The Greatest Teams: 1990 Buffalo Bills

Had things turned out differently, the Buffalo Bills may be one of the greatest franchises to have ever played in the NFL. From 1990 to 1993, the Bills made it to 4 straight Super Bowl appearances, while dominating the AFC competition. And yet, none of those 4 teams won the most important game of the season, making the Bills 0-4 in Super Bowls all time. Their best chance probably came during the 1990 season, when the Bills had secured a foothold as one of the league's top teams, with star players on both offense and defense. Led by the legendary coach Marv Levy, let us introduce this squad:

At quarterback, the Bills were led by the perennial Pro Bowler Jim Kelly. Kelly, selected in the famed Quarterback Class of 1983, tossed the ball nearly 3,000 yards in the air, with 24 touchdowns compared to 9 interceptions to boot. In the backfield, the tremendous weapon of Thurman Thomas helped to keep defenders at bay. Thomas rushed for 1,297 yards on the ground and caught 532 yards through the air, for a combined 13 touchdowns. At receiver, the Bills boasted the duo of James Lofton and Andre Reed, who added 12 touchdowns. The offensive line, led by center Kent Hull, allowed only 27 sacks, one of the lowest totals in the league.

Defensively, the Bills were led by Hall of Famer Bruce Smith, a fifth year defensive end who came in second in the year with sacks (19) and vaulted Buffalo's defense to seventh in the league. A Pro Bowl studded linebacking core of Cornelius Bennett, Shane Conlan, and Darryl Talley combined for 9 sacks and  5 takeaways, while the frequently rotating secondary managed to record an average of 2 picks per player. On special teams, the duo of kicker Scott Norwood and punter Rick Tuten consistently performed well against the opposition.

The Bills led the league in scoring on their way to a 13-3 season. After easily drubbing the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Raiders in the playoffs, the Bills faced an in-state rival in the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV. Although the Bills led 12-3 at one point, the Giants came roaring back, with New York kicker Matt Bahr making a 21 yard field goal in the middle of the fourth quarter. Down by 1, with 2:16 left on the clock, the Bills offense impressively drove downfield to the Giants' 29 yard line. With only seconds to go, kicker Scott Norwood came on to try a 47 yard field goal. During the season, Norwood had gone only 1 of 5 for 40+ yard field goals on grass, with most of his kicks coming up short. In a play that went down forever into NFL lore, Norwood's kick had plenty of distance, but sailed "wide right" of the goalpost, ending Buffalo's season and crowning New York as Super Bowl champions, 20-19. In the following years, Buffalo would go on to make it to the Super Bowl a 3 more consecutive times, losing to Washington, and twice to Dallas. The Bills serve as a stark reminder to every franchise of a team reaching its peak multiple times before being buried under the blankets of ineptitude, a fate that could also be compared to the Minnesota Vikings. Nevertheless, in their heyday, the Bills were a proud team with a proud following, turning a small market franchise into one of the greatest teams of the early 90s.