1980 Buffalo Bills season

21st season in franchise history November 2013 February 2026 Buffalo Bills 1980 11–5 1st AFC East Chuck Knox Ray Prochaska Tom Catlin Ralph Wilson Rich Stadium Lost Divisional Playoffs(at Chargers) 14–20 RB Joe CribbsWR Jerry ButlerNT Fred Smerlas NT Fred Smerlas (1st team) Bills seasons The 1980 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 11th season in the National Football League, and the 21st overall. Their 11–5 record was tied for best in the AFC. The Bills' defense allowed only 260 points in 1980, third-best in the league, whilst their 4,101 total yards surrendered was best in the NFL in 1980. Buffalo's defense was well represented on the UPI All-AFC team: nose tackle Fred Smerlas and linebacker Jim Haslett – two-thirds of Buffalo's "Bermuda Triangle" with linebacker Shane Nelson – were named to the 1st team All-AFC. Defensive end Ben Williams was named to the second team. Although Buffalo's offensive statistics were not as impressive as its defense, four offensive players were named All-AFC: left guard Reggie McKenzie, left tackle Ken Jones, wide receiver Jerry Butler and rookie running back Joe Cribbs.Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1980 NFL All-Pros Cribbs rushed for 1,185 yards and made his first Pro Bowl. Jerry Butler and Fred Smerlas also were selected to play in the annual all-star game.1980 NFL Pro Bowlers Breaking "The Streak" The Bills had not beaten the Miami Dolphins in the entire decade of the 1970s, a streak of twenty straight losses, the longest in NFL history. The last time the Bills had defeated Miami was 1969. The Bills had been outscored 565 (28.5 points per games) to 299 (14.5) during the 1970s by the Dolphins, failing to score more than ten points in over a third of the contests (7). They were shut out three times. Conversely, the Dolphins were held under twenty points just four times, and scored 45 points on the Bills twice. The domination was so thorough that the Bills only lost by one score or less five times, and Don Shula had never lost to Buffalo since taking over as Dolphins coach in 1970. The Bills only held a lead at any point in eight of the games, and only twice in the fourth quarter.Buffalo Rumblings: September 7, 1980 – Bills End 20-Game Losing Streak To Dolphins Joe Ferguson had lost to the Dolphins 14 straight times. On opening day of the 1980 season, Miami visited Rich Stadium, attempting to extend the streak to 21 games. At the end of three quarters, Miami led 7–3. In the fourth quarter, running back Roosevelt Leaks scored the go-ahead touchdown to make the score 10–7. Joe Cribbs added a second touchdown to extend the lead to 17–7, and Jeff Nixon intercepted his third pass of the game with only 36 seconds left, breaking the streak at 20 games.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbiRjRu0Fuc&index=4&list=PLFC378DA2FF8A29A3 Jeff Nixon - 1 Fumble Recovery, 3 Interceptions YouTubePro-Football-Reference.com: Miami Dolphins 7 at Buffalo Bills 17 – Sunday, September 7, 1980 A rowdy crowd of 79,000 fans celebrated, and many stormed the field to tear down the goal posts, carrying them around the field.NFL.com: Bills stop skid vs. Dolphins Joe Cribbs contributed 131 combined yards of offense for the triumphant Bills.100 Things Dolphins Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Armando Salguero, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2020, ISBN 978-1-62937-722-3, p.179 The rivalry continued well into the 1990s, but with different results: from 1986 to 1996—the years in which Bills quarterback Jim Kelly and Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino played at the same time—the Bills won 14 of 22 match-ups between the teams.Pro-Football-Reference.com: In multiple seasons, from 1986 to 1996, playing for the Buffalo Bills, versus the Miami Dolphins, in the regular season, sorted by most games matching criteria Offseason NFL draft 1980 NFL draft North Carolina State's Jim Ritcher became an anchor of the Buffalo offensive line for the next 14 years; he was the starter for all four Buffalo Super Bowl teams, and was second-team All-Pro in 1991. Running back Joe Cribbs was Buffalo's starting running back from 1980 to 1983, and again in 1985 (after returning from one year in the USFL). Tight end Mark Brammer played for the Bills for five seasons. Greg Cater was Buffalo's starting punter from 1980 until 1983.Pro-Football-Reference.com: Greg Cater 1980 Buffalo Bills 1 16 Jim Ritcher Guard North Carolina State yes yes 2 29 Joe Cribbs Running back Auburn yes yes 2 37 Gene Bradley Quarterback Arkansas State 3 67 Mark Brammer Tight end Michigan State yes 3 71 John Schmeding Guard Boston College 4 93 Ervin Parker Linebacker South Carolina State yes 5 119 Jeff Pyburn Defensive back Georgia 5 129 Keith Lee Defensive back Colorado State 8 202 Todd Krueger Quarterback Northern Michigan 9 231 Kent Davis Defensive back Southeast Missouri State 10 259 Greg Cater Punter Chattanooga yes 11 286 Joe Gordon Defensive tackle Grambling State 12 316 Roger Lapham Tight end Maine nohttps://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/1980_draft.htm 1980 Buffalo Bills Draftees Pro Football Reference January 22, 2022 Undrafted free agents + 1980 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeDan ConwayFullbackBoston CollegeJay EdwardsDefensive backSan Jose StateGray NordTight endLouisvilleSteve OttsLinebackerMichigan StateLarry ReedFullbackMichiganPaul RogindKickerMinnesota Personnel Staff/Coaches 1980 Buffalo Bills staff Front office Majority owner/team president – Ralph Wilson General manager – Stew Barber Vice president/minority owner – Pat McGroder Coaching staff Head coach – Chuck Knox Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator / offensive line – Ray Prochaska Running backs coach – Elijah Pitts Quarterbacks coach - Kay Stephenson Wide receivers coach – Jack Donaldson Defensive/special teams coaches Defensive coordinator / linebackers coach - Tom Catlin Defensive line – Willie Zapalac Defensive backs – Jim Wagstaff Special teams – Steve Moore & Elijah Pitts Special assignments' Special assignments coach – Miller McCalmon Roster 1980 Buffalo Bills 12 Joe Ferguson 10 David Humm 11 Dan Manucci 47 Curtis Brown running back, born 1954 20 Joe Cribbs y 25 Roland Hooks 48 Roosevelt Leaks 40 Terry Miller running back 80 Jerry Butler American football 19 Duke Fergerson 81 Ron Jessie 82 Frank Lewis American football 89 Lou Piccone 86 Mark Brammer y 88 Reuben Gant 73 Jon Borchardt T/G 70 Joe Devlin American football T 69 Conrad Dobler G 53 Will Grant C 74 Dee Hardison T 72 Ken Jones American football T 67 Reggie McKenzie guard G 51 Jim Ritcher y C/G 90 Scott Hutchinson American football DE 97 Darrell Irvin y DE 71 Mike Kadish NT 91 Ken Johnson defensive end, born 1955 DE 76 Fred Smerlas NT 83 Sherman White American football DE 77 Ben Williams American football, born 1954 DE 55 Jim Haslett ILB 59 Shane Nelson American football ILB 62 Ervin Parker y OLB 58 Isiah Robertson OLB 57 Lucius Sanford OLB 41 Phil Villapiano ILB 28 Rufus Bess CB 29 Mario Clark CB 22 Steve Freeman American football SS 38 Jeff Nixon FS 26 Charles Romes CB 46 Roland Solomon CB 45 Bill Simpson American football FS  7 Greg Cater y P  5 Nick Mike-Mayer K -- Aaron Ball LB no IR 14 Gene Bradley y QB IR -- Phil Dokes DE (Left squad) 21 Doug Greene S IR -- Mekeli Ieremia DE IR 52 Chris Keating LB IR 16 Todd Krueger y QB IR 42 Rod Kush S IR -- Keith Lee American football y CB IR 75 Herman Parker G no IR 64 John Schmeding y no G IR 65 Tim Vogler G/C IR -- Leonard Willis WR IR Regular season Sports Illustrateds Paul Zimmerman wrote about the Bills' 1980 season, "It was a euphoric kind of year for Buffalo. Chuck Knox and his defensive coordinator, Tom Catlin, built the defense into No. 1 in the NFL with virtually the same people who had been lousy in '79. The Bills even beat Miami for the first time in a generation. And then Quarterback Joe Ferguson picked exactly the wrong time of year to sprain his ankle – the playoffs. And San Diego ended the dream."Sports Illustrated, September 7, 1981: PRO FOOTBALL '81, by Paul Zimmerman, page 48 Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 7 Miami Dolphins W 17–7 1–0 Rich StadiumRecap 2 September 14 New York Jets W 20–10 2–0 Rich StadiumRecap 3 September 21 at New Orleans Saints W 35–26 3–0 Louisiana SuperdomeRecap 4 September 28 Oakland Raiders W 24–7 4–0 Rich StadiumRecap 5 October 5 at San Diego Chargers W 26–24 5–0 San Diego StadiumRecap 6 October 12 Baltimore Colts L 12–17 5–1 Rich StadiumRecap 7 October 19 at Miami Dolphins L 14–17 5–2 Orange BowlRecap 8 October 26 New England Patriots W 31–13 6–2 Rich StadiumRecap 9 November 2 Atlanta Falcons L 14–30 6–3 Rich StadiumRecap 10 November 9 at New York Jets W 31–24 7–3 Shea StadiumRecap 11 November 16 at Cincinnati Bengals W 14–0 8–3 Riverfront StadiumRecap 12 November 23 Pittsburgh Steelers W 28–13 9–3 Rich StadiumRecap 13 November 30 at Baltimore Colts L 24–28 9–4 Memorial StadiumRecap 14 December 7 Los Angeles Rams W 10–7 (OT) 10–4 Rich StadiumRecap 15 December 14 at New England Patriots L 2–24 10–5 Foxboro StadiumRecap 16 December 21 at San Francisco 49ers W 18–13 11–5 Candlestick ParkRecapNote: Intra-division opponents are in bold' text.https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/1980.htm 1980 Buffalo Bills Statistics & Players Pro-Football-Reference.com Standings Game summaries Week 1 vs Dolphins Buffalo Bills 1980 2; text-align:center collapsed Week One: Miami Dolphins (0–0) at Buffalo Bills (0–0) September 7 1:00 p.m. EDT Dolphins 0 0 7 0 Bills 0 3 0 14 Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York 79,598 64 F C Gordon McCarter NBC Bob Costas and Mike Haffner Box Score First quarter No scoring Second quarter BUF – Nick Mike-Mayer 40-yard field goal. Bills 3–0. Third quarter MIA – Tony Nathan 4-yard pass from Bob Griese (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 7–3. Fourth quarter BUF – Roosevelt Leaks 4-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 10–7. BUF – Joe Cribbs 2-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 17–7. Top passers MIA – Bob Griese – 11/18, 101 yards, TD, 2 INT BUF – Joe Ferguson – 20/32, 198 yards, TD, 5 INT Top rushers MIA – Steve Howell – 6 rushes, 43 yards BUF – Joe Cribbs – 18 rushes, 60 yards, TD Top receivers MIA – Duriel Harris – 3 receptions, 42 yards BUF – Joe Cribbs – 9 receptions, 71 yards Week 2 vs Jets Buffalo Bills 1980 2; text-align:center collapsed Week Two: New York Jets (0–1) at Buffalo Bills (1–0) September 14 1:00 p.m. Jets 3 0 0 7 Bills 0 10 10 0 Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York 65,315 68 F C Pat Haggerty NBC Don Criqui and John Brodie Box Score First quarter NYJ – Pat Leahy 44-yard field goal. Jets 3–0. Second quarter BUF – Joe Cribbs 1-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 7–3. BUF – Nick Mike-Mayer 47-yard field goal. Bills 10–3. Third quarter BUF – Nick Mike-Mayer 38-yard field goal. Bills 13–3. BUF – Jeff Nixon 50-yard interception return (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 20–3. Fourth quarter NYJ – Clark Gaines 11-yard pass from Richard Todd (Pat Leahy kick). Bills 20–10. Top passers NYJ – Richard Todd – 19/34, 168 yards, TD, INT BUF – Joe Ferguson – 18/29, 207 yards Top rushers NYJ – Clark Gaines – 14 rushes, 94 yards BUF – Roosevelt Leaks – 12 rushes, 58 yards Top receivers NYJ – Clark Gaines – 12 receptions, 91 yards BUF – Reuben Gant – 4 receptions, 84 yards Week 3 at Saints Buffalo Bills 1980 2; text-align:center collapsed Week Three: Buffalo Bills (2–0) at New Orleans Saints (0–2) September 21 1:00 p.m. CDT Bills 7 7 7 14 Saints 0 19 0 7 Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana 51,154 Indoors (dome) Fred Wyant NBC Jay Rudolph and Gene Washington Box Score First quarter BUF – Frank Lewis 12-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 7–0. Second quarter NO – Chuck Muncie 1-yard run (Benny Ricardo kick). Tie 7–7. BUF – Joe Cribbs 12-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 14–7. NO – Ike Harris 44-yard pass from Archie Manning. Bills 14–13. NO – Benny Ricardo 45-yard field goal. Saints 16–14. NO – Benny Ricardo 47-yard field goal. Saints 19–14. Third quarter BUF – Frank Lewis 18-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 21–19. Fourth quarter BUF – Mark Brammer 2-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 28–19. BUF – Joe Cribbs 7-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 35-19. NO – Ike Harris 15-yard pass from Archie Manning (Benny Ricardo kick). Bills 35–26. Top passers BUF – Joe Ferguson – 22/31, 295 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT NO – Archie Manning – 24/34, 285 yards, 2 TD Top rushers BUF – Joe Cribbs – 22 rushes, 89 yards, 2 TD NO – Chuck Muncie – 10 rushes, 22 yards Top receivers BUF – Jerry Butler – 5 receptions, 133 yards NO – Brooks Williams – 6 receptions, 89 yards Week 4 vs Raiders Buffalo Bills 1980 2; text-align:center collapsed Week Four: Oakland Raiders (2–1) at Buffalo Bills (3–0) September 28 1:00 p.m. EDT Raiders 0 0 7 0 Bills 7 10 0 7 Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York 77,259 54 F C Dick Jorgensen NBC Don Criqui and John Brodie Box Score First quarter BUF – Curtis Brown 4-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 7–0. Second quarter BUF – Joe Cribbs 1-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 14–0. BUF – Nick Mike-Mayer 30-yard field goal. Bills 17–0. Third quarter OAK – Lester Hayes 48-yard interception return (Chris Bahr kick). Bills 17–7. Fourth quarter BUF – Joe Cribbs 21-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 24–7. Top passers OAK – Dan Pastorini – 10/20, 158 yards, 2 INT BUF – Joe Ferguson – 17/22, 175 yards, TD, INT Top rushers OAK – Mark van Eeghen – 10 rushes, 46 yards BUF – Joe Cribbs – 30 rushes, 90 yards, TD Top receivers OAK – Bob Chandler – 3 receptions, 87 yards BUF – Jerry Butler – 3 receptions, 49 yards Week 5 at Chargers Buffalo Bills 1980 2;text-align:center; collapsed Week Five: Buffalo Bills (4–0) at San Diego Chargers (4–0) October 5 1:00 p.m. PDT Bills 3 9 0 14 Chargers 7 10 7 0 San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California 51,982 68 F C Bob McElwee NBC Charlie Jones and Len Dawson Box score First quarter BUF – Nick Mike-Mayer 48-yard field goal, 10:11. Bills 3–0. Drive: 6 plays, 18 yards, 3:17. SDG – Kellen Winslow 4-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick), 5:44. Chargers 7–3. Drive: 11 plays, 74 yards, 2:50. Second quarter SDG – John Jefferson 5-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick), 14:56. Chargers 14–3. Drive: 9 plays, 55 yards, 2:02. BUF – Nick Mike-Mayer 29-yard field goal, 8:51. Chargers 14–6. Drive: 12 plays, 69 yards, 6:05. BUF – Lucius Sanford blocked punt recovery in end zone (kick failed), 2:24. Chargers 14–12. SDG – Rolf Benirschke 29-yard field goal, 0:12. Chargers 17–12. Drive: 10 plays, 76 yards, 2:12. Third quarter SDG – Clarence Williams 3-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick), 6:19. Chargers 24–12. Drive: 6 plays, 39 yards, 2:25. Fourth quarter BUF – Mark Brammer 9-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick), 10:43. Chargers 24–19. Drive: 4 plays, 16 yards, 1:34. BUF – Joe Cribbs 3-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick), 7:28. Bills 26–24. Drive: 5 plays, 21 yards, 2:54. Top passers BUF – Joe Ferguson – 14/28, 129 yards, TD SD – Dan Fouts – 20/35, 220 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers BUF – Joe Cribbs – 23 rushes, 87 yards, TD SD – Chuck Muncie – 10 rushes, 37 yards Top receivers BUF – Jerry Butler – 3 receptions, 44 yards SD – John Jefferson – 7 receptions, 85 yards, TD Week 6 vs Colts Buffalo Bills 1980 2; text-align:center collapsed Week Six: Baltimore Colts (3–2) at Buffalo Bills (5–0) October 12 1:00 p.m. EDT Colts 10 7 0 0 Bills 0 9 0 3 Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York 73,634 49 F C Jim Tunney NBC Box Score First quarter BAL – Mike Siani 38-yard pass from Bert Jones (Steve Mike-Mayer kick). Colts 7–0. BAL – Steve Mike-Mayer 21-yard field goal. Colts 10–0. Second quarter BUF – Roosevelt Leaks 1-yard run. Colts 10–6. BAL – Don McCauley 1-yard run (Steve Mike-Mayer kick). Colts 17–6. BUF – Nick Mike-Mayer 49-yard field goal. Colts 17–9. Third quarter No scoring Fourth quarter BUF – Nick Mike-Mayer 20-yard field goal. Colts 17–12. Top passers BAL – Bert Jones – 10/21, 206 yards, TD, INT BUF – Joe Ferguson – 17/36, 210 yards, INT Top rushers BAL – Joe Washington – 22 rushes, 74 yards BUF – Joe Cribbs – 18 rushes, 76 yards Top receivers BAL – Mike Siani – 4 receptions, 91 yards, TD BUF – Frank Lewis – 3 receptions, 52 yards Week 7 at Dolphins Buffalo Bills 1980 2; text-align:center collapsed Week Seven: Buffalo Bills (5–1) at Miami Dolphins (3–3) October 19 1:00 p.m. EDT Bills 0 0 7 7 Dolphins 7 7 3 0 Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida 41,636 80 F C Red Cashion NBC Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen Box Score First quarter MIA – Don Bessillieu 44-yard fumble return (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 7–0. Second quarter MIA – Nat Moore 3-yard pass from David Woodley (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 14–0. Third quarter BUF – Joe Cribbs 2-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Dolphins 14–7. MIA – Uwe von Schamann 23-yard field goal. Dolphins 17–7. Fourth quarter BUF – Jerry Butler 7-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Dolphins 17–14. Top passers BUF – Joe Ferguson – 24/42, 221 yards, TD MIA – David Woodley – 11/17, 93 yards, TD, INT Top rushers BUF – Joe Cribbs – 14 rushes, 38 yards, TD MIA – Terry Robiskie – 18 rushes, 84 yards Top receivers BUF – Frank Lewis – 4 receptions, 71 yards MIA – Nat Moore – 4 receptions, 39 yards, TD Week 8 vs Patriots Buffalo Bills 1980 2; text-align:center collapsed Week Eight: New England Patriots (6–1) at Buffalo Bills (5–2) October 26 1:00 p.m. EDT Patriots 3 0 10 0 Bills 0 14 0 17 Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York 75,092 41 F C Ben Dreith NBC Charlie Jones and Len Dawson Box Score First quarter NE – John Smith 41-yard field goal. Patriots 3–0. Second quarter BUF – Frank Lewis 14-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 7–3. BUF – Frank Lewis 12-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 14–3. Third quarter NE – Russ Francis 26-yard pass from Steve Grogan (John Smith kick). Bills 14–10. NE – John Smith 32-yard field goal. Bills 14–13. Fourth quarter BUF – Nick Mike-Mayer 23-yard field goal. Bills 17–13. BUF – Joe Cribbs 16-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 24–13. BUF – Joe Cribbs 5-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 31–13. Top passers NE – Steve Grogan – 13/29, 138 yards, TD, 4 INT BUF – Joe Ferguson – 12/28, 176 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Top rushers NE – Don Calhoun – 8 rushes, 24 yards BUF – Joe Cribbs – 30 rushes, 118 yards, 2 TD Top receivers NE – Russ Francis – 2 receptions, 32 yards, TD BUF – Frank Lewis – 5 receptions, 80 yards, 2 TD Week 9 Falcons 0 10 10 10 Bills 7 7 0 0 November 2 Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York 1:00 p.m. 40 °F °C 1 or, wind 9 mph km/h knots Chuck Heberling Dick Stockton and Jim Hill CBS Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 10 Bills 10 7 7 7 Jets 0 10 0 14 November 9 Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York 4:00 p.m. 44 °F °C 1 or, wind 12 mph km/h knots NBC Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 11 Bills 0 7 0 7 Bengals 0 0 0 0 November 16 Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati 1:00 p.m. 34 °F °C 1 or, wind 11 mph km/h knots Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 12 Steelers 7 3 0 3 Bills 7 7 7 7 November 23 Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York 1:00 p.m. 41 °F °C or, wind 10 mph km/h knots Pro-Football-Reference.com https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/how-talking-proud-became-an-anthem-for-a-generation-of-bills-fans/article_ca98b84a-2ebf-11eb-8eab-379d112f6834.html How Talking Proud became an anthem for a generation of Bills fans November 25, 2020 The Buffalo News Brady, Erik February 15, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20260904033750/https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/how-talking-proud-became-an-anthem-for-a-generation-of-bills-fans/article_ca98b84a-2ebf-11eb-8eab-379d112f6834.html September 4, 2026 Week 13 Bills 7 7 3 7 Colts 0 14 7 7 November 30 Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland 1:00 p.m. 43 °F °C 1 or, wind 14 mph km/h knots Jerry Markbreit NBC Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 14 Rams 0 0 7 0 0 Bills 0 0 7 0 3 December 7 Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York 1:00 p.m. 43 °F °C 1 or, wind 9 mph km/h knots Fred Silva Vin Scully and George Allen CBS First ever win for Buffalo vs Rams Pro-Football-Reference.com https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/erik-brady-remembering-when-bills-took-a-curtain-call-after-beating-rams/article_0b4def0c-8e89-11ec-85f6-4b339b23dbec.html Remembering when Bills took a 'curtain call' after beating Rams February 15, 2022 The Buffalo News Brady, Erik February 15, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20260905064813/https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/erik-brady-remembering-when-bills-took-a-curtain-call-after-beating-rams/article_0b4def0c-8e89-11ec-85f6-4b339b23dbec.html September 5, 2026 Week 15 Bills 0 0 2 0 Patriots 7 7 7 3 December 14 Schaefer Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts 1:00 p.m. 28 °F °C 1 or, wind 15 mph km/h knots Cal Lepore Bob Costas and Gene Washington NBC Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 16 Bills 6 7 5 0 49ers 6 0 7 0 December 21 Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California 1:00 p.m. 53 °F °C 1 or, wind 6 mph km/h knots Ben Dreith Don Criqui and Mike Haffner NBC Pro-Football-Reference.com Postseason Divisional Buffalo Bills at San Diego Chargers Bills 0 14 0 0 Chargers 3 0 7 10 January 3 Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California 4:00 p.m. EST 52,028 Sunny, 65 °F °C 1 or, wind 9 mph km/h knots Gene Barth Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen NBC With 2:08 left in the game, Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts threw the 50-yard winning touchdown pass to receiver Ron Smith to defeat the Bills, 20–14. Wrote Paul Zimmerman in Sports Illustrated's 1981 NFL preview, "If Charley Romes intercepts the pass that bounces off his chest in the last few minutes of the playoff game against San Diego, then the Chargers don't score on the next play, and win the game. And Buffalo gets to play Oakland at home – where the Bills crushed the Raiders earlier in the season. And Buffalo's in the Super Bowl."Sports Illustrated, September 7, 1981: PRO FOOTBALL '81, by Paul Zimmerman, page 48 Notable events In Week 15, the Bills became the thirty-fourth team to score only a safety in a full game. It was the first occurrence of this since the San Diego Chargers against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the last game of the 1972 season, and there have been only three since, by the 1983 Minnesota Vikings, the 1993 Cincinnati Bengals, and the 2011 Atlanta Falcons in a playoff game. References Bills on Pro Football Reference Bills on jt-sw.com Bills Stats on jt-sw.com Category:Buffalo Bills seasons Category:AFC East championship seasons Buffalo Bills Buffalo Category:1980s in Buffalo, New York