Putting An End To Years Of Futility

The 2022 NFL season kicks off where it ended last season, in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium.  The Bills face the Rams as Buffalo looks to move a step closer to that illusive championship season. The Buffalo Bills are the favorites to win Super Bowl LVII at the majority of sportsbooks and carry a +600 price at FanDuel Sportsbook. They’ve been in the mix the past couple of years, having won the division the last two seasons, but the fans in Buffalo are tired of the almost/maybes.

The Bills dominated the AFC in the early 90s. They are the only team to make it to an unprecedented four straight Super Bowls. They also lost all of them, the last one being in 1994. The Bills haven't been back since.

Each of those four teams brought their share of excitement:

The 1990-91 team finished with a 13-3 record (8-0 at home). The offense scored 428 points that season, but ample credit was also given to a defensive line anchored by the AP Defensive Player of the Year, Bruce Smith.

According to Sportsrec.com, the Super Bowl game against the NY Giants “was widely considered one of the best in Super Bowl history, with multiple lead changes and a pair of gutsy teams battling toe to toe. In the end, it came down to a 47-yard field goal kick from Buffalo kicker Scott Norwood. His missed it -- cementing the Giants' 20-19 victory”.

The 1991-92 team continued to dominate offensively. They again went 13-3 and lead the league in total yards with 6,525. Thurman Thomas produced a good chunk of the team's offense that season, amassing more than 2,000 all-purpose yards. He lead the league with 1,407 yards on the ground and an additional 631 yards on a career-high 62 receptions. He scored 12-touchdowns. The Bills topped their previous season total, racking up 458 points.

Unfortunately for the Bills, the then-Washington Redskins were what the franchise still refers to as “one of the most dominant teams ever in the NFL- and perhaps the greatest all-around season in franchise history." Washington beat Buffalo in the Super Bowl, 37-24.

The 1992-93 team slipped off a little, going 11-5 that year. In the AFC Championship game, fell behind 35-2 against the Houston Oilers, only to mount the greatest comeback in NFL history behind back up QB Frank Reich, while Jim Kelly was sidelined with an injury. The Bills won 41-38 in overtime en route to their third straight Super Bowl.

Sidenote: Reich had previously engineered the greatest comeback in college football history when he brought the Maryland Terrapins back from a 31-point deficit to beat Miami. It’s a comeback record that lasted for more than two decades.

This time the Bills squared up against a Dallas team that dominated the regular season and proceeded to thump Buffalo in the Super Bowl. Troy Aikman was terrific, completing 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns.  Emmitt Smith rushed for 108 yards, and the Cowboys converted nine turnovers into 35 points while coasting to victory. Meanwhile, the Bills became the first team to lose three straight Super Bowls.

The 1993-94 Season was yet another solid year for the Buffalo franchise. They finished the season 12-4. Bruce Smith won his second Defensive Player of the Year award in four years. QB Jim Kelly continued to carry the team, Thomas ran for over 1,300 yards, again. They were good, again. They won the AFC Championship, again. And they lost the Super Bowl, again.

They matched up with a now-dominant “America’s Team” for a second straight year. While Buffalo wasn’t embarrassed in this one like the year before, they were still no match for Aikman and company. While Dallas could boast their fourth Super Bowl victory in franchise history, the Bills walked away with their tail between their legs having lost a fourth straight Super Bowl. It’s an NFL record that stands to this day. 

Fast Forward – 2022 Season

If Buffalo matches its output the past two seasons, they’ll likely get to the AFC Championship for a third straight year, this year. But, with a history of losing streaks in big games, you can understand that Buffalo fans remain hopeful skeptics.

The Super Bowl will be in Phoenix, AZ next February. Local Buffalo Country Radio Station 106.5 is telling fans to book their rooms now. I guess that in a worst case scenario, golf in Phoenix in January is a nice alternative.