1992 Buffalo Bills season

1992 Buffalo Bills season
Head coach	Marv Levy
General manager	Bill Polian
Owner	Ralph Wilson
Home field	Rich Stadium
Results
Record	11–5
Division place	2nd AFC East
Playoff finish	W AFC Wild Card Game vs. (Oilers) 41–38 W AFC Divisional playoff vs. (Steelers) 24–3 W AFC Championship Game vs. (Dolphins) 29–10 L Super Bowl XXVII (Cowboys) 17–52

The 1992 Buffalo Bills season was the 33rd season for the team in the National Football League. The Buffalo Bills finished the National Football League's 1992 season with a record of 11 wins and 5 losses, and finished second in the AFC East division. The Bills qualified for their third straight Super Bowl appearance.

The season is notable for Buffalo's first playoff game in this year, known as "The Comeback," in which the Bills, down 35–3, ended up winning in overtime. The game has since gone down in NFL lore. The game was the first of three Buffalo playoff wins (the two others were at Pittsburgh and at Miami) that allowed the Bills to win their third consecutive AFC Championship.

In Week Two of the season, the Bills traveled to San Francisco, defeating the 49ers 34–31. The matchup was notable for being the first game in NFL history without a punt by either team.^[1]

Offseason

NFL Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1	27	John Fina	Tackle	Arizona
3	83	Keith Goganious	Linebacker	Penn State
4	111	Frank Kmet	Defensive end	Purdue
5	139	Matt Darby	Safety	UCLA
6	167	Nate Turner	Running back	Nebraska
7	195	Kurt Schulz	Safety	Eastern Washington
8	223	Leonard Humphries	Cornerback	Penn State
9	251	Chris Walsh	Wide receiver	Stanford
10	279	Barry Rose	Wide receiver	Wisconsin–Stevens Point
11	307	Vince Marrow	Tight end	Toledo
12	335	Matt Rodgers	Quarterback	Iowa

Personnel

Staff

1992 Buffalo Bills staff
	Front office President – Ralph Wilson Vice President of Administration/General Manager – Bill Polian Vice President of Football Operations – Marv Levy Assistant General Manager/Director of Pro Personnel – Bob Ferguson Director of Player Personnel – John Butler Assistant Director/Collegiate Scouting – A. J. Smith Head coaches Head Coach – Marv Levy Assistant Head Coach – Elijah Pitts Administrative Assistant to the Head Coach – Chuck Lester Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line – Tom Bresnahan Quarterbacks – Jim Shofner Running Backs – Elijah Pitts Receivers – Charlie Joiner Offensive Quality Control/Tight Ends – Don Lawrence			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinatorr/Linebackers – Walt Corey Defensive Line – Dan Sekanovich Defensive Backs – Dick Roach Defensive Quality Control – Chuck Lester Special teams coaches Special Teams – Bruce DeHaven Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning Coordinator – Rusty Jones

^[2]

Roster

1992 Buffalo Bills roster
	Quarterbacks  7 Gale Gilbert 12 Jim Kelly 14 Frank Reich Running backs 23 Kenneth Davis 35 Carwell Gardner FB 34 Thurman Thomas Wide receivers 82 Don Beebe 85 Al Edwards 81 Brad Lamb 80 James Lofton 83 Andre Reed 89 Steve Tasker		Tight ends 86 Rob Awalt 84 Keith McKeller 88 Pete Metzelaars Offensive linemen 75 Howard Ballard T 70 John Fina G/T 59 Mitch Frerotte G/C 67 Kent Hull C 74 Glenn Parker G 51 Jim Ritcher G 69 Will Wolford T		Defensive linemen 92 Gary Baldinger 90 Phil Hansen DE 73 Mike Lodish NT 78 Bruce Smith DE 93 Keith Willis DE 91 Jeff Wright NT Linebackers 54 Carlton Bailey 97 Cornelius Bennett 58 Shane Conlan 95 Keith Goganious 55 Mark Maddox 53 Marvcus Patton 56 Darryl Talley		Defensive backs 43 Matt Darby 27 Cliff Hicks CB 47 Kirby Jackson CB 20 Henry Jones SS 38 Mark Kelso FS 37 Nate Odomes CB 24 Kurt Schulz 31 James Williams CB Special teams  2 Steve Christie K 63 Adam Lingner LS  9 Chris Mohr P Rookies in italics

Regular season

• Week 1 (September 6, 1992) - Hosting the LA Rams the Bills picked off Jim Everett four times and limited the Rams to 215 total yards. Thurman Thomas led a 207-yard rushing attack for the Bills as Jim Kelly needed only 106 passing yards and two scores for the 40-7 win.

• Week 2 (September 13, 1992) – Buffalo's 34–31 win over the San Francisco 49ers was the first game in NFL history in which neither team punted. Over 1,000 yards in combined offense for both teams.

• Week 3 (September 20, 1992) - The Indianapolis Colts were limited to nine first downs, 140 total yards, and three interceptions (one by quarterback/punter Tom Tupa) in a 38-0 Bills shutout.

• Week 4 (September 27, 1992) - The winless Patriots held off the Bills for a 6-0 Bills lead at halftime before 35 Buffalo points led to yet another Buffalo runaway win, 41-7.

• Week 5 (October 4, 1992) - Dan Marino ended Buffalo's season-opening win streak, throwing three touchdowns and 282 total yards. Jim Kelly was intercepted four times as the Dolphins won 37-10.

• Week 6 (October 11, 1992) - The Bills flew to Los Angeles and were rudely greeted by the 1-4 Raiders; they sacked Jim Kelly five times and picked him off once, storming to a 20-3 win.

• Week 7 Bye week

• Week 8 Monday Night Football (October 26, 1992) - The Jets hosted the Bills in a back-and-forth affair. The Bills led 17-13 in the fourth before Brad Baxter ran in a one-yard score, but Kelly led the Bills downfield and found Thurman Thomas from twelve yards out and the 24-20 Bills win.

• Week 9 (November 1, 1992) - The Patriots traveled to Rich Stadium and the two teams managed six turnovers and just 484 total yards. The Bills fell behind 7-0 on Vincent Brown's 25-yard fumble return score, then scored 16 unanswered points on two touchdowns and a safety when Shawn McCarthy was downed in the endzone.

• Week 12 (November 22, 1992) – Buffalo set an NFL record by rushing for 315 yards in a game as the Atlanta Falcons managed 174 yards of total offense and were hammered 41-14.

• Week 14 (December 6, 1992) - The Bills fell to the Jets 24-17 in a game the Jets needed far more than the Bills following paralyzing injury to Dennis Byrd; the Jets had needed emotional counseling all week leading to the game, and came out inspired when coach Bruce Coslet told players beforehand that Byrd was recovering movement. Brad Baxter ran in two touchdowns; after the Bills tied the game 17-17 Brian Washington intercepted Kelly and scored. Following the 24-17 Jets win both teams met at midfield in prayer for Dennis Byrd.

• Week 17 (December 27, 1992) – At the Astrodome Jim Kelly was intercepted once and injured in the final game of the season, forcing Frank Reich to take over as starting quarterback to begin the playoffs. Reich was picked off twice as the Oilers behind Warren Moon and Cody Carlson stormed to a 27-3 win, securing a wildcard playoff berth, where one week later they would travel to Buffalo to face Reich again. (See below.)

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Game Site	Final Score	Record	Attendance
1	September 6, 1992	Los Angeles Rams	Rich Stadium	W 40–7	1–0	79,001
2	September 13, 1992	at San Francisco 49ers	Candlestick Park	W 34–31	2–0	64,053
3	September 20, 1992	Indianapolis Colts	Rich Stadium	W 38–0	3–0	77,781
4	September 27, 1992	at New England Patriots	Foxboro Stadium	W 41–7	4–0	52,527
5	October 4, 1992	Miami Dolphins	Rich Stadium	L 37–10	4–1	80,368
6	October 11, 1992	at Los Angeles Raiders	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	L 20–3	4–2	52,287
7	Bye
8	October 26, 1992	at New York Jets	The Meadowlands	W 24–20	5–2	68,181
9	November 1, 1992	New England Patriots	Rich Stadium	W 16–7	6–2	78,268
10	November 8, 1992	Pittsburgh Steelers	Rich Stadium	W 28–20	7–2	80,294
11	November 16, 1992	at Miami Dolphins	Joe Robbie Stadium	W 26–20	8–2	70,629
12	November 22, 1992	Atlanta Falcons	Rich Stadium	W 41–14	9–2	80,004
13	November 29, 1992	at Indianapolis Colts	Hoosier Dome	L 16–13	9–3	50,221
14	December 6, 1992	New York Jets	Rich Stadium	L 24–17	9–4	75,876
15	December 12, 1992	Denver Broncos	Rich Stadium	W 27–17	10–4	71,740
16	December 20, 1992	at New Orleans Saints	Louisiana Superdome	W 20–16	11–4	68,591
17	December 27, 1992	at Houston Oilers	Houston Astrodome	L 27–3	11–5	61,742

Game summaries

Week 1

Los Angeles Rams at Buffalo Bills

1 2 3 4 Total Rams 0 7 0 0 7 • Bills 14 13 7 6 40 Date: September 6 Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Scoring summary 1 Bills Thurman Thomas 10 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Steve Christie kick) Bills 7–0 1 Bills Thurman Thomas 1 yard run (Steve Christie kick) Bills 14–0 2 Bills Thurman Thomas 6 yard run (Steve Christie kick) Bills 21–0 2 Rams Robert Delpino 12 yard pass from Jim Everett (Tony Zendejas kick) Bills 21–7 2 Bills Mitch Frerotte 2 yard pass from Jim Kelly (kick failed) Bills 27–7 3 Bills Thurman Thomas 10 yard run (Steve Christie kick) Bills 34–7 4 Bills Steve Christie 49 yard field goal Bills 37–7 4 Bills Steve Christie 38 yard field goal Bills 40–7

Week 8

1 2 3 4 Total • Bills 0 14 3 7 24 Jets 3 3 7 7 20 Date: October 26 Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 46°F • Wind 19 Television network: ABC

Scoring summary 1 NYJ Cary Blanchard 42 yard field goal Jets 3–0 2 BUF Kenneth Davis 2 yard run (Steve Christie kick) Bills 7–3 2 NYJ Cary Blanchard 40 yard field goal Bills 7–6 2 BUF James Lofton 16 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Steve Christie kick) Bills 14–6 3 NYJ Pat Chaffey 1 yard run (Cary Blanchard kick) Bills 14–13 3 BUF Steve Christie 33 yard field goal Bills 17–13 4 NYJ Brad Baxter 1 yard run (Cary Blanchard kick) Jets 20–17 4 BUF Thurman Thomas 12 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Steve Christie kick) Bills 24–20

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Standings

AFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
^(2) Miami Dolphins	11	5	0	.688	5–3	9–3	340	281	W3
^(4) Buffalo Bills	11	5	0	.688	5–3	7–5	381	283	L1
Indianapolis Colts	9	7	0	.563	5–3	7–7	216	302	W5
New York Jets	4	12	0	.250	3–5	4–8	220	315	L3
New England Patriots	2	14	0	.125	2–6	2–10	205	363	L5

^[4]

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Final Score	Attendance
Wildcard	January 3, 1993	Houston Oilers (5)	W 41–38 (OT)	75,141
Divisional	January 9, 1993	at Pittsburgh Steelers (1)	W 24–3	60,407
Conference Championship	January 17, 1993	at Miami Dolphins (2)	W 29–10	72,703
Super Bowl	January 31, 1993	vs. Dallas Cowboys (N2)	L 17–52	98,374

AFC Wildcard Playoff

The Comeback

Frank Reich's defining moment in his pro career is actually another comeback, this one often called the greatest comeback in NFL history (it is the greatest comeback in terms of point deficit, 32 points).

In the playoffs following the 1992 season against the Houston Oilers. Reich led the Bills on a 35–3 run in the second half before overtime, en route to a 41–38 victory on a Steve Christie field goal. Reich would help the Bills defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round before once again giving the team back to Kelly, who led them into Super Bowl XXVII, where they were annihilated by the Dallas Cowboys 52–17. Reich had to enter the game when starter Jim Kelly was forced out of the game with a knee injury during the 2nd quarter.

Scoring summary

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Oilers	7	21	7	3	0	38
Bills	3	0	28	7	3	41

• HOU – Jeffires 3-yard pass from Moon (Del Greco kick) 7–0 HOU
• BUF – FG Christie 36-yards 7–3 HOU
• HOU – Slaughter 7-yard pass from Moon (Del Greco kick) 14–3 HOU
• HOU – Duncan 26-yard pass from Moon (Del Greco kick) 21–3 HOU
• HOU – Jeffires 27-yard pass from Moon (Del Greco kick) 28–3 HOU
• HOU – McDowell 58-yard interception return (Del Greco kick) 35–3 HOU
• BUF – K. Davis 1-yard run (Christie kick) 35–10 HOU
• BUF – Beebe 38-yard pass from Reich (Christie kick) 35–17 HOU
• BUF – Reed 26-yard pass from Reich (Christie kick) 35–24 HOU
• BUF – Reed 18-yard pass from Reich (Christie kick) 35–31 HOU
• BUF – Reed 17-yard pass from Reich (Christie kick) 38–35 BUF
• HOU – FG Del Greco 26-yards 38–38 tie
• BUF – FG Christie 32-yards 41–38 BUF

Super Bowl XXVII

The Bills entered Super Bowl XXVII trying to avoid becoming the first team to lose three consecutive Super Bowls. Once again the team was loaded with talent, boasting 12 Pro Bowl selections. During the regular season, Buffalo's no-huddle offense ranked as the number two offense in the league (6,114 yards) and ranked as the number one rushing offense (2,436). Running back Thurman Thomas rushed for 1,487 yards and 9 touchdowns during the regular season, while also catching 58 passes for 626 yards and another 3 touchdowns. Running back Kenneth Davis rushed for 613 yards, caught 15 passes for 80 yards, and added another 251 yards returning kickoffs. Quarterback Jim Kelly had 269 out of 462 completions for 3,457 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions. Wide receiver Andre Reed lead the team with 65 receptions for 913 yards and 3 touchdowns, receiver James Lofton contributed 51 receptions for 786 yards and 6 touchdowns, and wide receiver Don Beebe had 33 receptions for 554 and 2 touchdowns. Also tight end Pete Metzelaars recorded 30 receptions for 298 yards and 6 touchdowns. The Bills also had one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, led by Pro Bowlers Will Wolford, Jim Ritcher, and Howard Ballard, along with center Kent Hull.

On defense, the line was anchored by tackles Bruce Smith (14 sacks) and Jeff Wright (6 sacks, 1 fumble recovery), who were fully recovered after missing almost all of the previous season due to injuries. The Bills were once again led by their trio of linebackers Darryl Talley (77 tackles, 4 sacks), Shane Conlan (66 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 interception), and Pro Bowler Cornelius Bennett (52 tackles, 4 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries. The defensive secondary was aided by the emergence of second year defensive back Henry Jones, who led the NFL with 8 interceptions, returning them for 263 yards and 2 touchdowns. Defensive back Mark Kelso recorded 7 interceptions, while Pro Bowl defensive back Nate Odomes had 5.

However, the Bills quest for a third consecutive Super Bowl suffered a major setback when they lost the final game of the season to the Houston Oilers. The loss caused the Bills to finish with an 11–5 record, losing the AFC East title to the Miami Dolphins based on tiebreaking rules, and thus making them a wild card team for the playoffs. Thus, even if they won their first playoff game, they would have to win two on the road to make the Super Bowl. To make matters worse, Kelly also suffered strained knee ligaments during the loss to the Oilers and had to miss the first 2 playoff games. Furthermore, their first opponent in the playoffs ended up being the Oilers. A headline on a Buffalo newspaper stated the Bills situation: "Bills Begin The Longest Road Today."

Starting lineups

Source:^[5]

Position Name WR James Lofton LT Will Wolford LG Jim Ritcher C Kent Hull RG Glenn Parker RT Howard Ballard TE Pete Metzelaars WR Andre Reed QB Jim Kelly RB Thurman Thomas FB-WR Don Beebe Position Name LE Phil Hansen LDT-NT Jeff Wright RDT-RE Bruce Smith RE-LOLB Marvcus Patton LOLB-LILB Shane Conlan MLB-RILB Cornelius Bennett ROLB Darryl Talley LCB James Williams RCB Nate Odomes SS Henry Jones FS Mark Kelso Scoring summary BUF – TD: Thurman Thomas 2-yard run (Steve Christie kick) 7–0 BUF DAL – TD: Jay Novacek 23-yard pass from Troy Aikman (Lin Elliott kick) 7–7 tie DAL – TD: Jimmie Jones 2-yard fumble return (Lin Elliott kick) 14–7 DAL BUF – FG: Steve Christie 21 yards 14–10 DAL DAL – TD: Michael Irvin 19-yard pass from Troy Aikman (Lin Elliott kick) 21–10 DAL DAL – TD: Michael Irvin 18-yard pass from Troy Aikman (Lin Elliott kick) 28–10 DAL DAL – FG: Lin Elliott 20 yards 31–10 DAL BUF – TD: Don Beebe 40-yard pass from Frank Reich (Steve Christie kick) 31–17 DAL DAL – TD: Alvin Harper 45-yard pass from Troy Aikman (Lin Elliott kick) 38–17 DAL DAL – TD: Emmitt Smith 10-yard run (Lin Elliott kick) 45–17 DAL DAL – TD: Ken Norton Jr. 9-yard fumble return (Lin Elliott kick) 52–17 DAL Awards and records Fewest Rushing Yards allowed in NFL, 1395 yards Led NFL in Total Yards Rushing, 2436 yards Led AFC in Points Scored, 381 Led AFC in Yards Gained, 5893 Set NFL record for most rushing yards by a club in one game (315) Steve Christie, Tied NFL record, Most Field Goals Attempted in a Playoff Game (6) Steve Christie, Tied NFL record, Most Field Goals Made in a Playoff Game (5) Henry Jones, Tied NFL Lead, 8 Interceptions Steve Tasker, Pro Bowl MVP Thurman Thomas, AFC Leader, 12 Touchdowns

External links

• Bills on Pro Football Reference
• Bills on jt-sw.com
• Bills Stats on jt-sw.com

References

1. Bills at 49ers (original broadcast) at YouTube: | Parts 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
2. 1992 Buffalo Bills Media Guide. pp. 2–23.
3. Pro-Football-Reference.com
4. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 292
5. Neft, David S., Cohen, Richard M., and Korch, Rick. The Complete History of Professional Football from 1892 to the Present. 1994 ISBN 0-312-11435-4