28 years ago yesterday, on January 3, 1993, the game which featured the greatest comeback in NFL history was played at what was then called Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, NY. The Bills trailed the Houston Oilers 28-3 at halftime and prospects for a return to a third consecutive Superbowl did not look good for the 75,000+ on hand, including me. My friend and I agreed that we would stick it out until the end of the third quarter and then try to beat the stadium traffic if the Bills hadn't mounted a comeback by then. On the opening series of the second half, the Oilers intercepted an errant pass and returned it for a touchdown. The rout was clearly on at 35-3. We stuck to our plan of staying until the start of the fourth quarter but many thousands did not. NFL rules did not allow re-entry to the stadium which meant that those who left could only listen in their cars even if they lived close to the stadium because the game was blacked out on local television, having not sold out by the requisite 72 hours prior to kick-off. The Bills then proceeded to score back-to-back-to-back touchdowns in the third quarter, making the score 35-24. They completed the comeback and took the lead late in the fourth quarter before the Oilers tied the game with a late field goal. The Bills won the game in overtime 41-38. That day, Jim Kelly was injured and the Bills quarterback was back-up Frank Reich. Coincidentally, Reich had led his Maryland Terapins to what was then the largest comeback in college football history in November, 1984, leading his team to to a 42-40 win over the Miami Hurricanes, after trailing 31-0 at halftime.
This coming Saturday, Reich returns to Orchard Park as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts for the first game of the NFL's expanded Wildcard Round which features six games over the course of the weekend. The NFL should change the name of its opening playoff weekend because six of the 12 teams playing in the round are division winners. When the Bills played the Oilers in 1993, both actually were Wildcard teams. Reich obviously holds a special place in NFL and Buffalo sports history but we hope that he and his team's success this season ends on Saturday which would earn the Bills their first playoff win in 25 years. And, looking on at Bills Stadium will be 6,700 fans, including New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo who may be considering a run at the White House in 2024.
The Bills presented a plan for limited fan attendance at their home playoff games to the State government immediately after clinching the AFC East division title in Denver a couple of weeks ago. It included a sparse sprinkling of fans, representing about 9% of the stadium's capacity, no tailgating, staggered and specific entry times and mandatory COVID tests three days before each game for everyone planning to attend. The plan was approved by the New York State government as submitted. My seniority as a season ticket holder qualified me to apply for tickets but because of the border being closed to vehicle traffic (and the tickets not being transferable or eligible for third party sale), I passed. The 6,700 tickets were snapped up quickly and team officials are warning that the numerous online re-sale ticket listings which have popped up in the last couple of days are entirely fraudulent as no re-selling is permitted (enforced by verification by photo ID which must match the season ticket holder). All those attending the game will be seated outside as the enclosed and heated suites are off limits. Andrew Cuomo will be seated in the open air and in full view of the CBS cameras which, if he plans to run for President, suits him perfectly. My cynical instinct tells me that Cuomo, as part of his decision process, must have made a political calculation about support to be lost or gained in the Western New York area by whatever decision he made. I am confident that he made the right decision politically. Let's hope that it's not the wrong one for public health.
After Josh Allen lit up the Dolphins in the first half, Sean McDermott rested most of the team's starters in the second half. We got a chance to see some of the second and third string players in live game action. The one who stood out for me was running back Antonio Williams, a rookie undrafted free agent from North Carolina who had been on the Bills practice squad for the entire season. Yesterday was his first NFL game and, although the Dolphin defence was deflated by the time he entered, he ran powerfully and with a tenacity and determination which impressed me. For the day, he had 12 carries for 63 yards and two touchdowns, with a 5.3 yards per carry average. Possibly most important for him was the first NFL game cheque he has ever earned - in the amount of $30,000 - representing one sixteenth of the NFL rookie minimum salary of $480,000. For him, I am sure that it's a welcome holiday season bonus and I hope it is the first of many game cheques he earns in his career but, barring injuries to Devin Singletary and Zack Moss, it will be the only one for him this NFL season.
Expectations for playoff success are running high in Bills Nation (as a friend recently pointed out, the term "mafia" seems curious and I choose not to use it). If they can not beat the Colts on Saturday, the season will be considered a disappointment despite a 13-3 record achieved with a difficult schedule, playing against the NFC West and the AFC West, with the strong teams in those divisions and the heavier travel burden. Opening lines have the Bills as early 6.5 point favourites. If they win, I may apply for tickets to the Divisional Round game and find a way to fly to Buffalo which is, for some reason, still allowed.
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