Serious Question.... How On Earth Did The Oilers Lose To The Bills?

[Phil The Thrill]

It’s the offseason and it’s been slow on the NFL front, so a few weeks ago, I started watching the Bills-Oilers playoff game from 1993.

 

I was floored at how awesome Houston looked in the first half.  Moon was absolutely slinging it, and it appeared that the Bills DL couldn’t get anywhere near him.  The Houston receivers were consistently winning matchups vs the Buffalo secondary.  Basically it just looked TOO easy.  Almost like some of the 2007 Bills defense trying to defend Tom Brady and Randy Moss.

 

Here’s what I want to ask, because I couldn’t quite tell.  From a schematic approach, what changed in the Oilers offense or with the Bills defense that allows the Houston offense to generate just 3 points in the second half? 
 

Also, it seems criminal that Moon and this offense never got a chance to player in a Super Bowl.  They were a wicked talented offense with great talent at skills positions:

 

WR: Jeffries, Givens, Slaughter, Duncan

RB: Lorenzo White and Gary Brown.  
 

I forgot that in the following season, the team was in disarray coming off the playoff loss to the Bills but then rattled off 11 straight wins.  The 93 team was even better and a legit SB contender, but they eventually were upset by Broadway Joe Montana.

 

Still...man what a team.  

Edited February 26, 2020 by Phil The Thrill

[CajunBillsBacker]

They went into prevent defense.

[ALLEN1QB]

2 minutes ago, CajunBillsBacker said:

They went into prevent defense.

That combined with refusing to run the ball and take time off the clock. A deadly combination for sure.

[Phil The Thrill]

4 minutes ago, CajunBillsBacker said:

They went into prevent defense.

No but I mean from an offensive standpoint 

1 minute ago, ALLEN1QB said:

That combined with refusing to run the ball and take time off the clock. A deadly combination for sure.

Maybe but they weren’t having a ton of success on the ground.  White finished with 19 carries for 75 yards.  Maybe a little less than normal for a 1992 RB, but not terrible low

[ALLEN1QB]

I also remember buffalo getting lucky with a few calls I think Reed or one of the receivers went out of bounds and they did not call it. Give Buffalo credit Levy made some real gutsy calls that most coaches wouldn't do and they worked. Going for a TD instead of kicking a sure FG and the onside kicks come to mind.

Edited February 26, 2020 by ALLEN1QB

[Steve O]

15 minutes ago, ALLEN1QB said:

I also remember buffalo getting lucky with a few calls I think Reed or one of the receivers went out of bounds and they did not call it

Beebe went out of bounds on the second touchdown, right after the onside kick recovery. No replay then. 

To the OP's point, not only did the Oilers dominate the first half, one week earlier they had dominated the Bills 27-3. So through 6 quarters of football the Oilers held a 55-6 scoring advantage. 

Edited February 26, 2020 by Steve O

[Augie]

I was there, as were we all, and I can say it’s just because we were the better team. Spot them a little lead, just to make it sporting, no biggie......

[NoHuddleKelly12]

Momentum is a real thing in games and when it shifts to the other team during the course of a game, how well is such a shift contained/managed? The Oilers on that day almost in lockstep seemed confused and had no answers on either side of the ball once the Bills opened up their attack and adjusted their game plan in terms of run/pass selection, executed, and caught a few timely breaks (onside kick recovery, TD on 4th down instead of FG, etc.); for me listening on the Westwood One radio call, there was an air of almost inevitability in the 4th quarter following the Bills’ furious offensive output in the 3rd, where you knew that on this day, we were not going to be denied, even after Houston tied the game at the end and forced OT (sound familiar in reverse??). The Bills finally executed and the Oilers choked—it was and will always remain a historic thing of beauty—I’d be shocked if the margin record is ever matched/broken. 

 

Note: Reich never broke 300 yards in the game! (Gulp)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Comeback_(American_football)

[QCity]

After the McDowell pick to start the 2nd half and make it 35-3, they just assumed victory and set the car to idle. Then when we started scoring and it got uncomfortable, they couldn't get the engine going. By that time they were facing a tsunami of momentum. 

[White Linen]

That's what made it so historic.

[NoHuddleKelly12]

21 minutes ago, Steve O said:

Beebe went out of bounds on the second touchdown, right after the onside kick recovery. No replay then. 

To the OP's point, not only did the Oilers dominate the first half, one week earlier they had dominated the Bills 27-3. So through 6 quarters of football the Oilers held a 55-6 scoring advantage. 

The Bills then turned around and throttled them for the rematch in 1993, 35-7 on MNF with Kelly back in the saddle...

[machine gun kelly]

Funny, as a much different situation, but the only thing the same is my parents would tell me everyone knew where they were for the Kennedy assasination, and for many of us the Challenger explosion.  Not that these tragedies have anything to do with this game, but only that I’ll never forget where I was for that game and how low and High I was from that game.  Again not comparing these horrible circumstances, just for those of us old enough it was a Bills moment you just never forget.

 

I remember after the game, “May God Be with You” Frank Reich quoted bible scripture in the post game locker room interviews.  Very classy.  Amazing the man has the greatest comeback of all time in the NFL, and in College at Maryland.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

The Bills were awesome  

 

 

[auburnbillsbacker]

Was the game on tv?  I seem recall it being a black out since the game was not sold out.

[Tjm3]

6 hours ago, Phil The Thrill said:

I forgot that in the following season, the team was in disarray coming off the playoff loss to the Bills but then rattled off 11 straight wins.  The 93 team was even better and a legit SB contender, but they eventually were upset by Broadway Joe Montana.

You should google Broadway Joe.

[cage]

Football is a game of momentum.  You can have all of it in one moment, then the other team does something well; gets a turnover, converts a key 3rd/4th down or for example, TJ Watts sack and then it all changes.  Once it changes, one bad thing after another happens going the other direction.  We see it all the time.  That game is obviously an extreme example of this, but it happens.  Once the momentum gets into a team's head one bad thing after another unfolds right before our eyes....

[row_33]

Insisted on continually throwing the ball, running it a few times would have run the clock out

Edited February 26, 2020 by row_33

[Big Turk]

The same way the Falcons lost to the Pats after being up 28-3

[thebandit27]

Buffalo got a LOT more physical on defense; started using LBs to batter Houston’s 4 WR set and throw off the timing of the R-A-S.

 

Offensively, Kenny Davis’ hard-nosed running style was a better matchup against a Houston defense that played nickel and dime to avoid big plays.

 

That, and a little bit of luck between the OS kick, the Beebe play, and Montgomery muffing a FG snap.

[Chandler#81]

7 hours ago, Phil The Thrill said:

It’s the offseason and it’s been slow on the NFL front, so a few weeks ago, I started watching the Bills-Oilers playoff game from 1993.

 

I was floored at how awesome Houston looked in the first half.  Moon was absolutely slinging it, and it appeared that the Bills DL couldn’t get anywhere near him.  The Houston receivers were consistently winning matchups vs the Buffalo secondary.  Basically it just looked TOO easy.  Almost like some of the 2007 Bills defense trying to defend Tom Brady and Randy Moss.

 

Here’s what I want to ask, because I couldn’t quite tell.  From a schematic approach, what changed in the Oilers offense or with the Bills defense that allows the Houston offense to generate just 3 points in the second half? 
 

Also, it seems criminal that Moon and this offense never got a chance to player in a Super Bowl.  They were a wicked talented offense with great talent at skills positions:

 

WR: Jeffries, Givens, Slaughter, Duncan

RB: Lorenzo White and Gary Brown.  
 

I forgot that in the following season, the team was in disarray coming off the playoff loss to the Bills but then rattled off 11 straight wins.  The 93 team was even better and a legit SB contender, but they eventually were upset by Broadway Joe Montana.

 

Still...man what a team.  

Oiler offense didn’t measure up against Fouts’ Chargers and they never played in Super Bowl either, though they did make a couple AFC Championship games.

 

Broadway Joe Montana???‍♂️