1975 Buffalo Bills season
| 1975 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Lou Saban |
| Owner | Ralph Wilson |
| Home field | Rich Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–6 |
| Division place | 3rd AFC East |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
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| Scoring summary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BUF | John Leypoldt 39 yard field goal | Bills 3–0 | |
| 1 | BUF | Jim Braxton 3 yard run (John Leypoldt kick) | Bills 10–0 | |
| 2 | BUF | Jim Braxton 19 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (John Leypoldt kick) | Bills 17–0 | |
| 2 | DEN | Floyd Little 35 yard pass from Charley Johnson (Jim Turner kick) | Bills 17–7 | |
| 2 | BUF | J.D. Hill 16 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (John Leypoldt kick) | Bills 24–7 | |
| 3 | BUF | O.J. Simpson 16 yard run (John Leypoldt kick) | Bills 31–7 | |
| 3 | BUF | Jim Braxton 4 yard run (John Leypoldt kick) | Bills 38–7 | |
| 3 | DEN | Rick Upchurch 80 yard pass from John Hufnagel (Jim Turner kick) | Bills 38–14 | |
The 1975 Buffalo Bills season was the 16th season for the club, and their 6th in the National Football League.
The Bills led the league in points scored, with 420 (30.0 per game). This amount is the most point scored by any team in a 14-game season after the merger, and the most points scored by any team in the 1970s.
Buffalo won their first four games by an average of 17 points. They were 5–2 at the halfway point of the season, and one game behind the 6–1 Miami Dolphins in the AFC East. Buffalo then lost four of their final seven games, ultimately falling two games short of the division title.
Bills' running back O.J. Simpson rushed for 1817 yards on the season, and set a then-record with 23 touchdowns scored for the season. Fullback Jim Braxton had 823 yards rushing. Buffalo's ground game dominated the league, with a total of 2974 rushing yards, over 300 yards more than the second best rushing total.
The 1975 Bills have the distinction of giving up the most total passing yards (3,080) in a 14-game schedule during the merger era. However, the Bills' 45 takeaways on defense led the league in 1975. Defensive back Robert James and safety Doug Jones were lost to the season with knee injuries.
Buffalo's defense gave up the fourth-most yards in the NFL in 1974, and so the Bills' first two picks in the 1975 draft were a pair of Nebraska linebackers – Tom Ruud and Bob Nelson—both of whom played for Buffalo for three seasons. N.C. State running back Roland Hooks played in every Bills game from 1976–1981. He is best known for his "Hail Mary" reception against New England in Week Twelve of the 1981 season, a catch which was instrumental in putting Buffalo into the postseason that year.
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