Top-5 Bills Wins on Monday Night Football

[Coach Sal]

My Top-5 Bills Wins on Monday Night Football Remembered

By Sal Capaccio
www.SalSports.com (http://www.salsports.com/)

The Buffalo Bills have played a total of 38 games on Monday Night Football since the NFL began the tradition of the primetime matchup (17-21 overall; 8-6 at home). Their first MNF game was played the same year I was born (1973), which means I obviously don't remember most of them. So, to be fair, I'm only going to include games played since the 1988 season (when I was 15 and near the beginning of the Jim Kelly era) as I compile my "Top-5 Buffalo Bills Wins on Monday Night Football" remembered.

Before 1988, the last Bills MNF appearance was in 1984, so any games played before '88 were played at a time I was either too young to remember or not old enough to understand the implications of what I was witnessing.

So, here they are. My Top-5 Bills Wins on MNF, counting down to #1. After reading them, comment and/or list your best Bills Monday Night Memories here in this thread, too.

Let the debates begin:

http://www.salsports.com/BillsMNFWinsRemembered.htm (http://www.salsports.com/BillsMNFWinsRemembered.htm)

[Dr. Lecter]

The Rams game is tops in my book.

They were major underdogs in that game, especially w/o Kelly. Very significant in the development of Frank Reich.

[BlackMetalNinja]

Wait, we won on MNF before? I should stop reading Op's threads, I get confused.

[chubluv]

I was at that Cleveland game. We were part of a bus tour. What a game. The crowd was crazy. I was wearing a Bennett jersey & thought I wasnt going to make it out alive.

[gr8slayer]

Dallas game last year :ill:

[Coach Sal]

Dallas game last year :ill:

The Texas public school system fails again.

The title of the thread/column is "Top-5 WINS."

;)

[mybills]

Kelly threw for 261 yards and three TDs...........in the first half! He finished the game with 302 yards passing
Typical Bills team..only do good for half a game. That's some half time adjusting going on by both teams to only get 41 yds. :ill:

btw, I like #2. Any time they can beat a division rival by that much, and only give up 7 points is damn good in my book! :up:

[Dozerdog]

I was at the Bills Rams game in 1989. That had to be my personal favorite.


Bills vs Raiders in 1974 was huge too. The Raiders were unbeatable for the first 10-15 years on MNF - with the exception of one game- a loss to the Bills



http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/../coppermine/albums/userpics/10003/sep04-18.jpg

Showing the balance that Saban was striving for, OJ Simpson (12 carries-76 yds) and FB Jim Braxton (19 –68) shared the load in the backfield. QB Joe Ferguson opened the scoring with a 4 yard pass to JD Hill in the 2nd quarter. Oakland then scored 13 unanswered points, on the strength of 2 George Blanda FG’s and a 15 yard run by Raider HB Clarence Davis.
Heading deep into the 4th quarter, the game was a tight to the vest defensive battle, with both clubs moving the ball well on the ground. With 1:56 remaining in the game, Ferguson capped of a late drive as he found WR Ahmad Rashad in the End Zone for an 8 yard TD pass. With a 14-13 lead, the Bills looked like they sealed the victory by forcing a Raider turnover deep in Oakland territory.

Disaster struck the Bills, when Jim Braxton coughed up the ball trying to kill the clock. Raider Safety Skip Thomas scooped up the loose ball and streaked 29 yards into the end zone with 1:15 remaining, giving Oakland a 20-14 advantage. The game rested in the hands of second year QB Joe Ferguson, who only had 4 TD passes in his entire rookie year, but had two on the night so far. Ferguson moved the club down the field quickly, as he hit Ahmad Rashad for the second time in 90 seconds- with a 33 yard TD strike. With a 21-20 lead, the Raiders still had life. An architect of many comebacks, Raider QB Ken Stabler moved the Raiders to the Buffalo 33. George Blanda’s 50 yard kick to win missed, and the Bills took their opener in wild style, Buffalo 21 Oakland 20 . (http://espn.go.com/abcsports/mnf/s/greatestmnf/oakbuf1974.html)

[ddaryl]

we've won 5 times on MNF ?

wow its really sad when you are surprised to learn that we have.

Cleveland is a revenge game for this beat down team. They better play their best game of the year, or I'm gonna have to complain about it.

[gr8slayer]

The Texas public school system fails again.

The title of the thread/column is "Top-5 WINS."

;)
It was sarcasm, clearly went over your head. :ill:

[Cntrygal]

we've won 5 times on MNF ?



Almost my exact thought! My first thought was... "we've won on Monday Night?"

:insane::boozer:

[Coach Sal]

It was sarcasm, clearly went over your head. :ill:

No, I got it. Clearly, you didn't see that little dude "winking" at the end.

I just don't know why you wanted to be a party pooper?!

[Coach Sal]

we've won 5 times on MNF ?

wow its really sad when you are surprised to learn that we have.

Cleveland is a revenge game for this beat down team. They better play their best game of the year, or I'm gonna have to complain about it.

Actually, 17 times! Pretty amazing isn't it? Seems like we have a big goose egg on MNF it's been so long.

Hope that ends tomorrow.

[gr8slayer]

No, I got it. Clearly, you didn't see that little dude "winking" at the end.

I just don't know why you wanted to be a party pooper?!
I didn't see the little dude winking.

[Night Train]

The most famous is the 1974 Raiders game, with O.J. going down early with a leg injury. Joe Ferguson hits Ahmad Rashaad twice, the last with 13 seconds left to stun Oakland 21-20. MNF selected it as their best game of the 1970's.

The best by far, was 1981 vs. Miami. The Bills had finally broken the Fin jinx the year before (17-7) but were underdogs again that night. Chuck Knox shocks Miami with Ferguson throwing the ball, hitting RB Joe Cribbs 3 times on a deep post pattern down the middle that scored 3 TD's. 31-7 at the half and the stadium runs out of beer (I was in college ).

Those were great games to attend. I'll never forget them.

[madness]

The Texas public school system fails again.

The title of the thread/column is "Top-5 WINS."

;)

It was... in his eyes. The Bills played a good close game but in the end, his favorite team won the game. :D

[Historian]

The best Monday night win ever was at home against the fish in 1981.
The Bills were ahead 24-7 at the half.
Cosell called it "The worst performance ever by a Shula coached team."

The Raider game in 74 and the Chiefs game in 73 are 2nd and 3rd for me.

Then Sal's #4 on his list. Holicek had a big game that night as I recall at the fish bowl.