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1977 Buffalo Bills season
18th season in franchise history; final one with O. J. Simpson
18th season in franchise history; final one with O. J. Simpson
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| team | Buffalo Bills |
| year | 1977 |
| record | 3–11 |
| division_place | 4th AFC East |
| coach | Jim Ringo |
| owner | Ralph Wilson |
| stadium | Rich Stadium |
| playoffs | *Did not qualify* |
| pro_bowlers | G Joe DeLamielleure |
| shortnavlink | Bills seasons |
The 1977 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 18th season, and their eighth in the National Football League. Improving on their 2–12 record from 1976 by only one game, the Bills failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season, and went 3–11 for their second consecutive losing season. Buffalo started the season with four consecutive losses, and failed to win consecutive games. The team was shut out two times at home. The Bills beat only one team with a winning record — the New England Patriots in an early November game in Foxboro that ultimately proved fatal to the Patriots' playoff hopes.
After drawing 76,000 to Rich Stadium on opening day against the Dolphins, Buffalo drew an average of only 35,000 for the remaining six home games.
The Bills had one of the most pass-heavy offenses in the NFL in 1977. Quarterback Joe Ferguson led the league in pass attempts (457, 32.6 per game) and passing yards (2,803, 200.2 per game). He also threw 24 interceptions, the most in the NFL.
Although the Bills passed the ball more often than any other team, they were not efficient through the air: they ranked 19th out of 28 teams in passing touchdowns, 21st in yards per attempt, and 20th in quarterback rating (a dismal 54.7). Buffalo's 160 points scored was the third-worst in the NFL.
Buffalo’s defense also gave up 313 points, the fourth-worst total in the league. Buffalo's anemic scoring and porous defense gave the team a point-differential of −153, worst in the league. This was the last season for O.J. Simpson as a member of the Bills, as he was traded to the 49ers the following season. Simpson would ultimately finish his last season with the Bills with 557 rushing yards on 126 attempts for a 4.4 rushing average.
Offseason
NFL draft
Main article: 1977 NFL draft
Seventh round pick Mike Nelms was cut by the Bills in the 1977 training camp, and went to play in the Canadian Football League for the next three seasons. He returned to the NFL in 1980, joining the Washington Redskins, and was voted to three consecutive NFC Pro Bowl squads from 1980–1982.
Cornerback Charles Romes played in every game for the Bills from 1977 until his final season with Buffalo in 1986. He finished his career in Buffalo with 28 interceptions, fourth in Bills’ history.
Personnel
Staff/coaches
| **1977 Buffalo Bills staff** |
|---|
| **Front office** |
Roster
Schedule
| Buffalo Bills | year=1977 | border=2}}" | Week | Buffalo Bills | year=1977 | border=2}}" | Date | Buffalo Bills | year=1977 | border=2}}" | Opponent | Buffalo Bills | year=1977 | border=2}}" | Result | Buffalo Bills | year=1977 | border=2}}" | Record | Buffalo Bills | year=1977 | border=2}}" | Venue | Buffalo Bills | year=1977 | border=2}}" | Attendance | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 18 | **[Miami Dolphins](1977-miami-dolphins-season)** | **L** 0–13 | 0–1 | Rich Stadium | 76,097 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| September 25 | at [Denver Broncos](1977-denver-broncos-season) | **L** 6–26 | 0–2 | Mile High Stadium | 74,897 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| October 2 | at **[Baltimore Colts](1977-baltimore-colts-season)** | **L** 14–17 | 0–3 | Memorial Stadium | 49,247 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| October 9 | **[New York Jets](1977-new-york-jets-season)** | **L** 19–24 | 0–4 | Rich Stadium | 32,046 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| October 16 | [Atlanta Falcons](1977-atlanta-falcons-season) | **W** 3–0 | 1–4 | Rich Stadium | 27,348 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| October 23 | [Cleveland Browns](1977-cleveland-browns-season) | **L** 16–27 | 1–5 | Rich Stadium | 60,905 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| October 30 | at [Seattle Seahawks](1977-seattle-seahawks-season) | **L** 17–56 | 1–6 | Kingdome | 61,180 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 6 | at **[New England Patriots](1977-new-england-patriots-season)** | **W** 24–14 | 2–6 | Schaefer Stadium | 60,263 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 13 | **[Baltimore Colts](1977-baltimore-colts-season)** | **L** 13–31 | 2–7 | Rich Stadium | 39,444 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 20 | **[New England Patriots](1977-new-england-patriots-season)** | **L** 7–20 | 2–8 | Rich Stadium | 27,598 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 28 | at [Oakland Raiders](1977-oakland-raiders-season) | **L** 13–34 | 2–9 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 51,558 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| December 4 | [Washington Redskins](1977-washington-redskins-season) | **L** 0–10 | 2–10 | Rich Stadium | 22,975 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| December 11 | at **[New York Jets](1977-new-york-jets-season)** | **W** 14–10 | 3–10 | Shea Stadium | 31,929 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| December 17 | at **[Miami Dolphins](1977-miami-dolphins-season)** | **L** 14–31 | 3–11 | Miami Orange Bowl | 39,626 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| **Note:** Intra-division opponents are in **bold** text. |
Season summary
Week 5
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
- Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Standings
Awards and honors
All-Pros
Main article: 1977 All-Pro Team
- Joe DeLamielleure, Guard
Notes
References
Video Archives
- 1977 NFL Week 12: Redskins at Bills at YouTube
- 1977 NFL Week 13: Bills at Jets at YouTube
References
- [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1977/leaders.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com 1977 NFL Leaders and Leaderboards]
- [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1977/ Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1977 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics]
- [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1977/opp.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1977 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics]
- [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/1977.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1977 Buffalo Bills]
- [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/career-defense.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com: Buffalo Bills Defense Career Register]
- [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197710160buf.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]
- [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197712040buf.htm Washington Redskins at Buffalo Bills - December 4th]
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