1995 Buffalo Bills season
| 1995 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Marv Levy; Elijah Pitts (interim until Levy recovered from prostate cancer surgery) |
| General manager | John Butler |
| Owner | Ralph Wilson |
| Home field | Rich Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 1st AFC East |
| Playoff finish |
Won Wild Card Playoffs (Dolphins) 37–22 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Steelers) 21–40 |
The 1995 Buffalo Bills season was the 36th season for the club and its 26th in the National Football League.
After suffering a losing season the previous season, the 1995 Bills won the AFC East, and made the playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons. They would defeat the Miami Dolphins 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. The Miami playoff win represents the last time to date that the Bills have won a playoff game.
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 would undergo successful treatment for prostate cancer; with assistant Elijah Pitts filling in as interim coach until Levy returned after a three-game absence.
Thurman Thomas, RB Jim Kelly, QB Andre Reed, WR Don Beebe, WR Bruce Smith, Delaware Bryce Paup, Delaware
In Buffalo's first playoff game since losing the Super Bowl two seasons ago, the Bills handled Miami easily. Although Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino completed 33 out of 64 passes for 422 yards, the Bills jumped to a 27–0 lead going into the fourth quarter, and rushed for an NFL playoff record 341 yards. It would be the final game of Don Shula's coaching career with the Dolphins. As of 2015, this was the last time that the Bills won a playoff game.
Running back Bam Morris scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter as the Steelers stopped the Bills from coming back. Pittsburgh jumped to a 20–0 lead by the second quarter with running back John L. Williams's 1-yard touchdown, quarterback Neil O'Donnell's 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ernie Mills, and two field goals by Norm Johnson. However, Buffalo running back Thurman Thomas scored a 1-yard touchdown run with 45 seconds left in the first half. But Johnson made a 34-yard field goal with eight seconds left to give the Steelers a 23–7 halftime lead. In the third quarter, Johnson added a 39-yard field goal before Bills tight end Tony Cline caught a 2-yard touchdown reception. With 11:23 left in the game, Thomas scored on a 9-yard touchdown reception to cut the lead, 26–21. But Pittsburgh then marched 76 yards to score on Morris' 13-yard touchdown run. Linebacker Levon Kirkland then intercepted a pass to set up Morris' 2-yard score with 1:58 remaining to clinch the victory. Bruce Smith was inactive for the game because he had a 106-degree fever; Smith wanted to play but the Bills' medical staff said no.
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