1985 Buffalo Bills season
26th season in franchise history; second consecutive 2–14 season
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The 1985 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 16th season in the National Football League, and the 26th overall. It was Buffalo's second-consecutive 2–14 season. Head coach Kay Stephenson was fired after an 0–4 start. Defensive coordinator Hank Bullough took over, going 2–10 for the remainder of the season. For the second consecutive season, the Bills went winless on the road.
Hank Bullough (weeks 5-16)
| 1985 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ralph Wilson |
| General manager | Terry Bledsoe |
| Head coach | Kay Stephenson (weeks 1-4) Hank Bullough (weeks 5-16) |
| Home stadium | Rich Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 2–14 |
| Division place | 5th AFC East |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | None |
Season summary
The Bills' offense was anemic; its 200 points scored was the lowest total in the 1980s,[note 1] and the lowest total in team history for a sixteen-game schedule. Having concluded that longtime starting quarterback Joe Ferguson's career was over after a spike in interceptions in the early 1980s, the Bills cut him in the offseason. (The assumption would be in error, as Ferguson would sign with the Detroit Lions and play an additional six seasons in the NFL after being released.) Ferguson's replacements, quarterbacks Vince Ferragamo and Bruce Mathison, only produced 9 passing touchdowns all season,[1] while combining for a league-high 31 interceptions.[2] Buffalo scored fewer than ten points in seven of its sixteen games. The team’s point-differential of negative-181 is the third-worst in franchise history.
Offseason
NFL draft
In 1985, the Bills used the first overall pick in the draft to select All-American defensive end Bruce Smith. Smith would end up going on to dominate throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. Smith was an 11-time All-Pro selection, two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and logged an NFL-record 200 sacks[note 2] by the end of his career.
Fourth-round pick Andre Reed, a wide receiver out of Kutztown (PA) State, would go on to be the leading receiver in Buffalo Bills history. When he retired after the 2000 season, Reed's 951 career receptions were third in NFL history behind Jerry Rice and Cris Carter.[3]
Maryland quarterback Frank Reich would become famous for quarterbacking “The Comeback”, a 1993 playoff game in which Buffalo, down 35–3 in the third quarter, would score 35 unanswered points to win 41–38 in overtime. It is the largest deficit overcome to win a postseason game in NFL history.[note 3]
Reed played more games with the Bills, 221, than any other player. Smith was second with 217 games.[4]
| 1985 Buffalo Bills draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Bruce Smith * † | Defensive end | Virginia Tech | |
| 1 | 14 | Derrick Burroughs | Defensive back | Memphis | |
| 2 | 29 | Mark Traynowicz | Guard | Nebraska | |
| 2 | 42 | Chris Burkett | Wide receiver | Jackson State | |
| 3 | 57 | Frank Reich | Quarterback | Maryland | |
| 3 | 63 | Hal Garner | Linebacker | Utah State | |
| 4 | 86 | Andre Reed * † | Wide receiver | Kutztown State | |
| 4 | 112 | Dale Hellestrae | Offensive tackle | Southern Methodist | |
| 5 | 130 | Jimmy Teal | Wide receiver | Texas A&M | |
| 6 | 141 | Mike Hamby | Defensive end | Utah State | |
| 7 | 169 | Ron Pitts | Defensive back | UCLA | |
| 8 | 197 | Jacque Robinson | Fullback | Washington | |
| 9 | 225 | Glenn Jones | Defensive back | Norfolk State | |
| 10 | 253 | Chris Babyar | Guard | Illinois | |
| 11 | 282 | James Seawright | Linebacker | South Carolina | |
| 12 | 333 | Paul Woodside | Placekicker | West Virginia | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Personnel
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Strength and conditioning
| |||||
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | San Diego Chargers | L 9–14 | 0–1 | Rich Stadium | 67,597 |
| 2 | September 15 | at New York Jets | L 3–42 | 0–2 | Giants Stadium | 63,449 |
| 3 | September 22 | New England Patriots | L 14–17 | 0–3 | Rich Stadium | 40,334 |
| 4 | September 29 | Minnesota Vikings | L 20–27 | 0–4 | Rich Stadium | 45,667 |
| 5 | October 6 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 17–49 | 0–5 | Hoosier Dome | 60,003 |
| 6 | October 13 | at New England Patriots | L 3–14 | 0–6 | Sullivan Stadium | 40,462 |
| 7 | October 20 | Indianapolis Colts | W 21–9 | 1–6 | Rich Stadium | 28,430 |
| 8 | October 27 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 17–21 | 1–7 | Veterans Stadium | 60,987 |
| 9 | November 3 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 17–23 | 1–8 | Rich Stadium | 25,640 |
| 10 | November 10 | Houston Oilers | W 20–0 | 2–8 | Rich Stadium | 21,881 |
| 11 | November 17 | at Cleveland Browns | L 7–17 | 2–9 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 54,478 |
| 12 | November 24 | Miami Dolphins | L 14–23 | 2–10 | Rich Stadium | 50,474 |
| 13 | December 1 | at San Diego Chargers | L 7–40 | 2–11 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 45,487 |
| 14 | December 8 | New York Jets | L 7–27 | 2–12 | Rich Stadium | 23,122 |
| 15 | December 15 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 24–30 | 2–13 | Three Rivers Stadium | 35,953 |
| 16 | December 22 | at Miami Dolphins | L 0–28 | 2–14 | Miami Orange Bowl | 64,811 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Chargers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Bills | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
- Date: September 8
- Location: Rich Stadium Orchard Park, NY
- Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 67,597
- Game weather: 76 °F (24.4 °C); wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)
- Referee: Dick Jorgensen
- TV announcers (NBC): Phil Stone and Reggie Rucker
Week 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Patriots | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Bills | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
- Date: September 22
- Location: Rich Stadium • Orchard Park, New York
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C) • Wind 7 mph (11 km/h)
- Referee: Jerry Seeman
- Television network: NBC
| 1 | NE | Tony Franklin 32-yard field goal | Patriots 3–0 | |
| 2 | BUF | Greg Bell 16-yard pass from Vince Ferragamo (Scott Norwood kick) | Bills 7–3 | |
| 2 | NE | Tony Collins 5-yard pass from Craig James (Tony Franklin kick) | Patriots 10–7 | |
| 3 | NE | Irving Fryar 85-yard punt return (Tony Franklin kick) | Patriots 17–7 | |
| 4 | BUF | Andre Reed 18-yard pass from Vince Ferragamo (Scott Norwood kick) | Patriots 17–14 | |
Week 6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| • Patriots | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
- Date: October 13
- Location: Sullivan Stadium • Foxboro, Massachusetts
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C) • Wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
- Referee: Gene Barth
- TV announcers (NBC): Len Berman and Reggie Rucker
| 2 | BUF | Scott Norwood 47-yard field goal | Bills 3–0 | |
| 3 | NE | Irving Fryar 16-yard pass from Steve Grogan (Tony Franklin kick) | Patriots 7–3 | |
| 4 | NE | Raymond Clayborn 27-yard interception return (Tony Franklin kick) | Patriots 14–3 | |
Week 7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colts | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
| • Bills | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
- Date: October 20
- Location: Rich Stadium
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 28,430
- Game weather: 47 °F (8.3 °C); wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
- Referee: Fred Wyant
| Q1 | BUF | Bell 7 yard run (Norwood kick) | BUF 7–0 | |
| Q1 | IND | Allegre 41 yard field goal | BUF 7–3 | |
| Q2 | IND | Allegre 27 yard field goal | BUF 7–6 | |
| Q2 | BUF | Bell 1 yard run (Norwood kick) | BUF 14–6 | |
| Q3 | IND | Allegre 38 yard field goal | BUF 14–9 | |
| Q4 | BUF | Metzelaars 3 yard pass from Ferragamo (Norwood kick) | BUF 21–9 | |
Week 8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| • Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 21 |
- Date: October 27
- Location: Veterans Stadium
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 60.987
- Game weather: 66 °F (18.9 °C); wind 17 miles per hour (27 km/h; 15 kn)
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond and Dave Rowe
| Q1 | BUF | Reed 14 yard run (Norwood kick) | BUF 7–0 | |
| Q2 | BUF | Norwood 26 yard field goal | BUF 10–0 | |
| Q3 | BUF | Reed 7 yard pass from Ferragamo (Norwood kick) | BUF 17-0 | |
| Q4 | PHI | Jaworski 3 yard run (McFadden kick) | BUF 17–7 | |
| Q4 | PHI | Hopkins 24 yard interception return (McFadden kick) | BUF 17–14 | |
| Q4 | PHI | Quick 32 yard pass from Jaworski (McFadden kick) | PHI 21–17 | |
Week 10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oilers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Bills | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
- Date: November 10
- Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Game start: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 45 °F (7.2 °C), wind 14 miles per hour (23 km/h; 12 kn)
- Referee: Bob Frederic
| 1 | BUF | Scott Norwood 24 yard field goal | Bills 3–0 | |
| 1 | BUF | Greg Bell 2 yard run (Scott Norwood kick) | Bills 10–0 | |
| 3 | BUF | Scott Norwood 23 yard field goal | Bills 13–0 | |
| 3 | BUF | Bruce Mathison 5 yard run (Scott Norwood kick) | Bills 20–0 | |
Week 16
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Dolphins | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
- Date: December 22
- Location: Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 64,811
- Game weather: 70 °F (21.1 °C); wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn)
- Referee: Gene Barth
- TV announcers (NFL on NBC): Jay Randolph and Bob Griese
Standings
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Miami Dolphins(2) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 428 | 320 | W7 |
| New York Jets(4) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 393 | 264 | W1 |
| New England Patriots(5) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 362 | 290 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–7 | 2–10 | 320 | 386 | W2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 1–7 | 2–12 | 200 | 381 | L6 |
Notes
- This excludes the strike-shortened, nine-regular-season-game 1982 season