1995 Buffalo Bills season

36th season in franchise history November 2013 March 2026 Buffalo Bills 1995 10–6 1st AFC East Marv LevyElijah Pitts (interim) Tom Bresnahan Wade Phillips John Butler Ralph Wilson Rich Stadium Won Wild Card Playoffs(vs. Dolphins) 37–22Lost Divisional Playoffs(at Steelers) 21–40 DE Bruce SmithOLB Bryce PaupST Steve Tasker Bills seasons The 1995 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 26th season in the National Football League and the 36th overall. This was the last time the Bills won the division or won a playoff game until 2020. After suffering a losing season the previous season, the 1995 Bills won the AFC East, and made the playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons. They defeated the Miami Dolphins 37–22 in the Wild Card Game in Don Shula's final game as an NFL head coach. The following week they lost to the eventual AFC Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers 40–21. In his first season with the team, defensive end Bryce Paup was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Paup led the NFL with 17.5 sacks, the fourth-highest single-season total of the 1990s.NFL Sacks Single-Season Leaders (since 1960) https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/sacks_single_season.htm 2024-11-11 Pro Football Reference en During the season, head coach Marv Levy underwent successful treatment for prostate cancer; assistant Elijah Pitts filled in as interim coach until Levy returned after a three-game absence.October 17, 1995 Levy Tells Bills He Faces Cancer Surgery : Pro football: Coach will miss three games after prostate operation today in Buffalo. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-10-17-sp-57829-story.html February 11, 2017 Los Angeles Times Associated Press Offseason Additions SubtractionsLB Bryce Paup (Packers) WR Don Beebe (Panthers)NT Ted Washington (Broncos) TE Pete Metzelaars (Panthers)DE Jim Jeffcoat (Cowboys) DE Oliver Barnett (49ers) S Mike Dumas (Jaguars) LB Darryl Talley (Falcons) LB Marvcus Patton (Redskins) NT Jeff Wright (retirement) NT Mike Lodish (Broncos) 1995 expansion draft 1995 NFL expansion draft + Buffalo Bills selected during the expansion draft Round Overall Name Position Expansion team59Keith GoganiousLinebackerJacksonville Jaguars2346Vince MarrowTight EndCarolina Panthers NFL draft 1995 NFL draft 1995 Buffalo Bills 1 14 Ruben Brown Guard Pittsburgh yes yes 2 45 Todd Collins Quarterback Michigan yes 3 76 Marlon Kerner Cornerback Ohio State yes 3 96 Damien Covington Linebacker NC State yes 4 109 Ken Irvin Cornerback Memphis yes 4 113 Justin Armour Wide receiver Stanford yes 4 131 Tony Cline Tight end Stanford yes 5 144 John Holecek Linebacker Illinois yes 6 185 Shannon Clavelle Defensive tackle Colorado no 7 221 Tom Nütten Center Western Michigan yes 7 244 Darick Holmes Running back Portland State yes no Undrafted free agents + 1995 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeJason AndersonWide receiverEastern WashingtonCarey BenderRunning backCoe CollegeTravis ColquittPunterMarshallEric CountsDefensive tackleNC StateHerve DamasLinebackerHofstraRandall EvansWide receiverSt. Augustine's (NC)Che FosterFullbackMichiganMyron GlassCornerbackNorthern IowaSteve HarveyLinebackerKansasMichael HendricksLinebackerTexas A&MAdrian HillWide ReceiverNC StateTerry QuinnSafetyLouisvilleMike SheldonGuardGrand Valley State Personnel Staff 1995 Buffalo Bills President – Ralph Wilson Executive Vice President and General Manager – John Butler Vice President of Football Operations – Marv Levy Director of Pro Personnel – A. J. Smith Director of Player Personnel – Dwight Adams Head Coach – Marv Levy Assistant Head Coach – Elijah Pitts Administrative Assistant to the Head Coach – Chuck Lester Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line – Tom Bresnahan Quarterbacks – Jim Shofner Running Backs – Elijah Pitts Receivers – Charlie Joiner Offensive Quality Control/Tight Ends – Don Lawrence Defensive Coordinator – Wade Phillips Defensive Line – Dan Sekanovich Linebackers – Ted Cottrell Assistant Linebackers – Chuck Lester Defensive Backs – Dick Roach Special Teams – Bruce DeHaven Strength and Conditioning Coordinator – Rusty Jones 1995 Buffalo Bills Media Guide 5–26 Administration, coaches and staff Roster 1995 Buffalo Bills 15 Todd Collins quarterback y 12 Jim Kelly 10 Alex Van Pelt 35 Carwell Gardner FB 44 Darick Holmes y KR 30 Yonel Jourdain KR 34 Thurman Thomas 33 Tim Tindale FB 81 Justin Armour y 80 Bill Brooks wide receiver 85 Russell Copeland 83 Andre Reed 89 Steve Tasker PR 82 Damon Thomas American football 88 Tony Cline Jr. y 87 Rob Coons y 84 Lonnie Johnson American football 79 Ruben Brown y G 62 Mike Devlin American football C 70 John Fina T 67 Kent Hull C 68 Corbin Lacina G 72 Corey Louchiey y T 64 Tom Nütten y G 60 Jerry Ostroski G 74 Glenn Parker T 90 Phil Hansen American football DE 77 Jim Jeffcoat DE/NT 75 Ed Philion NT 94 Mark Pike DE 78 Bruce Smith DE 92 Ted Washington NT 73 Karl Wilson DE 97 Cornelius Bennett ILB 96 Monty Brown ILB 57 Damien Covington y ILB 52 John Holecek y ILB 95 Bryce Paup OLB 58 Marlo Perry ILB 59 Sam Rogers linebacker OLB 50 David White American football OLB 43 Matt Darby American football FS 41 Greg Evans American football SS 42 Chris Green American football CB/S 27 Ken Irvin y CB 39 Filmel Johnson CB 20 Henry Jones American football SS 46 Marlon Kerner y CB 24 Kurt Schulz FS 28 Thomas Smith cornerback CB  2 Steve Christie K 63 Adam Lingner LS  9 Chris Mohr P 22 Jeff Burris CB/PR IR 54 Herve Damas y LB IR 53 Steve Harvey linebacker y LB IR 55 Mark Maddox LB IR 53 active, 4 inactive, 2 practice squad 45 Carey Bender y RB 71 Mike Sheldon y G Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 3 at Denver Broncos L 7–22 0–1 Mile High Stadium 75,157 2 September 10 Carolina Panthers W 31–9 1–1 Rich Stadium 79,190 3 September 17 Indianapolis Colts W 20–14 2–1 Rich Stadium 62,499 4 Bye 5 October 2 at Cleveland Browns W 22–19 3–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 76,211 6 October 8 New York Jets W 29–10 4–1 Rich Stadium 79,485 7 October 15 Seattle Seahawks W 27–21 5–1 Rich Stadium 74,362 8 October 23 at New England Patriots L 14–27 5–2 Foxboro Stadium 60,203 9 October 29 at Miami Dolphins L 6–23 5–3 Joe Robbie Stadium 71,060 10 November 5 at Indianapolis Colts W 16–10 6–3 RCA Dome 59,612 11 November 12 Atlanta Falcons W 23–17 7–3 Rich Stadium 62,690 12 November 19 at New York Jets W 28–26 8–3 Giants Stadium 54,436 13 November 26 New England Patriots L 25–35 8–4 Rich Stadium 69,384 14 December 3 at San Francisco 49ers L 17–27 8–5 Candlestick Park 65,568 15 December 10 at St. Louis Rams W 45–27 9–5 Trans World Dome 64,623 16 December 17 Miami Dolphins W 23–20 10–5 Rich Stadium 79,531 17 December 24 Houston Oilers L 17–28 10–6 Rich Stadium 45,253 Season summary Week 1 at Broncos Buffalo Bills 1995 2; text-align:center collapsed Week One: Buffalo Bills (0–0) at Denver Broncos (0–0) September 3, 1995 8:00 p.m. EDT Bills 7 0 0 0 Broncos 3 9 0 10 Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado 75,157 Clear, 76 F C TNT Verne Lundquist, Pat Haden, and Craig Sager Box Score, Box Score First quarter DEN – Jason Elam 22-yard field goal, 12:32. Broncos 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards. BUF – Andre Reed 34-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Steve Christie kick), 8:43. Bills 7–3. Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards. Second quarter DEN – Jason Elam 52-yard field goal, 14:55. Bills 7–6. Drive: 5 plays, 19 yards. DEN – Jason Elam 20-yard field goal, 8:25. Broncos 9–7. Drive: 10 plays, 42 yards. DEN – Jason Elam 38-yard field goal, 0:02. Broncos 12–7. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards. Third quarter No scoring Fourth quarter DEN – Jason Elam 37-yard field goal, 10:23. Broncos 15–7. Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards. DEN – Terrell Davis 3-yard run (Jason Elam kick), 3:22. Broncos 22–7. Drive: 9 plays, 84 yards. Top passers BUF – Jim Kelly – 12/28, 154 yards, TD DEN – John Elway – 22/41, 317 yards, INT Top rushers BUF – Thurman Thomas – 17 rushes, 46 yards DEN – Terrell Davis – 20 rushes, 70 yards, TD Top receivers BUF – Russell Copeland – 6 receptions, 75 yards DEN – Shannon Sharpe – 10 receptions, 180 yards The Bills first game in Denver since 1977 Week 5 Buffalo Bills 1995 2; text-align:center collapsed Buffalo Bills (2–1) at Cleveland Browns (3–1) October 2 9:00 p.m. EST Bills 10 0 3 9 Browns 7 3 6 3 Cleveland Municipal Stadium • Cleveland, Ohio 76,211 67 °F °C 1; wind 10 mph km/h knots Gary Lane ABC Monday Night Football Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, and Dan Dierdorf Pro-Football-Reference.com, The Football Database Bills Jim Kelly27/34, 256 Yds, 2 TD, INT Thurman Thomas23 Rush, 86 Yds Andre Reed9 Rec, 97 Yds, TD Browns Vinny Testaverde18/34, 224 Yds Derrick Alexander1 Rush, 29 Yds Andre Rison6 Rec, 126 Yds BUF CLE collapsed 1 9:56 Bills RecTD Armour Kelly 14 good Christie run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 0 1 6:49 Browns PuntTD Alexander 69 good Stover run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 7 1 0:50 Bills FG 38 Christie 10 7 2 0:18 Browns FG 32 Stover 10 10 3 11:10 Bills FG 31 Christie 13 10 3 6:59 Browns FG 47 Stover 13 13 3 3:56 Browns FG 23 Stover 13 16 4 6:30 Bills RecTD Reed Kelly 41 no good Christie run/pass good/failed/incomplete 19 16 4 3:49 Browns FG 38 Stover 19 19 4 0:05 Bills FG 33 Christie 22 19 22 19 Week 6 Starting QBs -> New York Jets: Boomer Esiason / Buffalo Bills: Jim Kelly Vegas Line: Buffalo Bills −9.5 /// Over/Under: 38.0 (over) Thurman Thomas becomes the 11th player all-time to go over the 9,000 career rushing yard mark in this game. Boomer Esiason was knocked out in the second quarter by Bruce Smith, thus putting Bubby Brister into the game. On his first snap in the game, he fumbled the ball and turned it over to Buffalo. New York Jets (1–4) at Buffalo Bills (3–1) Jets 0 3 7 0 Bills 3 13 3 10 Oct 8, 1995 Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York 1:00 p.m. EST 79,485 54 F C • 15 mph km/h knot Bob McElwee Marv Albert and Cris Collinsworth NFL on NBC NYJ BUF collapsed 1 5:46 Bills 8 60 2:53 FG 38 Steve Christie 0 3 2 7:57 Jets 4 4 2:09 FG 26 Nick Lowery 3 3 2 3:58 Bills 11 68 3:59 FG 24 Steve Christie 3 6 2 0:26 Bills 7 39 1:44 FG 32 Steve Christie 3 9 2 0:16 Bills 1 15 0:05 RecTD Bill Brooks Jim Kelly 15 good Steve Christie run/pass good/failed/incomplete 3 16 3 9:03 Jets 11 57 5:57 RecTD Wayne Chrebet Bubby Brister 16 good Nick Lowery run/pass good/failed/incomplete 10 16 3 7:16 Bills 5 23 1:47 FG 51 Steve Christie 10 19 4 9:51 Bills 12 77 5:30 RushTD Thurman Thomas 1 good Steve Christie run/pass good/failed/incomplete 10 26 4 5:56 Bills 6 20 2:12 FG 27 Steve Christie 10 29 10 29 left New York Jets 1978thru1997 Jets Buffalo Bills 1974thru2001 Bills Bubby Brister 13/23, 112 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Adrian Murrell 14 carries, 33 yards Wayne Chrebet 7 receptions, 74 yards, 1 TD Jim Kelly 9/22, 101 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Thurman Thomas 27 carries, 133 yards, 1 TD Russell Copeland 5 receptions, 67 yards nfl right New York Jets 1978thru1997 Jets Buffalo Bills 1974thru2001 Bills 14 53–173 21–51 122 17–32–2 31:49 22 67–318 45–220 98 9–22–1 28:11 nfl New York Jets at Buffalo Bills - October 8th, 1995 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199510080buf.htm 2024-11-11 Pro Football Reference en Week 10 Elijah Pitts was the Buffalo Bills head coach for this game as Marv Levy was recovering from illness. Starting QBs: Buffalo Bills: Jim Kelly vs Indianapolis Colts: Jim Harbaugh. In this game, Jim Harbaugh started, but midway through the first quarter Paul Justin was put in by coach Ted Marchibroda as Harbaugh was injured. This wasn't the end for the Colts QB situation, as Justin was hit by Bryce Paup knocking him out of the game. Harbaugh came in briefly after Justin was knocked out, however, Craig Erickson came into the game to finish it out. Vegas Line: Indianapolis Colts −4.0 Buffalo Bills (5–3) at Indianapolis Colts (5–3) Bills 10 6 0 0 Colts 7 0 3 0 November 5 RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana 4:00 p.m. EST 59,612 DOME Larry Nemmers Tom Hammond and Cris Collinsworth NFL on NBC Buffalo Bills at Indianapolis Colts - November 5th, 1995 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199511050clt.htm 2024-11-13 Pro Football Reference en BUF IND collapsed 1 11:24 Bills 2 51 0:49 RecTD Bill Brooks Kelly 51 good Christie run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 0 1 7:50 Colts 8 76 3:30 RushTD Marshall Faulk 4 good Cary Blanchard run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 7 1 1:56 Bills 4 2 1:13 FG 39 Steve Christie 10 7 2 9:04 Bills 5 74 2:29 FG 23 Steve Christie 13 7 2 3:52 Bills 9 43 3:45 FG 33 Steve Christie 16 7 3 10:24 Colts 5 40 1:42 FG 37 Cary Blanchard 16 10 16 10 Week 11 Falcons 7 3 7 0 Bills 7 7 6 3 November 12 Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York 1:00 p.m. EST 62,690 32 F C • 26 mph km/h knot Johnny Grier Thom Brennaman, Ron Pitts, and Eric Clemons (Sideline Reporter) Fox NFL Atlanta Falcons at Buffalo Bills - November 12th, 1995 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199511120buf.htm 2024-11-13 Pro Football Reference en Week 12 Starting QBs -> New York Jets: Boomer Esiason / Buffalo Bills: Jim Kelly Vegas Line: Buffalo Bills −6.5 /// Over/Under: 37.0 (over) Boomer Esiason throws a last second hail mary TD pass to Adrian Murrell, however, failed on the 2-pt conversion to send the game into OT. Buffalo Bills (7–3) at New York Jets(2–8) Bills 7 14 7 0 Jets 3 0 10 13 Nov 19, 1995 Giants Stadium East Rutherford, New Jersey 4:00pm EST 54,436 46 F C • 6 mph km/h knot Dick Hantak Marv Albert and Cris Collinsworth NFL on NBC Buffalo Bills at New York Jets - November 19th, 1995 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199511190nyj.htm 2024-11-13 Pro Football Reference en BUF NYJ collapsed 1 8:46 Jets 10 58 FG 30 Nick Lowery 0 3 1 1:35 Bills 5 59 1:36 RecTD Bill Brooks Jim Kelly 45 good Steve Christie run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 3 2 6:37 Bills 17 90 6:33 RushTD Thurman Thomas 12 good Steve Christie run/pass good/failed/incomplete 14 3 2 2:26 Bills 8 52 1:47 RecTD Bill Brooks Jim Kelly 18 good Steve Christie run/pass good/failed/incomplete 21 3 28 26 left Buffalo Bills 1974thru2001 Bills New York Jets 1978thru1997 Jets Jim Kelly 22/37, 316 yards, 2 TD Thurman Thomas 18 carries, 43 yards, 1 TD Bill Brooks 7 receptions, 107 yards, 2 TD Boomer Esiason 24/43, 312 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Adrian Murrell 9 carries, 36 yards Johnny Mitchell 5 receptions, 87 yards, 1 TD nfl right Buffalo Bills 1974thru2001 Bills New York Jets 1978thru1997 Jets 20 73–373 36–88 285 22–37–0 31:12 17 65–351 22–74 277 24–43–2 28:48 nfl Week 15 Bills 7 14 14 10 Rams 10 3 3 11 December 10 TWA Dome, St. Louis, Missouri 1:00 p.m. EST 64,623 DOME Gordon McCarter Marv Albert, Cris Collinsworth NFL on NBC yes Q1 8:59 BUF Bill Brooks 23 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Steve Christie kick) BUF 7–0 Q1 5:29 STL Todd Kinchen 6 yard pass from Mark Rypien (Dean Biasucci kick) Tie 7–7 Q1 3:15 STL (Dean Biasucci 28 yard field goal) STL 10–7 Q2 7:52 BUF Thurman Thomas 1 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Steve Christie kick) BUF 14–10 Q2 5:29 BUF Darick Holmes 1 yard run (Steve Christie kick) BUF 21–10 Q2 0:00 STL (Dean Biasucci 37 yard field goal) BUF 21–13 Q3 6:29 BUF Steve Tasker 6 yard pass from Jim Kelly(Steve Christie kick) BUF 28–13 Q3 4:34 STL (Dean Biasucci 51 yard field goal) BUF 28–16 Q3 1:08 BUF Steve Tasker 28 yard pass from Jim Kelly(Steve Christie kick) BUF 35–16 Q4 6:52 STL (Dean Biasucci 25 yard field goal) BUF 35–19 Q4 6:40 BUF Darick Holmes 38 yard run (Steve Christie kick) BUF 42–19 Q4 3:54 STL Jessie Hester 5 yard pass from Mark Rypien, Johnny Bailey pass from Mark Rypien BUF 42–27 Q4 1:10 BUF (Steve Christie 28 yard field goal BUF 45–27 yes Buffalo Bills at St. Louis Rams - December 10th, 1995 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199512100ram.htm 2024-11-13 Pro Football Reference en Standings NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, 0-7611-2480-2, p. 291 Playoffs AFC Wild Card Game Buffalo Bills 37, Miami Dolphins 22 Dolphins 0 0 0 22 Bills 10 14 3 10 Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York December 30, 1995 12:30 p.m. EST 30 °F °C, cloudy ABC Brent Musburger and Dick Vermeil Red Cashion 73,103 In Buffalo's first playoff game since losing Super Bowl XXVIII two seasons earlier, the Bills handled Miami easily by a score of 37–22 at Rich Stadium. Although Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino completed 33 out of 64 passes for 422 yards and two touchdowns, the Bills jumped to a 27–0 lead going into the fourth quarter, and rushed for an NFL playoff-record 341 yards, led by Thurman Thomas's 25 carries for 158 yards. The Bills forced four turnovers, including intercepting Marino three times, in the victory.https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199512300buf.htm Wild Card – Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills – December 30th, 1995 Pro Football Reference en 2018-07-10 It was the final game of Don Shula's coaching career with the Dolphins, but the only Bills game ever attended by brothers John & Steve Gorczyca. AFC Divisional Playoff Pittsburgh Steelers 40, Buffalo Bills 21 Bills 0 7 7 7 Steelers 7 16 3 14 Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh January 6, 1996 12:30 p.m. EST 21 °F °C, clear NBC Marv Albert and Cris Collinsworth Larry Nemmers 59,072 In the third all-time postseason meeting between the two teams, running back Bam Morris scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter as the Steelers stopped the Bills from pulling off a comeback. Pittsburgh jumped to a 20–0 lead by the second quarter with running back John L. Williams's 1-yard touchdown, quarterback Neil O'Donnell's 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ernie Mills, and two field goals by Norm Johnson. However, Buffalo running back Thurman Thomas scored a 1-yard touchdown run with 45 seconds left in the first half. But Johnson made a 34-yard field goal with eight seconds left to give the Steelers a 23–7 halftime lead. In the third quarter, Johnson added a 39-yard field goal before Bills tight end Tony Cline caught a 2-yard touchdown reception. With 11:23 left in the game, Thomas scored on a 9-yard touchdown reception to cut the lead to 26–21. In response, Pittsburgh drove 76 yards to score on Morris' 13-yard touchdown run. Linebacker Levon Kirkland then intercepted a pass to set up Morris' 2-yard score with 1:58 remaining to clinch the victory.https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199601060pit.htm Divisional Round – Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers – January 6th, 1996 Pro Football Reference en 2018-07-10 Bruce Smith was inactive for the game because he had the flu.Buffalo's Smith sacked by flu Tampa Bay Times 2005-09-15 https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1996/01/06/buffalo-s-smith-sacked-by-flu/ 2024-12-02 Awards and honors Bryce Paup, NFL Defensive Player of the Yearhttps://www.pro-football-reference.com/awards/ap-defensive-player-of-the-year.htm AP Defensive Player of the Year Winners Pro Football Reference en 2018-07-13 Bryce Paup, AFC Pro Bowl selectionhttps://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1995/probowl.htm 1995 NFL Pro Bowlers Pro Football Reference en 2018-07-13 References External links Season summary at Pro Football Reference Bills on jt-sw.com Bills Stats on jt-sw.com Category:Buffalo Bills seasons Buffalo Bills Category:AFC East championship seasons Buff