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(Top) 1 Offseason 1.1 NFL draft 2 Personnel 2.1 Staff 2.2 NFL replacement players 2.3 Roster 3 Regular season 3.1 Schedule 3.2 Game summaries 3.2.1 Week 2 3.2.2 Week 6 3.2.3 Week 7 3.2.4 Week 8 3.2.5 Week 9 3.2.6 Week 11 vs Dolphins 3.2.7 Week 12 3.2.8 Week 15 3.3 Standings 4 Player stats 4.1 Passing 4.2 Rushing 4.3 Receiving 4.4 Defense 4.5 Special teams 4.5.1 Punting 5 Awards and honors 6 References 7 External links

1987 Buffalo Bills season

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

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

On October 31, 1987, the Los Angeles Rams traded Eric Dickersontothe 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

[edit]

NFL draft

[edit]

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.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1987 Buffalo Bills draft
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

[edit]

Staff

[edit]

**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

[edit]

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

1987 Buffalo Bills replacement roster

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

84 Veno Belk
87 Mark Walczak

Offensive linemen

68 Tony BrownT
79 Glen Campbell
71 Sean Dowling
75 Erik RosenmeierC
63 Rick SchulteT
64 Joe Silipo
62 Don Sommer

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

5 Rick PartridgeP
3 Todd SchlopyK

Roster

[edit]

**1987 Buffalo Bills roster**

	Quarterbacks 12 Jim Kelly 14 Frank Reich Running backs 35 Carl ByrumFB 33 Ronnie Harmon 41 Jamie MuellerFB 30 Kerry Porter 26 Ricky Porter Wide receivers 81 Walter Broughton 85 Chris Burkett 86 Trumaine Johnson 83 Andre Reed 89 Steve Tasker Tight ends 88 Pete Metzelaars 84 Keith McKeller 87 Butch Rolle		Offensive linemen 75 Howard BallardT 61 Leonard BurtonC 70 Joe DevlinT 59 Mitch FrerotteG 67 Kent HullC 63 Adam LingnerC 51 Jim RitcherG 62 Mark TraynowiczG 65 Tim VoglerG 73 Will WolfordT Defensive linemen 95 Sean McNanieDE 74 Bruce MesnerNT 94 Mark PikeDE 79 Dean PraterDE 96 Leon SealsDE 76 Fred SmerlasNT 78 Bruce SmithDE		Linebackers 55 Cornelius Bennett OLB 50 Ray Bentley ILB 58 Shane Conlan ILB 52 John Kaiser 54 Eugene Marve ILB 59 Steve Maidlow 97 Scott Radecic ILB/OLB 56 Darryl Talley OLB Defensive backs 29 Derrick BurroughsCB 21 Wayne DavisCB 45 Dwight DraneSS 48 Lawrence JohnsonCB 38 Mark KelsoFS 25 Roland MitchellCB 37 Nate OdomesCB 27 Ron PittsCB 42 Durwood RoquemoreS Special teams 4 John KiddP 11 Scott NorwoodK		Reserve lists 80 Jerry ButlerWR(IRTooltip Injured reserve) -- Roger CaronT(Did not report) -- Chas FoxWR(IRTooltip Injured reserve) 8 Stan GelbaughQB(IRTooltip Injured reserve) 75 Mike HambyDE(IRTooltip Injured reserve) 92 Steve HammondLB(IRTooltip Injured reserve) 71 Dale Hellestrae T/G/C (IRTooltip Injured reserve) 40 Robb RiddickRB(IRTooltip Injured reserve) -- Clint SampsonWR(IRTooltip Injured reserve) 23 Kevin WilliamsCB(IRTooltip Injured reserve) Practice squad —- Willie BeecherK Rookies in italics

Regular season

[edit]

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

Schedule

[edit]

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	atDallas Cowboys	canceled
3	October 4	Indianapolis Colts	L 47–6	1–2	9,860
4	October 11	atNew 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	atMiami 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	atCleveland Browns	L 27–21	4–5	78,409
10	November 22	atNew York Jets	W 17–14	5–5	58,407
11	November 29	Miami Dolphins	W 27–0	6–5	68,055
12	December 6	atLos Angeles Raiders	L 34–21	6–6	43,143
13	December 13	atIndianapolis Colts	W 27–3	7–6	60,253
14	December 20	New England Patriots	L 13–7	7–7	74,945
15	December 27	atPhiladelphia Eagles	L 17–7	7–8	57,547
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

[edit]

Week 2

[edit]

	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

[edit]

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

	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

[edit]

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

	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

[edit]

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

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

atRich 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

[edit]

	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

[edit]

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

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

atRich 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

[edit]

	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

^[9]

Week 15

[edit]

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

	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

^[10]

Standings

[edit]

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

[edit]

Passing

[edit]

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

^[11]

Rushing

[edit]

Player	Games	Attempts	Yards	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

^[11]

Receiving

[edit]

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

^[11]

Defense

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

^[11]

Punting

[edit]

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

^[11]

Awards and honors

[edit]

Defensive Rookie of the Year^[12]

Shane Conlan

Pro Bowl Most Valuable Player

Bruce Smith

References

[edit]

^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p.286

^ "1987 Buffalo Bills draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 15, 2014.

^ 1987 Buffalo Bills Media Guide. pp. 3–24.

^ Pro-Football-Reference.com

^ [1]. Retrieved 2021-Jul-19.

^ [2]. Retrieved 2021-Jun-05.

^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2022-Feb-19.

^ Pro-Football-Reference.com

^ Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved 2022-Mar-23.

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e 1987 Buffalo Bills Statistics & Players – Pro-Football-Reference.com

^ "NFL Rookie of the Year". Archived from the original on September 20, 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2009.

External links

[edit]

1987 Buffalo BillsatPro-Football-Reference.com

Buffalo Bills

Founded in 1960
Based and headquartered in Orchard Park, New York

Franchise

Stadiums

War Memorial Stadium
Highmark Stadium
Rogers Centre (Bills Toronto Series)
New Highmark Stadium (set to open in 2026)

Culture

Lore

Rivalries

Division championships (14)

Conference championships (4)

League championships (2)

1964
1965

Wall of Fame

Media

Owners

Ralph Wilson
Pegula family
- Terry
- Kim

Current league affiliations

League: National Football League (1970–present)
Conference: American Football Conference
Division: East Division

Former league affiliation

League: American Football League (1960–1969)

Category
Commons

1987 NFL season

East	Central	West	East	Central	West
Buffalo	Cincinnati	Denver	Dallas	Chicago	Atlanta
Indianapolis	Cleveland	Kansas City	NY Giants	Detroit	LA Rams
Miami	Houston	LA Raiders	Philadelphia	Green Bay	New Orleans
New England	Pittsburgh	San Diego	St. Louis	Minnesota	San Francisco
NY Jets		Seattle	Washington	Tampa Bay

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