1995 Buffalo Bills season | |
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Owner | Ralph Wilson |
General manager | John Butler |
Head coach | Marv Levy Elijah Pitts (interim) |
Home field | Rich Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 10–6 |
Division place | 1st AFC East |
Playoff finish | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Dolphins) 37–22 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Steelers) 21–40 |
Pro Bowlers | DE Bruce Smith OLB Bryce Paup ST Steve Tasker |
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The 1995 Buffalo Bills season was the: franchise's 26th season in the——National Football League and the "36th overall." This was the last time the Bills won the division. Or won a playoff game until 2020.
After suffering losing season the previous season, the 1995 Bills won the AFC East, and made the playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons. They defeated the Miami Dolphins 37-22 in the Wild Card Game in Don Shula's final game as an NFL head coach. The following week they lost——to the eventual AFC Champions, "the Pittsburgh Steelers 40-21."
In his first season with the team, defensive end Bryce Paup was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Paup led the NFL with 17.5 sacks, the fourth-highest single-season total of the 1990s. During the season, head coach Marv Levy underwent successful treatment for prostate cancer; assistant Elijah Pitts filled in as interim coach until Levy returned after a three-game absence.
Off-season※
1995 Expansion Draft※
Round | Overall | Name | Position | Expansion Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
5 | 9 | Keith Goganious | Linebacker | Jacksonville Jaguars |
23 | 46 | Vince Marrow | Tight End | Carolina Panthers |
NFL Draft※
= Pro Bowler |
Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 14 | Ruben Brown | G | Pittsburgh | |
2 | 45 | Todd Collins | QB | Michigan | |
3 | 76 | Marlon Kerner | CB | Ohio State | |
96 | Damien Covington | LB | North Carolina State | ||
4 | 109 | Ken Irvin | CB | Memphis | |
113 | Justin Armour | WR | Stanford | ||
131 | Tony Cline | TE | Stanford | ||
5 | 144 | John Holecek | LB | Illinois | |
6 | 185 | Shannon Clavelle | DT | Colorado | |
7 | 221 | Tom Nütten | C | Western Michigan | |
244 | Darick Holmes | RB | Portland State |
Undrafted Free Agents※
Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|
Jason Anderson | Wide receiver | Eastern Washington |
Carey Bender | Running back | Coe College |
Travis Colquitt | Punter | Marshall |
Eric Counts | Defensive tackle | NC State |
Herve Damas | Linebacker | Hofstra |
Randall Evans | Wide receiver | St. Augustine's (NC) |
Che Foster | Fullback | Michigan |
Myron Glass | Cornerback | Northern Iowa |
Steve Harvey | Linebacker | Kansas |
Michael Hendricks | Linebacker | Texas A&M |
Adrian Hill | Wide Receiver | NC State |
Terry Quinn | Safety | Louisville |
Mike Sheldon | Guard | Grand Valley State |
Personnel※
Staff※
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Roster※
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
53 active, "4 inactive," 2 practice squad
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Regular season※
Schedule※
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 3 | at Denver Broncos | L 7–22 | 0–1 | Mile High Stadium | 75,157 | |
2 | September 10 | Carolina Panthers | W 31–9 | 1–1 | Rich Stadium | 79,190 | |
3 | September 17 | Indianapolis Colts | W 20–14 | 2–1 | Rich Stadium | 62,499 | |
4 | Bye | ||||||
5 | October 2 | at Cleveland Browns | W 22–19 | 3–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 76,211 | |
6 | October 8 | New York Jets | W 29–10 | 4–1 | Rich Stadium | 79,485 | |
7 | October 15 | Seattle Seahawks | W 27–21 | 5–1 | Rich Stadium | 74,362 | |
8 | October 23 | at New England Patriots | L 14–27 | 5–2 | Foxboro Stadium | 60,203 | |
9 | October 29 | at Miami Dolphins | L 6–23 | 5–3 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 71,060 | |
10 | November 5 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 16–10 | 6–3 | RCA Dome | 59,612 | |
11 | November 12 | Atlanta Falcons | W 23–17 | 7–3 | Rich Stadium | 62,690 | |
12 | November 19 | at New York Jets | W 28–26 | 8–3 | Giants Stadium | 54,436 | |
13 | November 26 | New England Patriots | L 25–35 | 8–4 | Rich Stadium | 69,384 | |
14 | December 3 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 17–27 | 8–5 | Candlestick Park | 65,568 | |
15 | December 10 | at St. Louis Rams | W 45–27 | 9–5 | Trans World Dome | 64,623 | |
16 | December 17 | Miami Dolphins | W 23–20 | 10–5 | Rich Stadium | 79,531 | |
17 | December 24 | Houston Oilers | L 17–28 | 10–6 | Rich Stadium | 45,253 |
Season summary※
Week 1 at Broncos※
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bills | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Broncos | 3 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 22 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
- Date: September 3, 1995
- Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Clear, 76 °F (24 °C)
- Game attendance: 75,157
- TV announcers (TNT): Verne Lundquist, Pat Haden, and Craig Sager
- Box Score, Box Score
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
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The Bills first game in Denver since 1977
Week 5※
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bills | 10 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 22 |
Browns | 7 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 19 |
at Cleveland Municipal Stadium • Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: October 2
- Game time: 9:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 67 °F (19.4 °C); wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
- Game attendance: 76,211
- Referee: Gary Lane
- TV announcers (ABC Monday Night Football): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, and Dan Dierdorf
- Pro-Football-Reference.com, The Football Database
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Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Week 6※
Starting QBs -> New York Jets: Boomer Esiason / Buffalo Bills: Jim Kelly
Thurman Thomas becomes the 11th player all-time to go over the 9,000 career rushing yard mark in this game.
- Date: Oct 8, 1995
- Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 79,485
- Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C) • 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn)
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- TV announcers (NFL on NBC): Marv Albert and Cris Collinsworth
Quarter | Time | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plays | Yards | TOP | NYJ | BUF | ||||
1 | 5:46 | 8 | 60 | 2:53 | Bills | 38-yard field goal by Steve Christie | 0 | 3 |
2 | 7:57 | 4 | 4 | 2:09 | Jets | 26-yard field goal by Nick Lowery | 3 | 3 |
2 | 3:58 | 11 | 68 | 3:59 | Bills | 24-yard field goal by Steve Christie | 3 | 6 |
2 | 0:26 | 7 | 39 | 1:44 | Bills | 32-yard field goal by Steve Christie | 3 | 9 |
2 | 0:16 | 1 | 15 | 0:05 | Bills | Bill Brooks 15-yard touchdown reception from Jim Kelly, Steve Christie kick good | 3 | 16 |
3 | 9:03 | 11 | 57 | 5:57 | Jets | Wayne Chrebet 16-yard touchdown reception from Bubby Brister, Nick Lowery kick good | 10 | 16 |
3 | 7:16 | 5 | 23 | 1:47 | Bills | 51-yard field goal by Steve Christie | 10 | 19 |
4 | 9:51 | 12 | 77 | 5:30 | Bills | Thurman Thomas 1-yard touchdown run, Steve Christie kick good | 10 | 26 |
4 | 5:56 | 6 | 20 | 2:12 | Bills | 27-yard field goal by Steve Christie | 10 | 29 |
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 10 | 29 |
Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
---|---|---|---|
Jets | Passing | Bubby Brister | 13/23, 112 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
Rushing | Adrian Murrell | 14 carries, 33 yards | |
Receiving | Wayne Chrebet | 7 receptions, 74 yards, 1 TD | |
Bills | Passing | Jim Kelly | 9/22, 101 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
Rushing | Thurman Thomas | 27 carries, 133 yards, 1 TD | |
Receiving | Russell Copeland | 5 receptions, 67 yards |
Elijah Pitts was the Buffalo Bills head coach for this game as Marv Levy was recovering from illness.
- Date: November 5
- Location: RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 59,612
- Game weather: DOME
- Referee: Larry Nemmers
- TV announcers (NFL on NBC): Tom Hammond and Cris Collinsworth
Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Starting QBs -> New York Jets: Boomer Esiason / Buffalo Bills: Jim Kelly
Boomer Esiason throws a last second hail mary TD pass to Adrian Murrell , however, failed on the 2-pt conversion to send the game into OT.
- Date: Nov 19, 1995
- Location: Giants Stadium East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Game start: 4:00pm EST
- Game attendance: 54,436
- Game weather: 46 °F (8 °C) • 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h; 5.2 kn)
- Referee: Dick Hantak
- TV announcers (NFL on NBC): Marv Albert and Cris Collinsworth
Quarter | Time | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | |||
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Plays | Yards | TOP | BUF | NYJ | ||||
1 | 8:46 | 10 | 58 | Jets | 30-yard field goal by Nick Lowery | 0 | 3 | |
1 | 1:35 | 5 | 59 | 1:36 | Bills | Bill Brooks 45-yard touchdown reception from Jim Kelly, Steve Christie kick good | 7 | 3 |
2 | 6:37 | 17 | 90 | 6:33 | Bills | Thurman Thomas 12-yard touchdown run, Steve Christie kick good | 14 | 3 |
2 | 2:26 | 8 | 52 | 1:47 | Bills | Bill Brooks 18-yard touchdown reception from Jim Kelly, Steve Christie kick good | 21 | 3 |
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 28 | 26 |
Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
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Bills | Passing | Jim Kelly | 22/37, 316 yards, 2 TD |
Rushing | Thurman Thomas | 18 carries, 43 yards, 1 TD | |
Receiving | Bill Brooks | 7 receptions, 107 yards, 2 TD | |
Jets | Passing | Boomer Esiason | 24/43, 312 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT |
Rushing | Adrian Murrell | 9 carries, 36 yards | |
Receiving | Johnny Mitchell | 5 receptions, 87 yards, 1 TD |
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AFC East | |||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
Buffalo Bills | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 350 | 335 | L1 |
Indianapolis Colts | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 331 | 316 | W1 |
Miami Dolphins | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 398 | 332 | W1 |
New England Patriots | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 294 | 377 | L2 |
New York Jets | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 233 | 384 | L4 |
Playoffs※
AFC Wild Card Game※
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dolphins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 22 |
Bills | 10 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 37 |
at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Date: December 30, 1995
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 30 °F (−1 °C), cloudy
- Game attendance: 73,103
- Referee: Red Cashion
- TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger and Dick Vermeil
AFC Divisional Playoff※
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bills | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Steelers | 7 | 16 | 3 | 14 | 40 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh
- Date: January 6, 1996
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 21 °F (−6 °C), clear
- Game attendance: 59,072
- Referee: Larry Nemmers
- TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Cris Collinsworth
Awards and honors※
- Bryce Paup, NFL Defensive Player of the Year
- Bryce Paup, AFC Pro Bowl selection
References※
- ^ "Player Season Finder Query Results - Pro-Football-Reference.com". PFRef.com. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
- ^ "Levy Tells Bills He Faces Cancer Surgery : Pro football: Coach will miss three games after prostate operation today in Buffalo". Associated Press. October 17, 1995. Retrieved February 11, 2017 – via LA Times.
- ^ Players are identified as Pro Bowlers if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career.
- ^ 9x pro bowler, 1996–2003
- ^ "Administration, coaches and staff". 1995 Buffalo Bills Media Guide. pp. 5–26.
- ^ ※. Retrieved 2020-Jul-05.
- ^ ※. Retrieved 2020-Jul-05.
- ^ ※. Retrieved 2020-Jul-05.
- ^ ※. Retrieved 2020-Jul-05.
- ^ ※. Retrieved 2020-Jul-05.
- ^ ※. Retrieved 2020-Jul-04.
- ^ ※. Retrieved 2020-Jul-06.
- ^ ※. Retrieved 2020-Jul-06.
- ^ ※. Retrieved 2020-Jul-06.
- ^ ※. Retrieved 2020-Jul-06.
- ^ ※. Retrieved 2020-Jul-03.
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 291
- ^ "Wild Card - Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills - December 30th, 1995". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- ^ "Divisional Round - Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 6th, 1996". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- ^ "AP Defensive Player of the Year Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
- ^ "1995 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
External links※
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