1995 Buffalo Bills season

The 1995 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 26th season in the National Football League and the 36th overall. This was the last time the Bills won the division or won a playoff game until 2020.

1995 Buffalo Bills season
Owner	Ralph Wilson
General manager	John Butler
Head coach	Marv Levy Elijah Pitts (interim)
Home stadium	Rich Stadium
Results
Record	10–6
Division place	1st AFC East
Playoffs	Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Dolphins) 37–22 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Steelers) 21–40
Pro Bowlers	DE Bruce Smith OLB Bryce Paup ST Steve Tasker
← 1994 Bills seasons 1996 →

After suffering a losing season the previous season, the 1995 Bills won the AFC East, and made the playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons. They defeated the Miami Dolphins 37–22 in the Wild Card Game in Don Shula's final game as an NFL head coach. The following week they lost to the eventual AFC Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers 40–21.

In his first season with the team, defensive end Bryce Paup was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Paup led the NFL with 17.5 sacks, the fourth-highest single-season total of the 1990s.^[1] During the season, head coach Marv Levy underwent successful treatment for prostate cancer; assistant Elijah Pitts filled in as interim coach until Levy returned after a three-game absence.^[2]

Offseason

Additions	Subtractions
LB Bryce Paup (Packers)	WR Don Beebe (Panthers)
NT Ted Washington (Broncos)	TE Pete Metzelaars (Panthers)
DE Jim Jeffcoat (Cowboys)	DE Oliver Barnett (49ers)
	S Mike Dumas (Jaguars)
	LB Darryl Talley (Falcons)
	LB Marvcus Patton (Redskins)
	NT Jeff Wright (retirement)
	NT Mike Lodish (Broncos)

1995 expansion draft

Main article: 1995 NFL expansion draft

Buffalo Bills selected during the expansion draft

Round	Overall	Name	Position	Expansion team
5	9	Keith Goganious	Linebacker	Jacksonville Jaguars
23	46	Vince Marrow	Tight End	Carolina Panthers

NFL draft

Main article: 1995 NFL draft

1995 Buffalo Bills draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	14	Ruben Brown *	Guard	Pittsburgh
2	45	Todd Collins	Quarterback	Michigan
3	76	Marlon Kerner	Cornerback	Ohio State
3	96	Damien Covington	Linebacker	NC State
4	109	Ken Irvin	Cornerback	Memphis
4	113	Justin Armour	Wide receiver	Stanford
4	131	Tony Cline	Tight end	Stanford
5	144	John Holecek	Linebacker	Illinois
6	185	Shannon Clavelle	Defensive tackle	Colorado
7	221	Tom Nütten	Center	Western Michigan
7	244	Darick Holmes	Running back	Portland State
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Undrafted free agents

1995 undrafted free agents of note

Player	Position	College
Jason Anderson	Wide receiver	Eastern Washington
Carey Bender	Running back	Coe College
Travis Colquitt	Punter	Marshall
Eric Counts	Defensive tackle	NC State
Herve Damas	Linebacker	Hofstra
Randall Evans	Wide receiver	St. Augustine's (NC)
Che Foster	Fullback	Michigan
Myron Glass	Cornerback	Northern Iowa
Steve Harvey	Linebacker	Kansas
Michael Hendricks	Linebacker	Texas A&M
Adrian Hill	Wide Receiver	NC State
Terry Quinn	Safety	Louisville
Mike Sheldon	Guard	Grand Valley State

Personnel

Staff

1995 Buffalo Bills staff

Front office President – Ralph Wilson Executive Vice President and General Manager – John Butler Vice President of Football Operations – Marv Levy Director of Pro Personnel – A. J. Smith Director of Player Personnel – Dwight Adams Head coaches Head Coach – Marv Levy Assistant Head Coach – Elijah Pitts Administrative Assistant to the Head Coach – Chuck Lester Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line – Tom Bresnahan Quarterbacks – Jim Shofner Running Backs – Elijah Pitts Receivers – Charlie Joiner Offensive Quality Control/Tight Ends – Don Lawrence

Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Wade Phillips Defensive Line – Dan Sekanovich Linebackers – Ted Cottrell Assistant Linebackers – Chuck Lester Defensive Backs – Dick Roach Special teams coaches Special Teams – Bruce DeHaven Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning Coordinator – Rusty Jones

^[3]

Roster

1995 Buffalo Bills roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 15 Todd Collins 12 Jim Kelly 10 Alex Van Pelt Running backs (RB) 35 Carwell Gardner FB 44 Darick Holmes KR 30 Yonel Jourdain KR 34 Thurman Thomas 33 Tim Tindale FB Wide receivers (WR) 81 Justin Armour 80 Bill Brooks 85 Russell Copeland 83 Andre Reed 89 Steve Tasker PR 82 Damon Thomas Tight ends (TE) 88 Tony Cline 87 Rob Coons 84 Lonnie Johnson

Offensive linemen (OL) 79 Ruben Brown G 62 Mike Devlin C 70 John Fina T 67 Kent Hull C 68 Corbin Lacina G 72 Corey Louchiey T 64 Tom Nütten G 60 Jerry Ostroski G 74 Glenn Parker T Defensive linemen (DL) 90 Phil Hansen DE 77 Jim Jeffcoat 75 Ed Philion NT 94 Mark Pike DE 78 Bruce Smith DE 92 Ted Washington NT 73 Karl Wilson DE

Linebackers (LB) 97 Cornelius Bennett ILB 96 Monty Brown ILB 57 Damien Covington ILB 52 John Holecek ILB 95 Bryce Paup OLB 58 Marlo Perry ILB 59 Sam Rogers OLB 50 David White OLB Defensive backs (DB) 43 Matt Darby FS 41 Greg Evans SS 42 Chris Green CB/S 27 Ken Irvin CB 39 Filmel Johnson CB 20 Henry Jones SS 46 Marlon Kerner CB 24 Kurt Schulz FS 28 Thomas Smith CB Special teams (ST)  2 Steve Christie K 63 Adam Lingner LS  9 Chris Mohr P

Practice squad 45 Carey Bender RB 71 Mike Sheldon G 53 active, 4 inactive, 2 practice squad Reserve 22 Jeff Burris (IR) 54 Herve Damas LB (IR) 53 Steve Harvey LB (IR) 55 Mark Maddox LB (IR) Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 3	at Denver Broncos	L 7–22	0–1	Mile High Stadium	75,157
2	September 10	Carolina Panthers	W 31–9	1–1	Rich Stadium	79,190
3	September 17	Indianapolis Colts	W 20–14	2–1	Rich Stadium	62,499
4	Bye
5	October 2	at Cleveland Browns	W 22–19	3–1	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	76,211
6	October 8	New York Jets	W 29–10	4–1	Rich Stadium	79,485
7	October 15	Seattle Seahawks	W 27–21	5–1	Rich Stadium	74,362
8	October 23	at New England Patriots	L 14–27	5–2	Foxboro Stadium	60,203
9	October 29	at Miami Dolphins	L 6–23	5–3	Joe Robbie Stadium	71,060
10	November 5	at Indianapolis Colts	W 16–10	6–3	RCA Dome	59,612
11	November 12	Atlanta Falcons	W 23–17	7–3	Rich Stadium	62,690
12	November 19	at New York Jets	W 28–26	8–3	Giants Stadium	54,436
13	November 26	New England Patriots	L 25–35	8–4	Rich Stadium	69,384
14	December 3	at San Francisco 49ers	L 17–27	8–5	Candlestick Park	65,568
15	December 10	at St. Louis Rams	W 45–27	9–5	Trans World Dome	64,623
16	December 17	Miami Dolphins	W 23–20	10–5	Rich Stadium	79,531
17	December 24	Houston Oilers	L 17–28	10–6	Rich Stadium	45,253

Season summary

Week 1 at Broncos

Week One: Buffalo Bills (0–0) at Denver Broncos (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	7	0	0	0	7
Broncos	3	9	0	10	22

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

• Date: September 3, 1995
• Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Clear, 76 °F (24 °C)
• Game attendance: 75,157
• TV announcers (TNT): Verne Lundquist, Pat Haden, and Craig Sager
• Box Score, Box Score

Game information

First quarter DEN – Jason Elam 22-yard field goal, 12:32. Broncos 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards. BUF – Andre Reed 34-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Steve Christie kick), 8:43. Bills 7–3. Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards. Second quarter DEN – Jason Elam 52-yard field goal, 14:55. Bills 7–6. Drive: 5 plays, 19 yards. DEN – Jason Elam 20-yard field goal, 8:25. Broncos 9–7. Drive: 10 plays, 42 yards. DEN – Jason Elam 38-yard field goal, 0:02. Broncos 12–7. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards. Third quarter No scoring Fourth quarter DEN – Jason Elam 37-yard field goal, 10:23. Broncos 15–7. Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards. DEN – Terrell Davis 3-yard run (Jason Elam kick), 3:22. Broncos 22–7. Drive: 9 plays, 84 yards. Top passers BUF – Jim Kelly – 12/28, 154 yards, TD DEN – John Elway – 22/41, 317 yards, INT Top rushers BUF – Thurman Thomas – 17 rushes, 46 yards DEN – Terrell Davis – 20 rushes, 70 yards, TD Top receivers BUF – Russell Copeland – 6 receptions, 75 yards DEN – Shannon Sharpe – 10 receptions, 180 yards

The Bills first game in Denver since 1977

Week 5

Buffalo Bills (2–1) at Cleveland Browns (3–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	10	0	3	9	22
Browns	7	3	6	3	19

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium • Cleveland, Ohio

• Date: October 2
• Game time: 9:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 67 °F (19.4 °C); wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
• Game attendance: 76,211
• Referee: Gary Lane
• TV announcers (ABC Monday Night Football): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, and Dan Dierdorf
• Pro-Football-Reference.com, The Football Database

Game information
Bills Jim Kelly 27/34, 256 Yds, 2 TD, INT Thurman Thomas 23 Rush, 86 Yds Andre Reed 9 Rec, 97 Yds, TD Browns Vinny Testaverde 18/34, 224 Yds Derrick Alexander 1 Rush, 29 Yds Andre Rison 6 Rec, 126 Yds

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP BUF CLE 1 9:56 Bills Armour 14-yard touchdown reception from Kelly, Christie kick good 7 0 1 6:49 Browns Punt returned 69 yards for touchdown by Alexander, Stover kick good 7 7 1 0:50 Bills 38-yard field goal by Christie 10 7 2 0:18 Browns 32-yard field goal by Stover 10 10 3 11:10 Bills 31-yard field goal by Christie 13 10 3 6:59 Browns 47-yard field goal by Stover 13 13 3 3:56 Browns 23-yard field goal by Stover 13 16 4 6:30 Bills Reed 41-yard touchdown reception from Kelly, Christie kick no good 19 16 4 3:49 Browns 38-yard field goal by Stover 19 19 4 0:05 Bills 33-yard field goal by Christie 22 19 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 22 19

Week 6

Starting QBs -> New York Jets: Boomer Esiason / Buffalo Bills: Jim Kelly

Vegas Line: Buffalo Bills −9.5 /// Over/Under: 38.0 (over)

Thurman Thomas becomes the 11th player all-time to go over the 9,000 career rushing yard mark in this game.

Boomer Esiason was knocked out in the second quarter by Bruce Smith, thus putting Bubby Brister into the game. On his first snap in the game, he fumbled the ball and turned it over to Buffalo.

New York Jets (1–4) at Buffalo Bills (3–1)

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	0	3	7	0	10
• Bills	3	13	3	10	29

• Date: Oct 8, 1995
• Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
• Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 79,485
• Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C) • 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn)
• Referee: Bob McElwee
• TV announcers (NFL on NBC): Marv Albert and Cris Collinsworth

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NYJ BUF 1 5:46 8 60 2:53 Bills 38-yard field goal by Steve Christie 0 3 2 7:57 4 4 2:09 Jets 26-yard field goal by Nick Lowery 3 3 2 3:58 11 68 3:59 Bills 24-yard field goal by Steve Christie 3 6 2 0:26 7 39 1:44 Bills 32-yard field goal by Steve Christie 3 9 2 0:16 1 15 0:05 Bills Bill Brooks 15-yard touchdown reception from Jim Kelly, Steve Christie kick good 3 16 3 9:03 11 57 5:57 Jets Wayne Chrebet 16-yard touchdown reception from Bubby Brister, Nick Lowery kick good 10 16 3 7:16 5 23 1:47 Bills 51-yard field goal by Steve Christie 10 19 4 9:51 12 77 5:30 Bills Thurman Thomas 1-yard touchdown run, Steve Christie kick good 10 26 4 5:56 6 20 2:12 Bills 27-yard field goal by Steve Christie 10 29 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 10 29

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jets	Passing	Bubby Brister	13/23, 112 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Adrian Murrell	14 carries, 33 yards
	Receiving	Wayne Chrebet	7 receptions, 74 yards, 1 TD
Bills	Passing	Jim Kelly	9/22, 101 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Thurman Thomas	27 carries, 133 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Russell Copeland	5 receptions, 67 yards

Statistics	Jets	Bills
First downs	14	22
Plays–yards	53–173	67–318
Rushes–yards	21–51	45–220
Passing yards	122	98
Passing: comp–att–int	17–32–2	9–22–1
Time of possession	31:49	28:11

^[4]

Week 10

Elijah Pitts was the Buffalo Bills head coach for this game as Marv Levy was recovering from illness.

Starting QBs: Buffalo Bills: Jim Kelly vs Indianapolis Colts: Jim Harbaugh.

In this game, Jim Harbaugh started, but midway through the first quarter Paul Justin was put in by coach Ted Marchibroda as Harbaugh was injured. This wasn't the end for the Colts QB situation, as Justin was hit by Bryce Paup knocking him out of the game. Harbaugh came in briefly after Justin was knocked out, however, Craig Erickson came into the game to finish it out.

Vegas Line: Indianapolis Colts −4.0

Buffalo Bills (5–3) at Indianapolis Colts (5–3)

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Bills	10	6	0	0	16
Colts	7	0	3	0	10

• Date: November 5
• Location: RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
• Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 59,612
• Game weather: DOME
• Referee: Larry Nemmers
• TV announcers (NFL on NBC): Tom Hammond and Cris Collinsworth

^[5]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP BUF IND 1 11:24 2 51 0:49 Bills Bill Brooks 51-yard touchdown reception from Kelly, Christie kick good 7 0 1 7:50 8 76 3:30 Colts Marshall Faulk 4-yard touchdown run, Cary Blanchard kick good 7 7 1 1:56 4 2 1:13 Bills 39-yard field goal by Steve Christie 10 7 2 9:04 5 74 2:29 Bills 23-yard field goal by Steve Christie 13 7 2 3:52 9 43 3:45 Bills 33-yard field goal by Steve Christie 16 7 3 10:24 5 40 1:42 Colts 37-yard field goal by Cary Blanchard 16 10 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 16 10

Week 11

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	7	3	7	0	17
• Bills	7	7	6	3	23

• Date: November 12
• Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
• Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 62,690
• Game weather: 32 °F (0 °C) • 26 miles per hour (42 km/h; 23 kn)
• Referee: Johnny Grier
• TV announcers (Fox NFL): Thom Brennaman, Ron Pitts, and Eric Clemons (Sideline Reporter)

^[6]

Week 12

Starting QBs -> New York Jets: Boomer Esiason / Buffalo Bills: Jim Kelly

Vegas Line: Buffalo Bills −6.5 /// Over/Under: 37.0 (over)

Boomer Esiason throws a last second hail mary TD pass to Adrian Murrell, however, failed on the 2-pt conversion to send the game into OT.

Buffalo Bills (7–3) at New York Jets(2–8)

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Bills	7	14	7	0	28
Jets	3	0	10	13	26

• Date: Nov 19, 1995
• Location: Giants Stadium East Rutherford, New Jersey
• Game start: 4:00pm EST
• Game attendance: 54,436
• Game weather: 46 °F (8 °C) • 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h; 5.2 kn)
• Referee: Dick Hantak
• TV announcers (NFL on NBC): Marv Albert and Cris Collinsworth

^[7]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP BUF NYJ 1 8:46 10 58 Jets 30-yard field goal by Nick Lowery 0 3 1 1:35 5 59 1:36 Bills Bill Brooks 45-yard touchdown reception from Jim Kelly, Steve Christie kick good 7 3 2 6:37 17 90 6:33 Bills Thurman Thomas 12-yard touchdown run, Steve Christie kick good 14 3 2 2:26 8 52 1:47 Bills Bill Brooks 18-yard touchdown reception from Jim Kelly, Steve Christie kick good 21 3 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 28 26

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Bills	Passing	Jim Kelly	22/37, 316 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Thurman Thomas	18 carries, 43 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Bill Brooks	7 receptions, 107 yards, 2 TD
Jets	Passing	Boomer Esiason	24/43, 312 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Adrian Murrell	9 carries, 36 yards
	Receiving	Johnny Mitchell	5 receptions, 87 yards, 1 TD

Statistics	Bills	Jets
First downs	20	17
Plays–yards	73–373	65–351
Rushes–yards	36–88	22–74
Passing yards	285	277
Passing: comp–att–int	22–37–0	24–43–2
Time of possession	31:12	28:48

Week 15

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Bills	7	14	14	10	45
Rams	10	3	3	11	27

• Date: December 10
• Location: TWA Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
• Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 64,623
• Game weather: DOME
• Referee: Gordon McCarter
• TV announcers (NFL on NBC): Marv Albert, Cris Collinsworth

Scoring summary

Q1	8:59	BUF	Bill Brooks 23 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Steve Christie kick)	BUF 7–0
Q1	5:29	STL	Todd Kinchen 6 yard pass from Mark Rypien (Dean Biasucci kick)	Tie 7–7
Q1	3:15	STL	(Dean Biasucci 28 yard field goal)	STL 10–7
Q2	7:52	BUF	Thurman Thomas 1 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Steve Christie kick)	BUF 14–10
Q2	5:29	BUF	Darick Holmes 1 yard run (Steve Christie kick)	BUF 21–10
Q2	0:00	STL	(Dean Biasucci 37 yard field goal)	BUF 21–13
Q3	6:29	BUF	Steve Tasker 6 yard pass from Jim Kelly(Steve Christie kick)	BUF 28–13
Q3	4:34	STL	(Dean Biasucci 51 yard field goal)	BUF 28–16
Q3	1:08	BUF	Steve Tasker 28 yard pass from Jim Kelly(Steve Christie kick)	BUF 35–16
Q4	6:52	STL	(Dean Biasucci 25 yard field goal)	BUF 35–19
Q4	6:40	BUF	Darick Holmes 38 yard run (Steve Christie kick)	BUF 42–19
Q4	3:54	STL	Jessie Hester 5 yard pass from Mark Rypien, Johnny Bailey pass from Mark Rypien	BUF 42–27
Q4	1:10	BUF	(Steve Christie 28 yard field goal	BUF 45–27

^[8]

Standings

AFC East
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
(3) Buffalo Bills	10	6	0	.625	350	335	L1
(5) Indianapolis Colts	9	7	0	.563	331	316	W1
(6) Miami Dolphins	9	7	0	.563	398	332	W1
New England Patriots	6	10	0	.375	294	377	L2
New York Jets	3	13	0	.188	233	384	L4

^[9]

Playoffs

AFC Wild Card Game

Buffalo Bills 37, Miami Dolphins 22

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	0	0	0	22	22
Bills	10	14	3	10	37

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

• Date: December 30, 1995
• Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 30 °F (−1 °C), cloudy
• Game attendance: 73,103
• Referee: Red Cashion
• TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger and Dick Vermeil

In Buffalo's first playoff game since losing Super Bowl XXVIII two seasons earlier, the Bills handled Miami easily by a score of 37–22 at Rich Stadium. Although Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino completed 33 out of 64 passes for 422 yards and two touchdowns, the Bills jumped to a 27–0 lead going into the fourth quarter, and rushed for an NFL playoff-record 341 yards, led by Thurman Thomas's 25 carries for 158 yards. The Bills forced four turnovers, including intercepting Marino three times, in the victory.^[10] It was the final game of Don Shula's coaching career with the Dolphins.

AFC Divisional Playoff

Pittsburgh Steelers 40, Buffalo Bills 21

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	0	7	7	7	21
Steelers	7	16	3	14	40

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh

• Date: January 6, 1996
• Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 21 °F (−6 °C), clear
• Game attendance: 59,072
• Referee: Larry Nemmers
• TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Cris Collinsworth

Running back Bam Morris scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter as the Steelers stopped the Bills from pulling off a comeback. Pittsburgh jumped to a 20–0 lead by the second quarter with running back John L. Williams's 1-yard touchdown, quarterback Neil O'Donnell's 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ernie Mills, and two field goals by Norm Johnson. However, Buffalo running back Thurman Thomas scored a 1-yard touchdown run with 45 seconds left in the first half. But Johnson made a 34-yard field goal with eight seconds left to give the Steelers a 23–7 halftime lead. In the third quarter, Johnson added a 39-yard field goal before Bills tight end Tony Cline caught a 2-yard touchdown reception. With 11:23 left in the game, Thomas scored on a 9-yard touchdown reception to cut the lead to 26–21. In response, Pittsburgh drove 76 yards to score on Morris' 13-yard touchdown run. Linebacker Levon Kirkland then intercepted a pass to set up Morris' 2-yard score with 1:58 remaining to clinch the victory.^[11] Bruce Smith was inactive for the game because he had the flu.^[12]

Awards and honors

• Bryce Paup, NFL Defensive Player of the Year^[13]
• Bryce Paup, AFC Pro Bowl selection^[14]