Jan 3, 1993:
Buffalo Bills pull off greatest comeback in NFL history
On
this day in 1993, backup quarterback Frank Reich leads the Buffalo
Bills to a 41-38 overtime victory over the Houston Oilers in an American
Football Conference (AFC) wild card playoff game that will forever be
known to football fans as "The Comeback."
By halftime
of the game, Houston was out in front, 28-3, behind four touchdown
passes by future Hall of Famer Warren Moon. At the beginning of the
second half, things got even darker for Buffalo when the Houston strong
safety Bubba McDowell intercepted a pass from Reich, who was filling in
for the injured Jim Kelly. McDowell ran 58 yards for another Oiler
touchdown, putting the score at 35-3. At this point, many Bills fans
headed home out of the chilly western New York weather, convinced the
game was lost.
On the very next possession, however,
Buffalo began to rally, driving 50 yards in 10 plays and scoring a
touchdown on a one-yard run by Kenneth Davis. Bills kicker Steve
Christie then recovered his own onside kick to give Reich the ball.
Reich needed only four plays that time, connecting with Don Beebe on a
38-yard touchdown to put the score at 35-17. A stellar job by the Bills’
defense gave Buffalo possession again, and Reich capitalized by finding
Andre Reed for a 26-yard touchdown. On the Oilers’ next drive, Bills
safety Henry Jones intercepted a deflected Moon pass for a 15-yard
return, enabling Reich to find Reed for another score. By that point,
the Bills had cut their deficit to four points, in a span of only six
minutes and 52 seconds.
After the Oilers botched a
field goal attempt and turned the ball over again, Reich made a 17-yard
touchdown pass to Reed to put Buffalo up 38-35 with less than three
minutes left in regulation. In the waning seconds of the game, Houston’s
Al Del Greco made a 26-yard field goal kick to tie the score and send
the game into overtime. On a Houston drive, the Bills defensive back
Nate Odomes intercepted a Moon pass. Davis made two six-yard rushes, and
Christie stepped up for a 32-yard field goal attempt. He booted the
ball through the uprights, winning the game for Buffalo 41-38 and
completing the largest comeback victory (32 points) in National Football
League (NFL) history.
The Bills made it to the Super
Bowl that year but lost to the Dallas Cowboys. It was the third of four
consecutive Super Bowl appearances for the Bills; they lost all four
games.
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