1990 Buffalo Bills season

1990 Buffalo Bills season
Head coach	Marv Levy
General manager	Bill Polian
Owner	Ralph Wilson
Home field	Rich Stadium
Results
Record	13–3
Division place	1st AFC East
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (Dolphins) 44–34 Won Conference Championship (Raiders) 51–3 Lost Super Bowl XXV (Giants) 19–20

The 1990 Buffalo Bills season was the 31st for the franchise and the 21st in the National Football League. The team finished the year with a record of 13 wins and 3 losses, and first in the American Football Conference (AFC) East division. They were 8–0 at home for the second time in their franchise history.^[1] On the road, the Bills were 5–3. Buffalo qualified for their first Super Bowl appearance.

The Bills' offense was one of the best in the league; their 428 points (26.75 points per game) scored was first in the league, and since they only gave up 263 points (6th in the league), their point differential was 165 points (10.3 per game), which was the best in the NFL in 1990, as well as the best point-differential in franchise history.^[2] Buffalo's 48 offensive touchdowns (28 passing, 20 rushing) also led the league.

Defensive end Bruce Smith was named Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year for 1990,^[3] recording 101 tackles, four forced fumbles, and a career-high 19 sacks.^[4]

The season was chronicled on October 2, 2008 for America's Game: The Missing Rings, as one of the five greatest NFL teams to never win the Super Bowl.

Offseason

NFL Draft

1990 Buffalo Bills draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	16	James Williams	Cornerback	Fresno State
2	42	Carwell Gardner	Fullback	Louisville
3	69	Glenn Parker	Guard	Arizona
4	100	Eddie Fuller	Running back	LSU
6	154	John Nies	Punter	Arizona
7	166	Brent Griffith	Guard	Minnesota–Duluth
7	170	Brent Collins	Linebacker	Carson–Newman
7	181	Fred DeRiggi	Defensive tackle	Syracuse
8	208	Marvcus Patton	Linebacker	UCLA
9	238	Clarkston Hines	Wide receiver	Duke
10	265	Mike Lodish	Defensive tackle	UCLA
11	292	Al Edwards	Wide receiver	Northwestern State
Made roster

^[5]

Personnel

Staff

1990 Buffalo Bills staff
	Front office President – Ralph Wilson Vice President of Administration/General Manager – Bill Polian Assistant General Manager/Director of Pro Personnel – Bob Ferguson Director of Player Personnel – John Butler Assistant Director/Collegiate Scouting – A. J. Smith Administrative Assistant to the Head Coach – Chuck Lester Head coaches Vice President for Football Operations/Head Coach – Marv Levy Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Ted Marchibroda Running Backs – Elijah Pitts Receivers – Nick Nicolau Offensive Quality Control/Tight Ends – Don Lawrence Offensive Line – Tom Bresnahan			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers – Walt Corey Defensive Line – Chuck Dickerson 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

Regular season

Bruce Smith set a club record with 19 sacks. Smith also had 101 tackles.

• September 24, 1990 – Thurman Thomas rushed for 214 yards versus the New York Jets. It was the second highest total in the history of Monday Night Football.
• Bruce Smith had 8 tackles, 2 sacks, and 4 hurries in the Bills 30–23 victory over Philadelphia.
• Bruce Smith had 9 tackles, 4 sacks, and 2 pressures in the Bills victory over Indianapolis.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game Site	Attendance
1	September 9, 1990	Indianapolis Colts	W 26–10	1–0	Rich Stadium	78,899
2	September 16, 1990	at Miami Dolphins	L 7–30	1–1	Joe Robbie Stadium	68,142
3	September 24, 1990	at New York Jets	W 30–7	2–1	Giants Stadium	69,927
4	September 30, 1990	Denver Broncos	W 29–28	3–1	Rich Stadium	74,393
5	October 7, 1990	Los Angeles Raiders	W 38–24	4–1	Rich Stadium	80,076
6	Bye
7	October 21, 1990	New York Jets	W 30–27	5–1	Rich Stadium	79,002
8	October 28, 1990	at New England Patriots	W 27–10	6–1	Sullivan Stadium	51,959
9	November 4, 1990	at Cleveland Browns	W 42–0	7–1	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	78,331
10	November 11, 1990	Phoenix Cardinals	W 45–14	8–1	Rich Stadium	74,904
11	November 18, 1990	New England Patriots	W 14–0	9–1	Rich Stadium	74,729
12	November 25, 1990	at Houston Oilers	L 27–24	9–2	Houston Astrodome	60,130
13	December 2, 1990	Philadelphia Eagles	W 30–23	10–2	Rich Stadium	79,320
14	December 9, 1990	at Indianapolis Colts	W 31–7	11–2	Hoosier Dome	53,268
15	December 15, 1990	at New York Giants	W 17–13	12–2	Giants Stadium	66,893
16	December 22, 1990	Miami Dolphins	W 24–14	13–2	Rich Stadium	80,325
17	December 30, 1990	at Washington Redskins	L 29–14	13–3	RFK Stadium	52,397

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Indianapolis Colts

Week 2: at Miami Dolphins

Sunday, September 16, 1990: The Bills offense never got rolling and were soundly defeated on the road, 30–7, to their rival Miami Dolphins.

Week 3: at New York Jets

1 2 3 4 Total • Bills 7 13 3 7 30 Jets 7 0 0 0 7 Date: September 24 Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 57°F, wind 17 mph Television network: ABC Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Scoring summary 1 NYJ Brad Baxter 1-yard run (Pat Leahy kick) Jets 7–0 1 BUF Kenneth Davis 1-yard run (Scott Norwood kick) Tie 7–7 2 BUF Butch Rolle 2-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) Bills 14–7 2 BUF Scott Norwood 48-yard field goal Bills 17–7 2 BUF Scott Norwood 42-yard field goal Bills 20–7 3 BUF Scott Norwood 27-yard field goal Bills 23–7 4 BUF Keith McKeller 6-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) Bills 30–7

Week 4: vs. Denver Broncos

1 2 3 4 Total Broncos 7 7 7 7 28 • Bills 0 3 6 20 29 Date: September 30 Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game weather: 58°F; wind 11

Scoring summary Q1 DEN Humphrey 1 yard run (Treadwell kick) DEN 7–0 Q2 DEN Sewell 3 yard run (Treadwell kick) DEN 14–0 Q2 BUF Norwood 37 yard field goal DEN 14–3 Q3 BUF Smith 12 yard run (kick failed) DEN 14–9 Q3 DEN Winder 3 yard run (Treadwell kick) DEN 21–9 Q4 BUF Bennett 80 yard blocked field goal return (Norwood kick) DEN 21–16 Q4 BUF Smith 39 yard interception return (kick failed) BUF 22–21 Q4 BUF Davis 2 yard run (Norwood kick) BUF 29–21 Q4 DEN Nattiel 7 yard pass from Elway (Treadwell kick) BUF 29–28

The Bills avenged their 1989 Monday Night defeat against the defending AFC Champion Broncos. The Broncos rushed for 208 yards, led 21–9 after three quarters, and held Jim Kelly and the offense to just 197 yards of offense, but the pivotal play of the game erupted in the fourth on a touchdown return of a blocked Bronco field goal by linebacker Cornelius Bennett. The Bills then scored on a John Elway interception and ultimately won 29–28.

Week 5: vs. Los Angeles Raiders

Sunday, October 7, 1990: The Bills, on Sunday Night Football, trailed 24–14 in the fourth quarter before erupting to 24 points to defeat the then-unbeaten Los Angeles Raiders, 38–24. Among the fourth quarter scores were a blocked punt returned by J.D. Williams and a fumble return by Nate Odomes.

Week 7: vs. New York Jets

Sunday, October 21. For the third straight game the Bills erased a two-score gap for the win. The Jets led 21–7 in the second quarter and 24–17 in the third, but Kelly's 60-yard score to James Lofton tied the game entering the fourth quarter. Jamie Mueller's touchdown catch then won it, 30–27.

Week 9: at Cleveland Browns

Sunday, November 4, 1990: The Bills avenged last season's playoff loss by destroying the Cleveland Browns in their own stadium 42–0.

Week 10: vs. Phoenix Cardinals

Sunday, November 11, 1990: The Bills welcomed the NFC East team Phoenix Cardinals to an extremely windy Rich Stadium, and defeated them 45–14.

Week 12: at Houston Oilers

Monday Night Football November 26: A year after Buffalo's epic 47–41 win at the Astrodome they returned there at 9-1 to face the 5–5 Oilers. This time the Oilers made sure there would be no comeback as Warren Moon and Lorenzo White authored 425 combined yards of offense and three touchdowns. Kelly managed two touchdowns and a pick as the Bills fell 27–24 to their former division foe.

Week 13: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

1 2 3 4 Total Eagles 0 16 7 0 23 • Bills 24 0 3 3 30 Date: December 2 Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: Sunny; 42°F; wind 16 TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Dan Fouts

Scoring summary Q1 BUF James Lofton 63 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) BUF 7–0 Q1 BUF Scott Norwood 43 yard field goal BUF 10–0 Q1 BUF Andre Reed 56 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) BUF 17–0 Q1 BUF Thurman Thomas 4 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) BUF 24–0 Q2 PHI Keith Jackson 18 yard pass from Randall Cunningham (kick failed) BUF 24–6 Q2 PHI Roger Ruzek 32 yard field goal BUF 24–9 Q2 PHI Fred Barnett 95 yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Roger Ruzek kick) BUF 24–16 Q3 PHI Keith Byars 1 yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Roger Ruzek kick) BUF 24–23 Q3 BUF Scott Norwood 21 yard field goal BUF 27–23 Q4 BUF Scott Norwood 45 yard field goal BUF 30–23

The Bills opened the game in the no-huddle offense and used it the whole game. The Bills went up 24–0 in the 1st qtr and eventually won the game 30–23.^[6][7]

Week 15: at New York Giants

Saturday, December 15, 1990: The Bills pulled out a close win this Saturday afternoon, in a game in which both starting Quarterbacks went down with injuries. Jim Kelly, and New York QB Phil Simms

Week 16: vs. Miami Dolphins

Sunday, December 23, 1990: The Bills, under backup quarterback Frank Reich, defeated the Miami Dolphins and wrapped up the AFC East title. Reich connected with James Lofton and Andre Reed for touchdowns, ultimately winning 24–14 despite fourteen penalties to five for Miami.

Week 17: at Washington Redskins

Sunday, December 30, 1990: Bills Head Coach Marv Levy decided to rest his starters for the playoffs, dropping the final game of the season in Washington, 29–14. The Bills finish with their best record in club history at 13 wins 3 losses.

Standings

AFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
(1) Buffalo Bills	13	3	0	.813	7–1	10–2	428	263	L1
(4) Miami Dolphins	12	4	0	.750	7–1	10–2	336	242	W1
Indianapolis Colts	7	9	0	.438	3–5	5–7	281	353	L1
New York Jets	6	10	0	.375	2–6	4–10	295	345	W2
New England Patriots	1	15	0	.063	1–7	1–11	181	446	L14

^[8]

Playoffs

AFC Divisional Playoffs

Miami Dolphins (12–4) at Buffalo Bills (13–3)

Despite being a close score, the Bills never trailed in this classic Jim Kelly versus Dan Marino shootout. The weather, steady light snow, had crews occasionally come out to shovel off the 10- and 5-yard lines. Despite the conditions, both team offenses were explosive. In the end, after winning the AFC East crown from the Dolphins a few weeks earlier, the Bills also ended the 'Fins season in a game which had 78 combined points.

AFC Championship Game

Los Angeles Raiders (13–4) at Buffalo Bills (14–3)

The Bills shredded the Raiders, limiting quarterback Jay Schroeder to 13 of 31 completions for 150 yards and intercepting him 5 times, while also holding running back Marcus Allen to just 26 yards on 10 carries. The Raiders offense clearly missed running back Bo Jackson, who suffered what would turn out to be a career-ending injury the week before in a win against the Cincinnati Bengals. On offense, the Bills amassed 502 total yards, including 202 yards on the ground. Running back Thurman Thomas rushed for 138 and a touchdown while also catching 5 passes for 61 yards, while running back Kenneth Davis tied an AFC playoff record with 3 rushing touchdowns. Buffalo also set an NFL playoff record by scoring 41 points in the first half. Bills quarterback Jim Kelly threw for 300 yards and two touchdown passes to wide receiver James Lofton, who finished the game with 5 receptions for 113 yards. Thomas recorded a 12-yard touchdown run, while Davis scored from 1 yard, 3 yards, and 1 yard out. Linebacker Darryl Talley returned one of his two interceptions 27 yards for a touchdown.

Super Bowl XXV

To counteract the Bills' no-huddle offense, the Giants' strategy was to use a power running game utilizing O.J. Anderson, aided by quarterback rollouts, bootlegs, and play-action fakes. As tight end Mark Bavaro later recalled, "[w]e came out with three tight ends, fat slobs picking you up and moving you and letting you tackle O.J., if you could."^[9] This enabled them to take time off the clock and limit Buffalo's possessions. The Giants set a Super Bowl record for time of possession with 40 minutes, 33 seconds, including 22 minutes in the second half. On defense, New York wanted to be physical with Buffalo's wideouts, and play with extra defensive backs to concentrate on stopping the Bills passing game, while conceding the running game.

The contrast in strategies was evident during the first period. After forcing the Bills to punt on the opening drive of the game, the Giants consumed 6:15 off the clock by marching 58 yards in 10 plays to score on a 28-yard field goal from Matt Bahr. In that drive, New York ran five rushing plays and five passing plays. But the Bills struck right back on their ensuing possession with a five-play, 66-yard drive that took 1:23 off the clock, including a tipped 61-yard completion from quarterback Jim Kelly to receiver James Lofton that set up Scott Norwood's 23-yard field goal to tie the game at 3–3.

After forcing the Giants to punt on their ensuing possession, the Bills' offensive strategy started to work to perfection. Kelly led the Bills on a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive that consumed 4:27 and moved the ball so effectively that the team never faced a third down. Kelly completed six consecutive passes (four to Andre Reed) for 62 yards, and running back Don Smith capped it off with a one-yard touchdown run to give Buffalo a 10–3 lead. Smith's 1-yard touchdown run was his only carry of the game and the last carry of his career. Reed's 5 first quarter receptions were a Super Bowl record.

After trading punts, the Giants were pinned at their own 7-yard line. On second down, defensive lineman Bruce Smith sacked quarterback Jeff Hostetler in the end zone for a safety, increasing the Bills' lead 12–3. On the play, Smith had a chance to force a fumble since Hostetler was holding the football with only his throwing hand. But to his credit, Hostetler held the ball away from Smith, helping to ensure that only 2 points would be surrendered.

The Bills started out on their next drive with great field position following the free kick, but were forced to punt after 3 plays. Taking the ball at their own 13-yard line with 3:43 left in the second quarter, the Giants abandoned their long drive strategy and employed a quick strike attack of their own. Hostetler led the Giants 87 yards, scoring on a 14-yard touchdown pass to wide recieiver Stephen Baker with just 25 seconds left in the half to cut New York's deficit to 12–10.

The Giants then opened the third quarter and resumed their original game strategy by driving 75 yards in 14 plays to score on Ottis Anderson's one-yard touchdown run, taking their first lead of the game since their opening possession at 17–12. The drive consumed a Super Bowl record nine minutes and 29 seconds, and included four successful third down conversions. The highlight was a 14-yard pass to wide receiver Mark Ingram on 3rd down and 13 yards to go. Ingram caught a short pass and broke five Buffalo tackles to get the first down and keep the drive alive.

After forcing Buffalo to punt on their ensuing possession, New York drove to the Bills' 35-yard line. But on fourth and two, Smith tackled Anderson for a 2-yard loss. Buffalo then took over and stormed down the field, advancing 63 yards in just four plays and scoring on a 31-yard burst from running back Thurman Thomas on the first play of the fourth quarter, regaining the lead at 19–17. Thomas' fourth-quarter touchdown run marked 1,000 points scored in Super Bowl history (1,001 with the extra point).

However, before the Bills' defenders had a chance to catch their breath, they found themselves back on the field trying to contain another long Giants drive. This one went for 14 plays and 74 yards, half of which came off passes from Hostetler to tight end Mark Bavaro, and took another 7:32 off the clock. The Bills managed to halt the drive at their own 3-yard line when linebacker Cornelius Bennett broke up Hostetler's third down pass, but Bahr kicked his second field goal to give New York a 20–19 lead.

On the Bills' ensuing possession, they could only advance to their own 41-yard line before having to punt, enabling the Giants to take more time off the clock. The Bills finally forced New York to punt and took the ball at their own 10-yard line with 2:16 remaining. Kelly then led them down the field with a mix of scrambles, short passes, and Thomas runs. Buffalo drove to the Giants' 29-yard line, setting up Norwood for a 47-yard field goal attempt with eight seconds left. However, his kick barely sailed wide right, sealing New York's victory with 4 seconds left.

Player stats

Thurman Thomas

Thomas led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage for the second consecutive season. His 1,297 yards led the AFC and was second in the NFL to Barry Sanders. Thomas had at least 100 total yards in 10 of the Bills 16 games. After gaining 219 total yards versus the New York Jets, Thomas was named AFC offensive player of the week. Note: Rush = Rushing Yards; REC = Receiving Yards

Game	Rush	Rec	Total
Indianapolis	84	61	145
Miami	23	37	60
New York Jets	214	5	219
Denver	36	25	61
LA Raiders	67	47	114
New York Jets	5	0	5
New England	136	9	145
Cleveland	58	65	123
Phoenix	112	0	112
New England	165	5	170
Houston	54	32	86
Philadelphia	53	39	92
Indianapolis	76	91	167
New York Giants	60	65	125
Miami	154	29	183
Washington	0	22	22

Roster

Buffalo Bills roster
Quarterbacks 12 Jim Kelly 7 Gale Gilbert 14 Frank Reich Running Backs 23 Kenneth Davis RB 30 Don Smith RB 34 Thurman Thomas RB 28 Larry Kinnebrew FB 35 Carwell Gardner FB 41 Jamie Mueller FB Wide Receivers 86 Vernon Turner 80 James Lofton 82 Don Beebe 83 Andre Reed 85 Al Edwards Tight Ends 84 Keith McKeller 87 Butch Rolle 88 Pete Metzelaars		Offensive Linemen 51 Jim Ritcher G 59 Mitch Frerotte G 65 John Davis G 67 Kent Hull C 63 Adam Lingner C 69 Will Wolford T 75 Howard Ballard T 74 Glenn Parker T Defensive Linemen 78 Bruce Smith DE 91 Jeff Wright NT 96 Leon Seals DT 73 Mike Lodish NT 92 Gary Baldinger DE/NT 98 Jeff Hunter DE 94 Mark Pike DE		Linebackers 50 Ray Bentley ILB 56 Darryl Talley ILB 58 Shane Conlan ILB 97 Cornelius Bennett ILB 54 Carlton Bailey LB 99 Hal Garner LB 57 Matt Monger LB 53 Marvcus Patton LB Defensive Backs 31 James Williams CB 37 Nate Odomes CB 26 Chris Hale CB 27 Cliff Hicks CB 29 David Pool CB 38 Mark Kelso S 46 Leonard Smith S 49 John Hagy S 47 Kirby Jackson DB 20 Richard Carey DB 45 Dwight Drane DB 43 Kim Phillips DB Special Teams 11 Scott Norwood K 10 Rick Tuten P 6 John Nies P 89 Steve Tasker WR

Awards and records

• Led NFL in Points Scored, 428
• Jim Kelly, NFL Passing Leader, 101.2 Passer Rating
• Jim Kelly, Most Valuable Player, Pro Bowl
• Bruce Smith, NFL Defensive Player of the Year
• Bruce Smith, UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year, Defense
• Bruce Smith, Newspaper Enterprise Association Defensive Player of the Year Award
• Bruce Smith, Team Record, Number of Sacks in a Single Season, (19)
• Bruce Smith, AFC Defensive Player of the Month, December
• Thurman Thomas, NFL Combined Yards from Scrimmage Leader

References

External links

• 1990 Buffalo Bills at Pro-Football-Reference.com