From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
1975 Buffalo Bills season
16th season in franchise history
16th season in franchise history
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| team | Buffalo Bills |
| year | 1975 |
| record | 8–6 |
| division_place | 3rd AFC East |
| coach | Lou Saban |
| owner | Ralph Wilson |
| stadium | Rich Stadium |
| playoffs | *Did not qualify* |
| pro_bowlers | RB O.J. Simpson |
| G Joe DeLamielleure | |
| shortnavlink | Bills seasons |
G Joe DeLamielleure
The 1975 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's sixth season in the NFL, and its 16th overall. The Bills earned their third consecutive winning season, but failed to improve on their 9–5 record and playoff appearance from last year and finished 8–6 and out of the playoffs.
Season summary
The Bills led the league in points scored, with 420 (30.0 per game). This amount is the most points scored by any team in a 14-game season after the merger, and the most points scored by any team in the 1970s. The Bills were the only team in NFL history to average at least 30 points per game and miss the playoffs, until being joined by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004.
Buffalo won their first four games by an average of 17 points. They were 5–2 at the halfway point of the season, and one game behind the 6–1 Miami Dolphins in the AFC East. Buffalo then lost four of their final seven games, ultimately falling two games short of the division title.
Bills' running back O. J. Simpson rushed for 1817 yards on the season, and set a then-record with 23 touchdowns scored for the season. Fullback Jim Braxton had 823 yards rushing. Buffalo's ground game dominated the league, with a total of 2974 rushing yards, over 300 yards more than the second best rushing total.
The 1975 Bills have the distinction of giving up the most total passing yards (3,080) in a 14-game schedule during the merger era. However, the Bills' 45 takeaways on defense led the league in 1975. Defensive back Robert James and safety Doug Jones were lost to the season with knee injuries.
Offseason
NFL draft
Main article: 1975 NFL draft
Buffalo's defense gave up the fourth-most yards in the NFL in 1974, and so the Bills' first two picks in the 1975 draft were a pair of Nebraska linebackers – Tom Ruud and Bob Nelson—both of whom played for Buffalo for three seasons. N.C. State running back Roland Hooks played in every Bills game from 1976–1981. He is best known for his "Hail Mary" reception against New England in Week Twelve of the 1981 season, a catch which was instrumental in putting Buffalo into the postseason that year.
Personnel
Staff/coaches
| **1975 Buffalo Bills staff** |
|---|
| **Front office** |
Final roster
Regular season
Schedule
| Buffalo Bills | year=1975 | border=2}}" | Week | Buffalo Bills | year=1975 | border=2}}" | Date | Buffalo Bills | year=1975 | border=2}}" | Opponent | Buffalo Bills | year=1975 | border=2}}" | Result | Buffalo Bills | year=1975 | border=2}}" | Record | Buffalo Bills | year=1975 | border=2}}" | Venue | Buffalo Bills | year=1975 | border=2}}" | Attendance | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 21 | **[New York Jets](1975-new-york-jets-season)** | **W** 42–14 | 1–0 | Rich Stadium | 77,837 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| September 28 | at [Pittsburgh Steelers](1975-pittsburgh-steelers-season) | **W** 30–21 | 2–0 | Three Rivers Stadium | 49,348 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| October 5 | [Denver Broncos](1975-denver-broncos-season) | **W** 38–14 | 3–0 | Rich Stadium | 79,864 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| October 12 | at **[Baltimore Colts](1975-baltimore-colts-season)** | **W** 38–31 | 4–0 | Memorial Stadium | 43,907 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [New York Giants](1975-new-york-giants-season) | **L** 14–17 | 4–1 | Rich Stadium | 79,428 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| October 26 | **[Miami Dolphins](1975-miami-dolphins-season)** | **L** 30–35 | 4–2 | Rich Stadium | 79,141 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 2 | at **[New York Jets](1975-new-york-jets-season)** | **W** 24–23 | 5–2 | Shea Stadium | 58,343 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 9 | **[Baltimore Colts](1975-baltimore-colts-season)** | **L** 35–42 | 5–3 | Rich Stadium | 77,320 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| at [Cincinnati Bengals](1975-cincinnati-bengals-season) | **L** 24–33 | 5–4 | Riverfront Stadium | 56,666 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 23 | **[New England Patriots](1975-new-england-patriots-season)** | **W** 45–31 | 6–4 | Rich Stadium | 65,655 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 27 | at [St. Louis Cardinals](1975-st-louis-cardinals-season) | **W** 32–14 | 7–4 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 41,899 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| December 7 | at **[Miami Dolphins](1975-miami-dolphins-season)** | **L** 21–31 | 7–5 | Miami Orange Bowl | 78,701 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| December 14 | at **[New England Patriots](1975-new-england-patriots-season)** | **W** 34–14 | 8–5 | Schaefer Stadium | 58,393 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [Minnesota Vikings](1975-minnesota-vikings-season) | **L** 13–35 | 8–6 | Rich Stadium | 54,993 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Season summary
Week 1 vs Jets
First quarter
- Bills – O. J. Simpson 2 yard run (John Leypoldt kick) – Bills 7–0
- Bills – Jim Braxton 3 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (John Leypoldt kick) – Bills 14–0
- Jets – Rich Caster 28 yard pass from Joe Namath (Pat Leahy kick) – Bills 14–7 Second quarter
- Bills – O. J. Simpson 5 yard run (John Leypoldt kick) – Bills 21–7
- Jets – Eddie Bell 12 yard pass from Joe Namath (Pat Leahy kick) – Bills 21–14 Third quarter
- Bills – Paul Seymour 2 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (John Leypoldt kick) – Bills 28–14
- Bills – Joe Ferguson 1 yard run (John Leypoldt kick) – Bills 35–14 Fourth quarter
- Bills – Pat Toomay 44 yard interception return (John Leypoldt kick) – Bills 42–14 Jets
- Joe Namath 14/36, 173 Yds, 2 TD, 4 INT
- John Riggins 10 Rush, 61 Yds
- Rich Caster 6 Rec, 103 Yds, TD Bills
- Joe Ferguson 7/13, 67 Yds, 2 TD
- O. J. Simpson 32 Rush, 173 Yds, 3 TD
- Bob Chandler 3 Rec, 34 Yds
Week 2 at Steelers
Week 3 vs Broncos
Week 4 at Colts
Week 5 vs Giants
Week 6 vs Dolphins
Week 7 at Jets
Week 8 vs Colts
Week 9 at Bengals
MNF
Week 10 vs Patriots
Week 11 at Cardinals
Thursday game
Week 12 at Dolphins
Week 13 at Patriots
Week 14 vs Vikings
Saturday game
- Snow
Standings
Awards and honors
All-Pros
Main article: 1975 All-Pro Team
First Team
- Joe DeLamielleure, Guard
- O. J. Simpson, Running back
Second Team
- Reggie McKenzie, Guard
References
References
- [https://pfref.com/tiny/wCh4W Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1970 to 1977, in the regular season, sorted by descending Points For.]
- [https://pfref.com/tiny/9nijp Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1970 to 1979, in the regular season, sorted by descending Points For.]
- [[1975 Pittsburgh Steelers season. Pittsburgh]], 2633
- Post-Merger 14-game schedule era: 1970–1977
- [https://pfref.com/tiny/fIfAx Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1970 to 1977, in the regular season, sorted by descending opp Passing Yds]
- [https://pfref.com/tiny/QMqD4 Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, in 1975, in the regular season, sorted by descending opp Passing Yds]
- [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197510050buf.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about 1975 Buffalo Bills season — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report