At close of the NFL regular season, some teams made their way to the playoffs. In this last round, specifically in the 1992 season, one of the most memorable moments in American football happened: the well-known ‘The Comeback’ by the Buffalo Bills.
For that season the Bills finished in second place in their division, although their offense was second best in the league with 6,114 yards. For its part, Oilers also ranked number two in the defunct AFC Central Division., being the third best defense.
Further, in the regular season the Houston team beat Buffalo 27-3, where Jim Kelly came out with an injury and Frank Reich came out to fill in. On January 3, 1993, the Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) faced the Bills in the wild card series.
That afternoon, both teams met at the Rich Stadium wanting to prevail against the rival. Commanded by Warren Moon, Houston dominated the game early, scoring four touchdowns in the first half. In addition, they maintained control of the game by preventing the Bills from getting close to the end zone, although they only got one chance with a field goal.
With Thurman Thomas and Jim Kelly absent due to injury, Reich and Kenneth Davis They took to the field of play to try to rescue the adverse result of 28-3. Similarly, the backup quarterback got his rematch against Oilers for the regular season game.
For the second half, defensive coordinator Walt Corey adjusted the line to 3-4 to try to stop the rival attack. However, the strategy did not work and McDowell, with just two minutes to resume play, he scored again and extended the lead to 32 points. In moments the hopes of the Bills fell; However, a simple play changed the course of the game.
Stroke of luck
After the last entry, the Bills received a stroke of luck after Al Del Greco’s punt turned into a short kick, so the ball fell directly on Buffalo’s team and they got their first score, leaving the score 35-10.
Metzelaars, Reed, Reich and Davis headed the offense straight for the comeback. Thanks to a quarterback pass to Don Beebe, Bills cut the score to 35-17. The fans in the stadium began to cheer stronger and stronger for the home team. Seeing the work of his teammates, the defense did its thing and stopped the Oilers.
In just 10 minutes in the third quarter, Bills had 21 points and was 11 away from equalizing the score. Having an outdated offense, Houston’s could not get more touchdowns, leaving the step for Reich and Reed to overcome the duel 38-35. However, the Oilers scored a field goal that tied the series.
Although Houston started its offense in overtime, a combination of incomplete passes caused it to reach the end zone. So in An interception by Nate Odomes, Bills started his attack at first and ten at the opponent’s 20-yard line. Thanks to Davis’ carry, Steve Christie landed a 32-yard field goal, closing the game with a score of 41-38.
With this result, Buffalo Bills advanced to the divisional round. In the following duels they got rid of Pittsburg (24-3) and Miami (29-10), getting their third consecutive final. Although the team could not be crowned on those occasions, the duel against Oilers was named The Comeback, the largest comeback in the NFL.
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