1976 Buffalo Bills season
| 1976 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach |
Lou Saban (resigned) Jim Ringo (interim) |
| Owner | Ralph Wilson |
| Home field | Rich Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 2–12 |
| Division place | 5th AFC East |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
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| Scoring summary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | TB | Green 39 yard field goal | TB 3–0 | |
| Q1 | TB | Green 24 yard field goal | TB 6–0 | |
| Q2 | BUF | Chandler 58 yard pass from Ferguson (Ricardo kick) | BUF 7–6 | |
| Q4 | TB | Green 19 yard field goal | TB 9–7 | |
| Q4 | BUF | Gant 15 yard pass from Ferguson (Ricardo kick) | BUF 14–9 | |
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| Scoring summary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BUF | George Jakowenko 30 yard field goal | Bills 3–0 | |
| 1 | BUF | Bob Chandler 1 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (George Jakowenko kick) | Bills 10–0 | |
| 1 | BUF | Bob Chandler 5 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (kick failed) | Bills 16–0 | |
| 2 | KC | Henry Marshall 31 yard pass from Tony Adams (Jan Stenerud kick) | Bills 16–7 | |
| 2 | BUF | Bob Chandler 7 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (George Jakowenko kick) | Bills 23–7 | |
| 2 | KC | Jan Stenerud 33 yard field goal | Bills 23–10 | |
| 3 | BUF | Jeff Kinney 1 yard run (George Jakowenko kick) | Bills 30–10 | |
| 3 | KC | Tommy Reamon 49 yard pass from Tony Adams (Jan Stenerud kick) | Bills 30–17 | |
| 4 | BUF | O.J. Simpson 1 yard run (kick failed) | Bills 36–17 | |
| 4 | BUF | O.J. Simpson 5 yard run (George Jakowenko kick) | Bills 43–17 | |
| 4 | BUF | Tony Greene 101 yard interception return (George Jakowenko kick) | Bills 50–17 | |
The 1976 Buffalo Bills season was the 17th season for the club and its seventh in the National Football League.
Buffalo's season was troubled from the start, as the team was in a contract dispute with star running back O.J. Simpson. Simpson had been demanding a trade, before finally agreeing to a three-year, $2.5 million contract.
The Bills started the season 2–2, before losing their final ten games of the season. Quarterback Joe Ferguson only started the first seven games before being sidelined for the season with a back injury. Backup quarterback Gary Marangi started Buffalo's final seven games, all losses.
Fullback Jim Braxton injured his knee in the Bills' season opener and was lost for the season. Simpson still led the NFL in rushing in 1976, even without Braxton's blocking.
Bills head coach Lou Saban resigned after the fifth game of the season, with the Bills struggling at 2–3. Offensive line coach Jim Ringo took over, but would not win a game for the rest of the year.
Before the 1976 season, Buffalo lost some key players, notably wide receivers Ahmad Rashad and J.D. Hill, and defensive linemen Earl Edwards, Walt Patulski and Pat Toomay.
Note: 1976 was the final year in which the NFL draft was seventeen rounds; it would be reduced to twelve rounds in 1977.
The Bills' 1976 draft produced four long-time starters with their first four picks. First round pick Mario Clark played for seven seasons with the Bills. Offensive guard Ken Jones played for the Bills for eleven years. Offensive tackle Joe Devlin played every game of his 14-year career with the Bills, playing in all 191 regular-season games until his retirement after the 1989 season. Defensive end Ben Williams played for the Bills for 10 years; he was a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro for the 1982 season.
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