1990 Buffalo Bills season

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.

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 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

Main article: 1990 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

Roster

1990 Buffalo Bills roster
Quarterbacks  7 Gale Gilbert 12 Jim Kelly 14 Frank Reich Running Backs 23 Kenneth Davis 33 Eddie Fuller 35 Carwell Gardner FB 41 Jamie Mueller FB 30 Don Smith 34 Thurman Thomas Wide Receivers 82 Don Beebe 85 Al Edwards 80 James Lofton 83 Andre Reed 89 Steve Tasker RS 86 Vernon Turner Tight Ends 84 Keith McKeller 88 Pete Metzelaars 87 Butch Rolle		Offensive Linemen 75 Howard Ballard T 65 John Davis G 59 Mitch Frerotte G 67 Kent Hull C 63 Adam Lingner C 74 Glenn Parker T 51 Jim Ritcher G 69 Will Wolford T Defensive Linemen 92 Gary Baldinger DE/NT 98 Jeff Hunter DE 73 Mike Lodish NT 94 Mark Pike DE 96 Leon Seals DT 78 Bruce Smith DE 91 Jeff Wright NT		Linebackers 54 Carlton Bailey OLB 97 Cornelius Bennett ILB 50 Ray Bentley ILB 58 Shane Conlan ILB 99 Hal Garner OLB 57 Matt Monger OLB 53 Marvcus Patton OLB 56 Darryl Talley ILB Defensive Backs 20 Richard Carey CB 45 Dwight Drane SS 49 John Hagy FS 26 Chris Hale CB 27 Cliff Hicks CB 47 Kirby Jackson CB 38 Mark Kelso FS 37 Nate Odomes CB 43 Kim Phillips DB 29 David Pool CB 46 Leonard Smith SS 31 James Williams CB Special Teams  6 John Nies P 11 Scott Norwood K 10 Rick Tuten P		Reserve lists vacant
*Note: Rookies in italics

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 24–27	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 14–29	13–3	RFK Stadium	52,397

Game summaries

Week 1

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	3	0	7	0	10
Bills	3	13	0	10	26

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

• Date: September 9
• Game time: 4:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 59 F, wind 7 mph
• Game attendance: 78,899
• Referee: Gerald Austin
• TV announcers (NBC): Jim Donovan and Cris Collinsworth
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter BUF – Scott Norwood 24-yard field goal IND – Dean Biasucci 24-yard field goal Second quarter BUF – Butch Rolle 3-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) BUF – Scott Norwood 31-yard field goal BUF – Scott Norwood 37-yard field goal Third quarter IND – Stanley Morgan 25-yard pass from Jeff George (Dean Biasucci kick) Fourth quarter BUF – Scott Norwood 47-yard field goal BUF – Thurman Thomas 6-yard run (Scott Norwood kick) Passing IND – Jeff George 13/24, 160 yards, TD BUF – Jim Kelly 28/37, 283 yards, TD Rushing IND – Albert Bentley 15 att, 50 yards BUF – Thurman Thomas 20 att, 84 yards, TD Receiving IND – Stanley Morgan 2 rec, 47 yards, TD BUF – Keith McKeller 7 rec, 78 yards

Week 2

1 2 3 4 Total Bills 0 0 0 7 7 • Dolphins 0 16 7 7 30 Date: September 16 Location: Joe Robbie Stadium Referee: Dick Hantak TV announcers (NBC): Joel Myers and Ahmad Rashad

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

Week 3

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 Referee: Tom Dooley TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf 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

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 Referee: Bob McElwee TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy

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

1 2 3 4 Total Raiders 7 3 7 7 24 • Bills 0 7 7 24 38 Date: October 7 Location: Rich Stadium Game start: 7:30 PM EST Game weather: 71 degrees, wind 16 mph Referee: Red Cashion TV announcers (NFL on TNT): Skip Caray and Pat Haden

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 by Steve Tasker, returned by J.D. Williams, where Skip Caray burst into saying "They've done it again, they've done it again!" referencing the prior weeks block of a field goal for a TD return vs Denver....and a fumble return by Nate Odomes.

Week 7

1 2 3 4 Total Jets 7 14 3 3 27 • Bills 0 17 7 6 30 Date: October 21 Location: Rich Stadium

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 8

1 2 3 4 Total • Bills 7 7 13 0 27 Patriots 0 3 0 7 10 Date: October 28 Location: Foxboro Stadium

The Bills beat the Patriots 27-10 at Foxboro Stadium.

Week 9

1 2 3 4 Total • Bills 7 7 7 21 42 Browns 0 0 0 0 0 Date: November 4 Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium

The Bills avenged last season's playoff loss by destroying the Cleveland Browns in their own stadium 42–0.

Week 10

1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 7 0 7 0 14 • Bills 0 21 0 24 45 Date: November 11 Location: Rich Stadium Referee: Bob McElwee TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Merlin Olsen

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

Week 11

1 2 3 4 Total Patriots 0 0 0 0 0 • Bills 7 0 0 7 14 Date: November 18 Location: Rich Stadium

The Bills, led by 209 yards on the ground (including an 80 yard Thurman Thomas TD run), shut out the Patriots 14-0 at Rich Stadium.

Week 12

1 2 3 4 Total Bills 7 7 3 7 24 • Oilers 7 6 7 7 27 Date: November 26 Location: Astrodome Game weather: Indoors (dome) Referee: Jim Tunney TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf

A year after Buffalo's epic 47–41 win at the Astrodome they returned there at 9-1 to face the 5–5 Oilers on Monday Night Football. 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

Philadelphia Eagles (7-4) at Buffalo Bills (9-2)

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. EST Game weather: Sunny; 42°F; wind 16 Referee: Tom Dooley (American football) TV announcers (NFL on 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 14

1 2 3 4 Total • Bills 14 7 3 7 31 Colts 0 0 7 0 7 Date: December 9 Location: Hoosier Dome Game weather: Indoors (dome) Referee: Gene Barth Television network: NBC

Week 15

1 2 3 4 Total • Bills 7 7 0 3 17 Giants 7 3 3 0 13 Date: December 15 Location: Giants Stadium East Rutherford, New Jersey Game start: 12:30 PM EST Game attendance: 66,893 Game weather: 37 °F (3 °C) • 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn) Referee: Pat Haggerty (American football official) TV announcers (NFL on NBC): Dick Enberg ,Bill Walsh (American football coach) , and O. J. Simpson

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.

Scoring summary
Q1	7:58	NYG	Ottis Anderson 1 yard rush (Matt Bahr kick)	NYG 7–0
Q1	6:30	BUF	Andre Reed 6 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick)	TIE 7–7
Q2	14:09	BUF	Thurman Thomas 2 yard rush (Scott Norwood kick)	BUF 14–7
Q2		NYG	Matt Bahr 23 yard field goal	BUF 14–10
Q3		NYG	Matt Bahr 22 yard field goal	BUF 14–13
Q4		BUF	Scott Norwood 29 yard field goal	BUF 17–13

Week 16

1 2 3 4 Total Dolphins 0 0 7 7 14 • Bills 0 7 10 7 24 Date: December 23 Location: Rich Stadium

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

1 2 3 4 Total Bills 0 0 7 7 14 • Redskins 3 6 3 17 29 Date: December 30 Location: RFK Stadium

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)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	3	14	3	14	34
Bills	13	14	3	14	44

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

• Game time: Saturday, January 12, 1991. 12:30 pm EST
• Game weather: 31 °F (−1 °C), light snow
• Game attendance: 77,087
• Referee: Bob McElwee
• TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Paul Maguire
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter BUF – Andre Reed 40-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) MIA – Pete Stoyanovich 29-yard field goal BUF – Scott Norwood 24-yard field goal BUF – Scott Norwood 22-yard field goal Second quarter BUF – Thurman Thomas 5-yard run (Scott Norwood kick) MIA – Mark Duper 64-yard pass from Dan Marino (Pete Stoyanovich kick) BUF – James Lofton 13-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) MIA – Dan Marino 2-yard run (Pete Stoyanvich kick) Third quarter MIA – Pete Stoyanovich 22-yard field goal BUF – Scott Norwood 28-yard field goal Fourth quarter MIA – Roy Foster 2-yard pass from Dan Marino (Pete Stoyanovich kick) BUF – Thurman Thomas 5-yard run (Scott Norwood kick) BUF – Andre Reed 26-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) MIA – Tony Martin 8-yard pass from Dan Marino (Pete Stoyanovich kick) Passing MIA – Dan Marino 23/49, 323 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT BUF – Jim Kelly 19/29, 339 yards, 3 TD, INT Rushing MIA – Sammie Smith 21 att, 99 yards BUF – Thurman Thomas 32 att, 117 yards, 2 TD Receiving MIA – Mark Duper 3 rec, 113 yards, TD BUF – James Lofton 7 rec, 149 yards, TD

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)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	3	0	0	0	3
Bills	21	20	0	10	51

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

• Game time: Sunday, January 20, 1991. 12:30 pm EST
• Game weather: 35 °F (2 °C), rain/light snow
• Game attendance: 80,325
• Referee: Jim Tunney
• TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bill Walsh
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter BUF – James Lofton 13-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) LA – Jeff Jaeger 41-yard field goal BUF – Thurman Thomas 12-yard run (Scott Norwood kick) BUF – Darryl Talley 27-yard interception return (Scott Norwood kick) Second quarter BUF – Kenneth Davis 1-yard run (kick failed) BUF – Kenneth Davis 3-yard run (Scott Norwood kick) BUF – James Lofton 8-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) Fourth quarter BUF – Kenneth Davis 1-yard run (Scott Norwood kick) BUF – Scott Norwood 39-yard field goal Passing LA – Jay Schroeder 13/31, 150 yards, 5 INT BUF – Jim Kelly 17/23, 300 yards, 2 TD, INT Rushing LA – Greg Bell 5 att, 36 yards BUF – Thurman Thomas 25 att, 138 yards, TD Receiving LA – Mervyn Fernandez 4 rec, 57 yards BUF – James Lofton 5 rec, 113 yards, 2 TD

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

Main article: Super Bowl XXV

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	3	9	0	7	19
Giants	3	7	7	3	20

at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida

• Date: January 27, 1991
• Game time: 5:30 p.m.
• Game weather: 62 F, wind 8 mph
• Referee: Jerry Seeman
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter NYG – Matt Bahr 28-yard field goal BUF – Scott Norwood 23-yard field goal Second quarter BUF – Don Smith 1-yard run (Scott Norwood kick) BUF – Safety, Bruce Smith tackled Jeff Hostetler in end zone NYG – Stephen Baker 14-yard pass from Jeff Hostetler (Matt Bahr kick) Third quarter NYG – Ottis Anderson 1-yard run (Matt Bahr kick) Fourth quarter BUF – Thurman Thomas 31-yard run (Scott Norwood kick) NYG – Matt Bahr 21-yard field goal Passing BUF – Jim Kelly 18/30, 212 yards NYG – Jeff Hostetler 20/32, 222 yards, TD Rushing BUF – Thurman Thomas 15 att, 135 yards, TD NYG – Ottis Anderson 21 att, 102 yards, TD Receiving BUF – Andre Reed 8 rec, 62 yards NYG – Mark Ingram 5 rec, 74 yards

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 receiver 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

Defense CB Kirby Jackson James Williams CB Nate Odomes ⋅ Offense WR James Lofton ⋅ LT LG C RG RT Will Wolford Jim Ritcher Kent Hull John Davis Howard Ballard ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ TE Keith McKeller ⋅ WR Andre Reed ⋅ QB Jim Kelly ⋅ RB Thurman Thomas ⋅ FB Jamie Mueller ⋅ Special Teams PK Scott Norwood P Rick Tuten KR Don Smith PR Al Edwards

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

1. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 262.
2. Pro-Football-Reference: 1990 Buffalo Bills
3. Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1990 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics.
4. Pro-football-reference.com: Bruce Smith.
5. "1990 Buffalo Bills Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
6. "Official Site of the National Football League". Retrieved May 22, 2013.
7. "BillsZone – by Bills fans for Bills fans". Retrieved May 22, 2013.
8. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 292
9. O'Donnell, Chuck. Mark Bavaro: the former Giants tight end remembers being on pins and needles as Buffalo's Scott Norwood lined up for his ill-fated field goal in Super Bowl 25, Football Digest, June 2005, accessed May 9, 2007.

External links

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