1987 Buffalo Bills season

The 1987 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 18th season in the National Football League, and 28th overall.

1987 Buffalo Bills season
Owner	Ralph Wilson
General manager	Bill Polian
Head coach	Marv Levy
Home stadium	Rich Stadium
Results
Record	7–8
Division place	4th AFC East
Playoffs	Did not qualify
All-Pros	DE Bruce Smith (1st team) ST Steve Tasker (1st team) LB Shane Conlan (2nd team)
Pro Bowlers	QB Jim Kelly DE Bruce Smith
← 1986 Bills seasons 1988 →

On October 31, 1987, the Los Angeles Rams traded Eric Dickerson to the Indianapolis Colts in a three team trade involving the Bills. The Rams sent Dickerson to the Colts for six draft choices and two players. Buffalo obtained the rights to Cornelius Bennett from Indianapolis. Buffalo sent running back Greg Bell and three draft choices to the Rams, while Indianapolis added Owen Gill and three of their own draft picks to complete the deal with the Rams.^[1] Adding Bennett to the team helped to form the nucleus for a strong young defensive unit that would become the core of Buffalo's later Super Bowl teams.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1987 NFL draft

Buffalo's first two draft picks—linebacker Shane Conlan and defensive back Nate Odomes—would later go on to make to have a great deal of impact on Buffalo's defense. Conlan was named 1987 Defensive Rookie of the Year and would be selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls in the 1988, 1989 and 1990 seasons. Odomes would be selected to consecutive Pro Bowls in 1992 and 1993.

Another impactful rookie, Cornelius Bennett, was drafted by Indianapolis in 1987, before being traded to Buffalo.

1987 Buffalo Bills draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	8	Shane Conlan *	Linebacker	Penn State
2	29	Nate Odomes *	Defensive back	Wisconsin
2	33	Roland Mitchell	Defensive back	Texas Tech
3	60	David Brandon	Linebacker	Memphis State
3	78	Jamie Mueller	Running back	Benedictine (KS)
4	109	Leon Seals	Defensive end	Jackson State
7	171	Kerry Porter	Running back	Washington State
11	283	Howard Ballard *	Offensive Tackle	Alabama A&M
Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

^[2]

Personnel

Staff

1987 Buffalo Bills staff

Front office President – Ralph Wilson Vice president of administration/general manager – Bill Polian Vice president of football operations – Marv Levy Director of college scouting – John Butler Director of pro personnel – Bob Ferguson National scout – Norm Pollom College scout – A. J. Smith Administrative assistant to the head coach – Chuck Dickerson Head coaches Head coach – Marv Levy Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator/offensive line – Jim Ringo Quarterbacks/Passing Game Coordinator – Ted Marchibroda Running backs – Elijah Pitts Receivers – Ted Tollner Tight ends – Chuck Dickerson

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator/linebackers – Walt Corey Defensive line – Ted Cottrell Defensive backs – Dick Roach Defensive assistant – Chuck Lester Special teams coaches Special teams – Bruce DeHaven Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning coordinator – Rusty Jones

^[3]

NFL replacement players

After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:

1987 Buffalo Bills replacement roster
Quarterbacks 13 Brian McClure 10 Mark Miller 17 Willie Totten Running backs 46 Joe Chetti 23 Barry Chubb 30 Warren Loving 47 Mike Panepinto 24 Johnny Shepherd 26 Leonard Williams Wide receivers 86 Marc Brown 88 Reggie Bynum 83 Sheldon Gaines 85 Kris Haines 89 Thad McFadden Tight ends 84 Veno Belk 87 Mark Walczak		Offensive linemen 68 Tony Brown T 79 Glen Campbell 71 Sean Dowling 75 Erik Rosenmeier C 63 Rick Schulte T 64 Joe Silipo 62 Don Sommer Defensive linemen 41 Ira Albright DT/FB 91 Jack Bravyak 90 Arnold Campbell DE 93 Scott Hernandez 74 Joe McGrail 74 Richard Tharpe 94 Billy Witt DE		Linebackers 92 Will Cokeley 50 Bob LeBlanc 52 Scott Schankweiler 96 Craig Walls 53 Scott Watters 60 Al Wenglikowski Defensive backs 20 John Armstrong 21 Gerald Bess 25 Bill Callahan 36 Steve Clark 39 Larry Friday 27 John Lewis 40 Chip Nuzzo 23 Kerry Parker  9 David Martin Special teams  5 Rick Partridge P  3 Todd Schlopy K

Roster

1987 Buffalo Bills roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 12 Jim Kelly 14 Frank Reich Running backs (RB) 35 Carl Byrum 33 Ronnie Harmon 41 Jamie Mueller 30 Kerry Porter 26 Ricky Porter 24 Lionel Vital Wide receivers (WR) 81 Walter Broughton 85 Chris Burkett 86 Trumaine Johnson 83 Andre Reed 89 Steve Tasker Tight ends (TE) 88 Pete Metzelaars 84 Keith McKeller 87 Butch Rolle

Offensive linemen (OL) 61 Leonard Burton T 70 Joe Devlin T 59 Mitch Frerotte G 67 Kent Hull C 51 Jim Ritcher G 62 Mark Traynowicz G/C 65 Tim Vogler G 73 Will Wolford T Defensive linemen (DL) 95 Sean McNanie DE 74 Bruce Mesner NT 79 Dean Prater DE 96 Leon Seals DE 76 Fred Smerlas NT 78 Bruce Smith DE

Linebackers (LB) 55 Cornelius Bennett OLB 50 Ray Bentley ILB 58 Shane Conlan ILB 53 Tony Furjanic ILB 52 John Kaiser OLB 97 Scott Radecic ILB 56 Darryl Talley OLB Defensive backs (DB) 29 Derrick Burroughs CB 21 Wayne Davis CB 45 Dwight Drane SS 47 Kirby Jackson CB 38 Mark Kelso FS 25 Roland Mitchell CB 37 Nate Odomes CB 27 Ron Pitts SS 42 Durwood Roquemore FS Special teams (ST)  2 Willie Beecher K  4 John Kidd P 63 Adam Lingner LS 11 Scott Norwood K

Reserve 68 Tony Brown T (IR) 80 Jerry Butler WR (IR) -- Reggie Bynum WR (IR) -- Roger Caron T (DNR) -- Chas Fox WR (IR) 99 Hal Garner LB (IR)  8 Stan Gelbaugh QB (IR) 75 Mike Hamby DE (IR) 92 Steve Hammond LB (IR) 71 Dale Hellestrae T (IR) 20 Flip Johnson WR (IR) -- Joe Howard WR (IR) 48 Lawrence Johnson S (IR) 54 Eugene Marve LB (IR) 13 Brian McClure QB (IR) 94 Mark Pike DE (IR) 40 Robb Riddick RB (IR) -- Clint Sampson WR (IR) Rookies in italics

Regular season

Cornerback Nate Odomes was the youngest starting defensive player in the NFL. It was also his rookie season.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Attendance
1	September 13	New York Jets	L 31–28	0–1	76,718
2	September 20	Houston Oilers	W 34–30	1–1	56,534
–	September 27	at Dallas Cowboys	canceled
3	October 4	Indianapolis Colts	L 47–6	1–2	9,860
4	October 11	at New England Patriots	L 14–7	1–3	11,878
5	October 18	New York Giants	W 6–3	2–3	15,737
6	October 25	at Miami Dolphins	W 34–31 OT	3–3	61,295
7	November 1	Washington Redskins	L 27–7	3–4	71,640
8	November 8	Denver Broncos	W 21–14	4–4	63,698
9	November 15	at Cleveland Browns	L 27–21	4–5	78,409
10	November 22	at New York Jets	W 17–14	5–5	58,407
11	November 29	Miami Dolphins	W 27–0	6–5	68,055
12	December 6	at Los Angeles Raiders	L 34–21	6–6	43,143
13	December 13	at Indianapolis Colts	W 27–3	7–6	60,253
14	December 20	New England Patriots	L 13–7	7–7	74,945
15	December 27	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 17–7	7–8	57,547
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 2

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	3	14	3	10	30
• Bills	3	10	0	21	34

• Date: September 20
• Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
• Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 62 °F (16.7 °C); wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
• TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy

Scoring summary

1		BUF	Scott Norwood 45 yard field goal	Bills 3–0
1		HOU	Tony Zendejas 52 yard field goal	Tie 3–3
2		HOU	Drew Hill 2 yard pass from Warren Moon (Tony Zendejas kick)	Oilers 10–3
2		BUF	Scott Norwood 38 yard field goal	Oilers 10–6
2		HOU	Mike Rozier 8 yard run (Tony Zendejas kick)	Oilers 17–6
2		BUF	Robb Riddick 11 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick)	Oilers 17–13
3		HOU	Tony Zendejas 27 yard field goal	Oilers 20–13
4		BUF	Andre Reed 8 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick)	Tie 20–20
4		HOU	Ernest Givens 12 yard pass from Warren Moon (Tony Zendejas kick)	Oilers 27–20
4		HOU	Tony Zendejas 30 yard field goal	Oilers 30–20
4		BUF	Robb Riddick 2 yard run (Scott Norwood kick)	Oilers 30–27
4		BUF	Ronnie Harmon 2 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick)	Bills 34–30

^[4]

Week 6

Buffalo Bills (2–3) at Miami Dolphins (2–3)

Team	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
• Bills	0	3	14	14	3	34
Dolphins	14	7	0	10	0	31

• Date: October 25, 1987
• Location: Joe Robbie Stadium
• Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 61,295
• Game weather: 78 °F (25.6 °C); wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
• Referee: Pat Haggerty
• TV announcers (NBC): Jim Donovan and Paul Maguire

^[5]

Week 7

Washington Redskins (5–1) at Buffalo Bills (3–3)

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Redskins	3	14	10	0	27
Bills	0	0	0	7	7

• Date: November 1, 1987
• Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
• Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 71,640
• Game weather: 52 °F (11.1 °C); wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)
• Referee: Jerry Markbreit
• TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Terry Bradshaw

^[6]

Week 8

Week Eight: Denver Broncos (4–2–1) at Buffalo Bills (3–4)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	0	7	7	14
Bills	0	18	3	0	21

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

• Date: November 8, 1987
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 50 °F or 10 °C; wind 17 miles per hour (27 km/h; 15 kn)
• Game attendance: 63,698
• Referee: Dick Jorgensen
• TV announcers (NBC): Gary Gerould and Reggie Rucker
• ^[7]

Game information

First quarter No scoring Second quarter BUF – Andre Reed 9 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick). Bills 7–0 BUF – Safety, Robb Riddick blocked punt through end zone. Bills 9–0 BUF – Robb Riddick 1 yard rush (Scott Norwood kick). Bills 16–0 BUF – Safety, Steve Tasker blocked punt through end zone. Bills 18–0 Third quarter BUF – Scott Norwood 30-yard field goal. Bills 21–0. DEN – Sammy Winder 6 yard rush (Rich Karlis kick). Bills 21–7. Fourth quarter DEN – Vance Johnson 15 yard pass from John Elway (Rich Karlis kick). Bills 21–14. Top passers DEN – John Elway – 13/30, 163 yards, 1 INT, 1 TD BUF – Jim Kelly – 14/23, 135 yards, 1 INT, 1 TD Top rushers DEN – Sammy Winder – 12 rushes, 40 yards, 1 TD BUF – Robb Riddick – 19 rushes, 78 yards, 1 TD Top receivers DEN – Vance Johnson – 5 receptions, 95 yards, 1 TD BUF – Andre Reed – 5 receptions, 60 yards, 1 TD

• Cornelius Bennett’s first game as a Buffalo Bill, wearing #55.
• Steve Tasker blocked punt just before halftime resulting in a safety and 18–0 halftime score.

Week 9

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	7	0	0	14	21
• Browns	3	14	7	3	27

• Date: November 15
• Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium
• Game start: 1:00 PM EST
• Game attendance: 78,409
• Game weather: 48 °F or 8.9 °C; wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)
• Referee: Gene Barth
• TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond and Michael Jackson

^[8]

Week 11 vs Dolphins

Week Twelve: Miami Dolphins (5–5) at Buffalo Bills (5–5)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	0	0	0	0	0
Bills	0	21	3	3	27

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

• Date: November 29
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 48 °F or 8.9 °C
• Game attendance: 68,055
• Referee: Red Cashion
• TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy
• Box Score, Box Score

Game information

First quarter No scoring Second quarter BUF – Jamie Mueller 5-yard run (Scott Norwood kick), 14:51. Bills 7–0. BUF – Butch Rolle 3-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick), 5:58. Bills 14–0. BUF – Chris Burkett 22-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick), 1:02. Bills 21–0. Third quarter BUF – Scott Norwood 39-yard field goal, 10:01. Bills 24–0. Fourth quarter BUF – Scott Norwood 28-yard field goal, 7:52. Bils 27–0. Top passers MIA – Dan Marino – 13/28, 165 yards, 3 INT BUF – Jim Kelly – 15/21, 217 yards, 2 TD Top rushers MIA – Troy Stradford – 15 rushes, 23 yards BUF – Ronnie Harmon – 23 rushes, 119 yards Top receivers MIA – Ron Davenport – 3 receptions, 41 yards BUF – Andre Reed – 4 receptions, 96 yards

Week 12

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	0	14	7	0	21
• Raiders	10	3	14	7	34

• Date: December 6, 1987
• Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
• Elapsed time: EST
• Game weather: 48 °F or 8.9 °C; wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)
• Referee: Ben Dreith
• TV announcers (NBC): Gary Gerould and Dave Casper

^[8]

Week 15

Buffalo Bills (7–7) at Philadelphia Eagles (6–8)

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	0	0	0	7	7
• Eagles	0	10	7	0	17

• Date: December 27, 1987
• Location: Veterans Stadium Philadelphia, PA
• Game start: 1:00 EST
• Game weather: 35 °F (1.7 °C); wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
• TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond

^[9]

Standings

AFC East
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Indianapolis Colts(3)	9	6	0	.600	5–3	8–6	300	238	W2
New England Patriots	8	7	0	.533	6–2	8–4	320	293	W3
Miami Dolphins	8	7	0	.533	2–6	5–7	362	335	L1
Buffalo Bills	7	8	0	.467	4–4	6–6	270	305	L2
New York Jets	6	9	0	.400	3–5	6–5	334	360	L4

Player stats

Passing

Note: Comp = Completions; ATT = Attempts; TD = Touchdowns; INT = Interceptions

Player	Games	Comp	Att	Yards	TD	INT	Rating
Jim Kelly	12	250	419	2798	19	11	83.8
John Kidd	12	0	1	0	0	0	39.6
Dan Manucci	3	7	21	68	0	2	3.8
Brian McClure	1	20	38	181	0	3	32.9
Mark Miller	1	1	3	9	0	1	2.8
Robb Riddick	6	1	1	35	0	0	118.7
Willie Totten	2	13	33	155	2	2	49.4

^[10]

Rushing

Player	Games	Attempts	Yards	Avg	TD
Ronnie Harmon	12	116	485		2
Jamie Mueller	12	82	354		2
Carl Byrum	13	66	280		0
Robb Riddick	6	59	221		5
Ricky Porter	9	47	177		0
Jim Kelly	12	29	133		0

^[10]

Receiving

Player	Games	Number	Yards	Avg	TD
Chris Burkett	12	56	765	13.7	4
Andre Reed	12	57	752	13.2	5
Ronnie Harmon	12	56	477	8.5	2
Pete Metzelaars	12	28	290	10.4	0
Trumaine Johnson	12	15	186	12.4	2

^[10]

Defense

Note: FR = Fumble Recoveries; TCKL = Tackles; INT = Interceptions; TD = Touchdowns

Player	Games	Sacks	Forced Fumbles	FR	Tckl	INT	Yards	TD
Shane Conlan	12	0.5	1	0	114	0	0	0
Bruce Smith	12	12.0	3	0	2	0	0	0

Special teams

Note: FGA = Field Goals Attempted; FGM = Field Goals Made; FG% = Field goal percentage; XPA = Extra Points Attempted; XPM = Extra Points Made; XP% = Extra points percentage

Player	Games	FGA	FGM	FG %	XPA	XPM	XP %
Scott Norwood	12	15	10	66.7	31	31	100
Todd Schlopy	3	5	2	40	2	1	50

^[10]

Punting

Player	Games	Punts	Yards	Long	Blocked	Avg. yards
John Kidd	12	64	2495	67	0	39.0
Rick Partridge	3	18	678	52	1	37.7

^[10]

Awards and honors

Defensive Rookie of the Year^[11]

• Shane Conlan

Pro Bowl Most Valuable Player

• Bruce Smith