Buffalo Bills was a favorite team in the early ‘90s because they used to play in the Super Bowl Games. According to the NFL records, they still hold the title of the last team to ever play in four consequent Super Bowls. However, they lost each of the four Super Bowl games, and they never came back up. According to history, the team won two American Football League (AFL) games in 1964 and 1965. However, after the merger of AFL and NFL in 1970, they never made it to the top again.
The first time the Bills advanced to Super Bowl was in 1991 when they played against the New York Giants but lost 20-19 towards the end of the game. Bill’s offense had a remarkable 428 score, which was the highest in the NFL at the time. With the help of Bruce Smith, the team also had an incredible defense which got ranked as the best in the season. Despite the loss, the Bills got another chance in ’92. Their determination and momentum kept pushing them throughout the season. They also had the best wide receivers, James Lofton, with 57 receptions, and Andre Reed, who led with 81 receptions. They faced the Washington Redskins in the Super Bowl and lost 37-24. This became the franchise’s second loss.
After the 1992 season, the team put in a lot of effort and determination, defeating all other teams in the ‘93 playoffs. They finished with a record of 11-5, ranking them the second-best player in the AFL. On the way, the Bills defeated strong opposition like the Houston Oilers, Miami Dolphins, and the Pittsburgh Steelers to gain their third consecutive try at the big game. They made it to the Super Bowl XXVII for their third chance and came face to face with the Dallas Cowboys. Their opponents won the game and gave them a thorough score difference of 52-17.
In the 1994 season, the Bills made it through the playoffs with ease. Bruce Smith, their lead defense, even got an award for the player of the year for the second time in four years. The team had confidence and emerged with a 12-4 record leading them to Super Bowl XVIII. They made their fourth consecutive entrance to the Super Bowl to face their previous year’s champions, the Cowboys. This time, the Bills wanted revenge to take away the coveted trophy from their opponent. Unfortunately, they lost for the fourth time, 30-13. On the other hand, the Cowboys, who beat them in the previous year, got their second win at the Super Bowl, setting their own extraordinary record.
After this season, several significant players retired. Though the team managed to appear in the post-season playoffs in the mid-nineties, they did not advance past the second playoff rounds. This made the 1994 Super Bowl the last time the Bills managed to advance to the big game. The franchise got into serious financial struggles in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and many people speculated about its collapse. These rumors increased when the team agreed to play some home games in Toronto between 2007 and 2018.
However, the Toronto deal got canceled in October 2014 when the Bills’ ownership changed to a local group that vowed to keep the team in Buffalo. After 18 years of low performance, the team scored a 9-7 record that started changing people’s attitudes towards the group. However, they lost their opening playoff game and did not proceed further. Later in 2019, they won 10 games in the season, breaking a 20-year low. They lost again during their first playoffs and did not manage to advance to the top game.
Many people are slowly gaining confidence with the new team players and hope to see them regain their glorious days. As a local team with a great history, many expect extra effort to ensure that they do not go back to their long period of defeat and regional games.