doleman. Randall Cunningham. Barry Sanders. LaDanian Tomlinson. Tony Gonzalez. Tony Romo. Philip Rivers (at least so far). Adrian Petersen (so far). And there are plenty of other players who I did not even get around to, and probably some very good teams that slipped my mind, as well.
Buffalo never won the Super Bowl in the nineties. But they came as close as any team ever has without winning it, missing that field goal with seconds to go. Up until that point, they very much looked capable of winning the whole thing. They missed it by just a few feet. They kpt trying, kept fighting, and got back again. And again. And again. They went 14-2 against NFC teams during the regular season during that four year stretch, and that includes road wins against NFC bullies like the Giants, Dallas, San Francisco, and New Orleans. They enjoyed nine playoff wins during that four year run, and had the greatest comeback in NFL history, regular or postseason, to date. That is indeed an incredible list of accomplishments, and the Bills of that era produced numerous NFL Hall of Famers, including the owner, the General Manager, the head coach, and five players.
Those 1990’s Buffalo Bills were a great team. But they were a team that, unfortunately, just kept falling short, and in our modern society fixated only on the last one standing, the Bills are unjustly labeled as losers.
They were not losers. They were the very best team in the AFC during that era, year after year. The 1990 Bills were probably one of the very best single season teams not to have won the Super Bowl. And the Bills of the 1990’s, to me, were clearly the greatest team of any NFL era to have failed to win the Super Bowl. They deserve to be honored and remembered as one of the great teams in league history.
From 1988, the first season that the Bills emerged as contenders, until 1993, Buffalo was probably the winningest team in the NFL. They made it to the playoffs all six seasons, the only franchise that managed that feat. They won five division titles in those six years, and made it to four straight Super Bowls, something that no other team has accomplished. They enjoyed the biggest comeback in NFL history, a record that still stands. Yet, they are too often regarded as losers, despite all of those accomplishments. Many people still deride them as some kind of a joke.
But they were winners, and they were very, very good. I liked that Bills team, and found myself pulling for them more often than not. It is unfortunate that they never won the big game, but I still feel that they deserve a lot more credit than they often get for having come so close. Indeed, that was the best era for any team in NFL history without winning the big one, I think it is safe to say.
So here's to a truly great and underappreciated Buffalo Bills team of the early nineties. Let's go Buffalo, indeed!
Those Buffalo Bills teams were overrated By David Schoenfield Page 2
http://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=schoenfield/040720
No comments:
Post a Comment