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1985 Buffalo Bills season

26th season in franchise history; second consecutive 2–14 season

26th season in franchise history; second consecutive 2–14 season

FieldValue
teamBuffalo Bills
year1985
record2–14
division_place5th AFC East
coachKay Stephenson (weeks 1-4)
Hank Bullough (weeks 5-16)
general managerTerry Bledsoe
ownerRalph Wilson
stadiumRich Stadium
playoffs*Did not qualify*
pro_bowlers*None*
shortnavlinkBills seasons

Hank Bullough (weeks 5-16)

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, while combining for a league-high 31 interceptions. 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

Main article: 1985 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.

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.

Personnel

Staff

  • President – Ralph Wilson

  • Senior Executive Vice President – Pat McGroder

  • Vice President of Administration/General Manager – Terry Bledsoe

  • Vice President of Football Operations – Kay Stephenson

  • Vice President of Player Personnel – Norm Pollom

  • Director of Pro Personnel – Bill Polian

  • Assistant Director of Player Personnel – Bob Ferguson

  • Head Coach – Kay Stephenson

  • Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator – Hank Bullough

  • Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line – Jim Ringo

  • Quarterbacks – Kay Dalton

  • Running Backs / Special Teams coach – Elijah Pitts

  • Receivers – Bob Leahy

  • Tight Ends – Art Asselta

  • Defensive Line – Ardell Wiegandt

  • Linebackers – Monte Kiffin

  • Defensive Backfield – Dick Moseley

  • Strength and Conditioning Coordinator – Rusty Jones

Roster

  • Joe DeLamielleure G (ret.) [[File:Injury icon.svg|7px]]

Regular season

Schedule

Buffalo Billsyear=1985border=2}}"WeekBuffalo Billsyear=1985border=2}}"DateBuffalo Billsyear=1985border=2}}"OpponentBuffalo Billsyear=1985border=2}}"ResultBuffalo Billsyear=1985border=2}}"RecordBuffalo Billsyear=1985border=2}}"VenueBuffalo Billsyear=1985border=2}}"Attendance12345678910111213141516
September 8[San Diego Chargers](1985-san-diego-chargers-season)**L** 9–140–1Rich Stadium67,597
September 15at **[New York Jets](1985-new-york-jets-season)****L** 3–420–2Giants Stadium63,449
September 22**[New England Patriots](1985-new-england-patriots-season)****L** 14–170–3Rich Stadium40,334
September 29[Minnesota Vikings](1985-minnesota-vikings-season)**L** 20–270–4Rich Stadium45,667
October 6at **[Indianapolis Colts](1985-indianapolis-colts-season)****L** 17–490–5Hoosier Dome60,003
October 13at **[New England Patriots](1985-new-england-patriots-season)****L** 3–140–6Sullivan Stadium40,462
October 20**[Indianapolis Colts](1985-indianapolis-colts-season)****W** 21–91–6Rich Stadium28,430
October 27at [Philadelphia Eagles](1985-philadelphia-eagles-season)**L** 17–211–7Veterans Stadium60,987
November 3[Cincinnati Bengals](1985-cincinnati-bengals-season)**L** 17–231–8Rich Stadium25,640
November 10[Houston Oilers](1985-houston-oilers-season)**W** 20–02–8Rich Stadium21,881
November 17at [Cleveland Browns](1985-cleveland-browns-season)**L** 7–172–9Cleveland Municipal Stadium54,478
November 24**[Miami Dolphins](1985-miami-dolphins-season)****L** 14–232–10Rich Stadium50,474
December 1at [San Diego Chargers](1985-san-diego-chargers-season)**L** 7–402–11Jack Murphy Stadium45,487
December 8**[New York Jets](1985-new-york-jets-season)****L** 7–272–12Rich Stadium23,122
December 15at [Pittsburgh Steelers](1985-pittsburgh-steelers-season)**L** 24–302–13Three Rivers Stadium35,953
December 22at **[Miami Dolphins](1985-miami-dolphins-season)****L** 0–282–14Miami Orange Bowl64,811

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1

Week 3

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 10

Week 16

Standings

Notes

References

References

  1. [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/1985.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1985 Buffalo Bills]
  2. [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1985/ Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1985 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics]
  3. [http://pfref.com/tiny/gcQdK Pro-Football-Reference.com: For combined seasons, from 1920 to 2000, sorted by descending Receptions]
  4. [http://pfref.com/tiny/Cab10 Pro-Football-Reference.com: For combined seasons, from 1960 to 2011, playing for the Buffalo Bills, sorted by descending Games]
  5. "1985 Buffalo Bills draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  6. "1985 Buffalo Bills Media Guide".
  7. [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198509080buf.htm]. Retrieved 2021-Jun-05.
  8. [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198509220buf.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]
  9. [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198510130nwe.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]
  10. [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198510200buf.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]. Retrieved 2015-Apr-22.
  11. [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198510270phi.htm]. Retrieved 2015-Apr-22.
  12. [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198511100buf.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]
  13. [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198512220mia.htm]. Retrieved 2021-Jun-04.
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