Rank all Buffalo Bills playoff teams, #23 to #1

[74_75_78_79_]

Here are mine, below. Some may be quite unpopular, giving some installments with lesser records a higher ranking; or placing squads over others who made it deeper in the post-season. It's all JMHO end-of-day; and may, or may not, change some of them in time.

EDIT - **

#23 - 1963: 7-6-1, lost AFC East tiebreaker vs Patriots, 26-8 **

#22 - 2017: 9-7; 2nd in AFC East; lost 1st-Rd at Jaguars, 10-3

#21 - 1974: 9-5; AFC Wild Card; lost divisional at Steelers, 32-14

#20 - 2019: 10-6; 2nd in AFC East; lost 1st-Rd at Texans, 22-19

#19 - 1996: 10-6; 2nd in AFC East; lost 1st-Rd vs Jaguars, 30-27

#18 - 1995: 10-6; won AFC East; won 1st-Rd vs Dolphins, 37-22; lost divisional at Steelers, 40-21

#17 - 1998: 10-6; 3rd in AFC East; lost 1st-Rd at Dolphins, 24-17

#16 - 1999: 11-5; 2nd in AFC East; lost 1st-Rd at Titans, 22-16

#15 - 1989: 9-7; won AFC East; lost divisional at Browns, 34-30

#14 - 1993: 12-4; top-seed; won divisional vs Raiders, 29-23; won AFCC vs Chiefs, 30-13;
lost SBXXVIII vs Cowboys, 30-13

#13 - 1991: 13-3; top-seed; won divisional vs Chiefs, 37-14; won AFCC vs Broncos, 10-7;
lost SBXXVI vs Redskins, 37-24

#12 - 1988: 12-4; won AFC East; won divisional vs Oilers, 17-10; lost AFCC at Bengals, 21-10

#11 - 2023: 11-6; won AFC East; won 1st-Rd vs Steelers, 31-17; lost divisional vs Chiefs, 27-24

#10 - 2022: 13-3; won AFC East; won 1st-Rd vs Dolphins, 34-31; lost divisional vs Bengals, 27-10

#9 - 2020: 13-3; won AFC East; won 1st-Rd vs Colts, 27-24; won vs Ravens in divisional, 17-3;
lost AFCC at Chiefs, 38-24

#8 - 2021: 11-6; won AFC East; won 1st-Rd vs Patriots, 47-17; lost divisional at Chiefs, 42-36

#7 - 1981: 10-6; 3rd in AFC East; won WCG at Jets, 31-27; lost divisional at Bengals, 28-21

#6 - 1980: 11-5; won AFC East; lost divisional at Chargers, 20-14

#5 - 1966: 9-4-1; won AFL East; lost AFL Championship vs Chiefs, 31-7

#4 - 1992: 11-5; 2nd in AFC East; won 1st-Rd vs Oilers, 41-38; won divisional at Steelers, 24-3;
won AFCC at Dolphins, 29-10; lost SBXXVII vs Cowboys, 52-17

#3 - 1965: 10-3-1; won AFL East; won AFL Championship at Chargers, 23-0

#2 - 1964: 12-2; won AFL East; won AFL Championship vs Chargers, 20-7

#1 - 1990: 13-3; top-seed; won divisional vs Dolphins, 44-34; won AFCC over Raiders, 51-3;
lost SBXXV vs Giants, 20-19

[Brian wolf]

The 1990 Bills were definitely the hottest team in postseason not to win a championship but I feel the 1991 squad was better. They just had a bad SB where the Redskins jumped on their defense from the get-go.

The 1963 team also made the postseason before losing to the Patriots, who had no energy for the Chargers in the championship game. A great run from 63-66, before Lamonica left the team.

I would rank all the Bills teams from 88-93 higher than the Josh Allen team years ... simply a more physical-desperate era. There is no way those Bills teams would have lost a lead in 13 seconds!

[74_75_78_79_]

The 1990 Bills were definitely the hottest team in postseason not to win a championship but I feel the 1991 squad was better. They just had a bad SB where the Redskins jumped on their defense from the get-go.

The 1963 team also made the postseason before losing to the Patriots, who had no energy for the Chargers in the championship game. A great run from 63-66, before Lamonica left the team.

I would rank all the Bills teams from 88-93 higher than the Josh Allen team years ... simply a more physical-desperate era. There is no way those Bills teams would have lost a lead in 13 seconds!

'63...my bad, my bad, my bad!! How can I forget?? I just realized it now. Just logged back in to correct it (and, yes, write 'EDIT'/ etc), but you beat me to it, Wolf! I guess I'd place '63 at...#23?? 7-6-1, they only beat (split with) the Pats who were also 7-6-1 and caught Oakland (for another split) in-midst of Raiders' early four-game skid. Champs-to-be, SD, swept them and so did 6-8 Oilers. Get beaten convincingly in the tie-breaker at home...that ought to qualify for that spot.

Forgetting that one reminds me of forgetting about Barry Switzer, at first, in a previous 'rank all SB-winning HCs' thread!

'91 better than '90? I disagree. 27th in defense! Barely beating both Raiders and Denver at home en route to Atlanta as opposed to the entire campaign the year before. Giants, with their 40+ time of possession did deserve to win, but Buffalo still almost pulled it off and, had they, a win would have still been a win and still a deserving one just as well (hey, it then would have been a case of..."well, the Giant-D should have simply stopped Buffalo when they DID have the ball").

1990 was their one chance and - Wk#2 blowout at Dolphins aside - they "looked" the part as they got better and better as the season went on; beating Giants at the Meadowlands and getting Miami back late-season. '91 a great 5-0 start, but get blasted at Arrowhead on MNF and had such a notoriously easy schedule. At least they had the #1 offense, though.

Now '93...also #27 in defense but #6, instead of #1, in O which makes me place them even lower. Oh, and did I mention giving up more yardage than gaining? Both total yards and Y/P! And not only do they get waffled at KC again as they did two years prior, but that 23-0 MNF shutdown at Three Rivers! And they lost at home to Raiders as well. In the playoffs they barely avenge things against the Silver & Black, and yes they may have won anyway the following week, but Joe Cool going out an obvious notable! It helped.

My reason for placing '92 well above both is simply they had more 'bite'! An 11-5 wild card instead, and yes those back-to-back convincers after that 4-0 start, but they did win at Candlestick in that "no-punt" game, beat the 12-4 Saints as well, and also on the road. Were #2 and #12 in O & D respectively. And, finally, went into that Super Bowl like a runaway crazy train! Mentioned this already...after infamously being down, 35-3, they outscore their AFC playoff opponents the rest of the way by a combined 91-16! Those last two wins being on the road!

No excuse for what actually DID happen in SBXXVII along with the 52-17 result, but as I've also said before, what happens if only ONE WEEK separated the CCs from that SB?? That sheer momentum! No two full weeks to 'think' about the last two SBs and being asked over and over again.

"For their time" I definitely place '90 & '92 over anything from this current Josh Allen era. But '91 & '93, I opine, not so despite actual SB-berths which, yes, were earned. But in a rankings exercise like this, I think other Bills teams who didn't get as far were better.

EDIT - SBXXVI was in Minny, not Atlanta (that would be two years later).

[Brian wolf]

Yeah, a better year in 1990 but with Lofton having a full season in 1991, a more potent offense. The defense was never statistically great but fed off turnovers and home-crowd momentum.

Sorry, just can't compare an Allen-to-Diggs offense and ho-hum defense to those Red Gun offensive teams, that also hit people on defense and special teams without being fined and penalized week after week.

[Bryan]

#16 - 1999: 11-5; 2nd in AFC East; lost 1st-Rd at Titans, 22-16

#12 - 1988: 12-4; won AFC East; won divisional vs Oilers, 17-10; lost AFCC at Bengals, 21-10


#7 - 1981: 10-6; 3rd in AFC East; won WCG at Jets, 31-27; lost divisional at Bengals, 28-21

#6 - 1980: 11-5; won AFC East; lost divisional at Chargers, 20-14

That 99 team ran into some bad luck. I remember their defense being really tough that year. They had big LBs like Rogers, Cowart & Holecek that could mash you. They ended up being a WC at 11-5, then lost to the Titans who went on to the SB. Perhaps if Flutie plays Buffalo wins and ends up going to the SB?

The 88 team was loaded with talent. They beat Houston in the divisional round, who also was loaded with talent, but couldn't get by Cincy who also had a lot of high picks on the roster.

The Knox era Bills beat a lot of the top teams, or at least played them close. They were in both playoff games until the end. They slipped back to 4-5 in the strike year mainly due to a terrible run of games by Joe Ferguson, but it seems like the Bills were very quick to drop the ax on Chuck Knox. Not only were the Bills usually terrible prior to Knox, they got rid of him to bring in Kay Stephenson. Does anyone know the circumstances around Knox's departure from Buffalo?

[Brian wolf]

The Knox team defenses were strong but Ferguson just wasn't good enough to take them further. Tough luck as well because they stayed with the Chargers and Bengals but couldn't face SD in a 1981/82 AFC Championship. I think Knox wanted an extension from Wilson and couldn't get it, so bolted to Seattle, where Krieg was his next version of Ferguson.

Even had Flutie played and possibly beaten the Titans going into 2000, not sure if they would have gotten by the Jags but who knows? Unlike the Titans, no other team stayed in the Jag's players' heads.

[ChrisBabcock]

Does anyone know the circumstances around Knox's departure from Buffalo?

Ralph Wilson lowballed him on a new contract. Seattle offered more.

[7DnBrnc53]

The Knox team defenses were strong but Ferguson just wasn't good enough to take them further.

To be fair, Ferguson was injured in the 1980 playoffs against the Chargers. They had to use the backup for a time. If he was healthy, they may pull that out, and he could ride the defense to a SB title.

[Brian wolf]

That's true, 7D, especially with Dean and Johnson coming after him but I still felt Ferguson made too many bad plays in that 1980 playoff game. Even in the 1981 playoffs, Ferguson had six interceptions but beat the Jets and stayed with the Bengals but the Bills couldn't seal the deal. The team was close but it's hard to win with 9 turnovers from it's QB in three games.

[74_75_78_79_]

Me placing '80 & '81 where they're at, I'd like to think, is for the right reason. But maybe there's a little bit of nostalgia into play as well.

1980, with me, was indeed SB-win-capable if only due to the 'even' post-season field that year. Close loss in the divisional round at the Murph. They get by that, it's the 'thawing' Raiders - fresh off 'Right Right 88' - visiting them for the AFCC thus entering into yet another tundra-like Lake Erie atmosphere! Many here have opined that Oakland wouldn't be able to handle another helping of those conditions. No one knows for sure how it turns out (or if that would have been the first game of the day instead of Dal/Phi), but a nice-enough shot of Buffalo punching that Superdome ticket instead. A fair-enough shot they would have had against the "uptight" Eagles. Not sure, though, how Chuck Knox would have handled getting his troops ready in the two weeks leading up.

1981? Yes, close loss at Cincy which would mean traveling to San Diego for the AFCC had they pulled it off instead. Nice-enough chance they win that one! I'd sure bet on Buffalo with whatever points they would have been given (just a +1 or +2, I bet it would have been). Not much a chance at all, though, vs San Fran IMO. Maybe they give them enough of a game as Cincy did, but I don't think they'd have enough overall.

Was it injuries for Ferguson or Buffalo simply needing a slight upgrade at QB? Or a little of both? And maybe they don't win either hypo-AFCCG anyway for Knox, hate to say, historically always had trouble getting past that round albeit lack of a better QB possibly being the reason.


With me, there's a chance that Wade Phillips' '98/'99 squads may have been even better after all, if I place first-time-following/early-'80s nostalgia aside. Each suffered close losses (understatement) as well. However, even if they actually were better than both Knox squads, tougher obstacles in the way to even make it to the Super Bowl.

They get past Miami in '98, sorry, the buck then STOPS at Mile High the following week! Averting the MCM in '99? Yes, a nice-enough chance they have at Indy! This Colts installment was, hate to say, coached by Jim Mora coupled with this being the very beginning of Peyton Manning's journey to his first playoff victory that was still four years away. Got to like Buffalo's chances although WP sure had his struggles winning in the playoffs as a HC as well. But let's say they pull it off, can even Flutie keep up - score for score - with that Jags offense or, especially, the Greatest Show?? I don't think so.


Yes I'm old-school, things were tougher back then for players/teams as has been opined by many of us here already, but (as I keep wording) 'era-for-era'/'pound-for-pound'/"adjusting inflation", I think these current Josh Allen Bills "for their time" have more to hang their hats on than quite a few Buffalo contenders from previous years. If the wind blows just right, maybe some of these McDermott/Allen squads sail past '80/'81 with me. Maybe, maybe not. Mahomes, thus far, has understandably been the main obstacle between this current Bills' run either making it to at least a couple SBs or even having won just one by now. They've had enough 'bite' to them with me despite just one AFCCG-appearance. Losing close playoff games to Patrick no true disgrace.