The 1985 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 16th season in the National Football League, and the 26th overall. It was Buffalo's second-consecutive 2–14 season. Head coach Kay Stephenson was fired after an 0–4 start. Defensive coordinator Hank Bullough took over, going 2–10 for the remainder of the season. For the second consecutive season, the Bills went winless on the road.
Season summary The Bills' offense was anemic; its 200 points scored was the lowest total in the 1980s,This excludes the strike-shortened, nine-regular-season-game 1982 season and the lowest total in team history for a sixteen-game schedule. Having concluded that longtime starting quarterback Joe Ferguson's career was over after a spike in interceptions in the early 1980s, the Bills cut him in the offseason. (The assumption would be in error, as Ferguson would sign with the Detroit Lions and play an additional six seasons in the NFL after being released.) Ferguson's replacements, quarterbacks Vince Ferragamo and Bruce Mathison, only produced 9 passing touchdowns all season,Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1985 Buffalo Bills while combining for a league-high 31 interceptions.Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1985 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics Buffalo scored fewer than ten points in seven of its sixteen games. The team’s point-differential of negative-181 is the third-worst in franchise history.
Offseason
NFL draft
In 1985, the Bills used the first overall pick in the draft to select All-American defensive end Bruce Smith. Smith would end up going on to dominate throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. Smith was an 11-time All-Pro selection, two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and logged an NFL-record 200 sacks by the end of his career.
Fourth-round pick Andre Reed, a wide receiver out of Kutztown (PA) State, would go on to be the leading receiver in Buffalo Bills history. When he retired after the 2000 season, Reed's 951 career receptions were third in NFL history behind Jerry Rice and Cris Carter.Pro-Football-Reference.com: For combined seasons, from 1920 to 2000, sorted by descending Receptions
Maryland quarterback Frank Reich would become famous for quarterbacking “The Comeback”, a 1993 playoff game in which Buffalo, down 35–3 in the third quarter, would score 35 unanswered points to win 41–38 in overtime. It is the largest deficit overcome to win a postseason game in NFL history.As of 2024
Reed played more games with the Bills, 221, than any other player. Smith was second with 217 games.Pro-Football-Reference.com: For combined seasons, from 1960 to 2011, playing for the Buffalo Bills, sorted by descending Games
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 8 San Diego Chargers L 9–14 0–1 Rich Stadium 67,597 2 September 15 at New York Jets L 3–42 0–2 Giants Stadium 63,449 3 September 22 New England Patriots L 14–17 0–3 Rich Stadium 40,334 4 September 29 Minnesota Vikings L 20–27 0–4 Rich Stadium 45,667 5 October 6 at Indianapolis Colts L 17–49 0–5 Hoosier Dome 60,003 6 October 13 at New England Patriots L 3–14 0–6 Sullivan Stadium 40,462 7 October 20 Indianapolis Colts W 21–9 1–6 Rich Stadium 28,430 8 October 27 at Philadelphia Eagles L 17–21 1–7 Veterans Stadium 60,987 9 November 3 Cincinnati Bengals L 17–23 1–8 Rich Stadium 25,640 10 November 10 Houston Oilers W 20–0 2–8 Rich Stadium 21,881 11 November 17 at Cleveland Browns L 7–17 2–9 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 54,478 12 November 24 Miami Dolphins L 14–23 2–10 Rich Stadium 50,474 13 December 1 at San Diego Chargers L 7–40 2–11 Jack Murphy Stadium 45,487 14 December 8 New York Jets L 7–27 2–12 Rich Stadium 23,122 15 December 15 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 24–30 2–13 Three Rivers Stadium 35,953 16 December 22 at Miami Dolphins L 0–28 2–14 Miami Orange Bowl 64,811 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1
. Retrieved 2021-Jun-05.
Week 3
Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 6
Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 7
Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Apr-22.
Week 8
. Retrieved 2015-Apr-22.
Week 10
Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 16
. Retrieved 2021-Jun-04.
Standings
Notes
References
External links 1985 Buffalo Bills at Pro-Football-Reference.com