Best, Worst, & Favorite Opening Games

[corta765]

12 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

That ravens game was brutal and it was cold and pouring rain. The next week was when Vontae Davis quit at halftime. What a time!

 

I think I have mentioned this before that my wife and I since we got out house in 2013 do a Bills party typically week 1 (two years we have done week 3). We started with 30 -40 people now it is like 50+. Well 2018 we were pregnant with our first child and we found out the gender right when opening week was so hey lets do a small gender reveal (we cut a cake we didn't burn down a forest lol). This game/party is always a big deal for us and we just hope for a good game, so with the reveal mixed in at half time we were fingers crossed a decent game.

 

NOPE. Haha talk about an absolute disaster of a game which made the gender reveal the only highlight of any form on that day. I think when Josh got a first down in the fourth quarter people actually cheered a little just because it was something of note that wasn't a turnover or TD for Baltimore.

[Freddie's Dead]

14 minutes ago, Logic said:

Worst of all time, never to be defeated:

Bills vs Broncos, 2007. I was at this game.

The Broncos scrambled the field goal unit onto the field and Jason Elam kicked the game winning field goal JUST as the last second ticked off the clock, causing the Bills to lose a game they should've won.

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY...Kevin Everett was paralyzed in this game. It's the most scary, horrific, deflating thing I've ever seen on a football field. All of the opening day excitement was sucked out of the crowd in an instant, replaced by a scared, hushed silence. All of the momentum and energy was sucked out of the team, as well. The loss was heartbreaking, but I didn't even care about the outcome of the game, because what we had just seen on the field with Everett made sports seem really insignificant in comparison.

I felt like the season was over after that game. The Bills would not recover. How could they? Just awful.

 

On the series before the FG, Bills had 3rd and long, but running the football would at least force the Broncos to use their last TO.  Jauron dials up a bomb to Lee Evans, incomplete, and the Broncos said thank you.  If Jauron calls a running play, we win that game.  Idiot.

[Buffalo Boy]

   Personal Fav was 1988 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

    It was my first year of seasons as an 18 year old kid. We were home dogs and it was the beginning to a glorious season were we won all our home games and the East.

[Son of a K-Gun]

30 minutes ago, corta765 said:

 

I think I have mentioned this before that my wife and I since we got out house in 2013 do a Bills party typically week 1 (two years we have done week 3). We started with 30 -40 people now it is like 50+. Well 2018 we were pregnant with our first child and we found out the gender right when opening week was so hey lets do a small gender reveal (we cut a cake we didn't burn down a forest lol). This game/party is always a big deal for us and we just hope for a good game, so with the reveal mixed in at half time we were fingers crossed a decent game.

 

NOPE. Haha talk about an absolute disaster of a game which made the gender reveal the only highlight of any form on that day. I think when Josh got a first down in the fourth quarter people actually cheered a little just because it was something of note that wasn't a turnover or TD for Baltimore.

I just hope you didn't name your child Nathan, or even Peter for that matter.

[corta765]

17 minutes ago, Son of a K-Gun said:

I just hope you didn't name your child Nathan, or even Peter for that matter.

 

Oh don't worry we got Robert and Finn we good haha.

[Ned Flanders]

All good, and bad, choices listed.  For best season openers I was at, I'd have to list 1980 Fish, 1981 Jets, 1988 Vikings, 1991 Fish.

 

Worst openers I was at: 2004 Jags, 1994 Jets, 1997 Vikings, 2018 Ravens.

Edited June 29, 2022 by Ned Flanders

[SoCal Deek]

One that forever stands out was the 1973 opener. OJ cracks off 250 yards in New England and every fan everywhere knew something HUGE was about to happen. 

[Doc Brown]

Best:

2003:  31-0 Win over Pats.  It was our time to take over the division and have Bledsoe lead us to a Super Bowl.

 

Worst:

2003:  31-0 win over Pats. False hope.  The Pats won the Super Bowl and we finished 6-10.

Edited June 29, 2022 by Doc Brown

[corta765]

1 hour ago, Ned Flanders said:

Worst openers I was at: 2004 Jags

I can't even imagine being there. You could feel on broadcast the entire place just get sick the moment the TD happen. The worst thing was the defense blew a fourth down they could've just knocked down going for an INT.

[In Summary]

2 hours ago, Stank_Nasty said:

Personally, one of the worst for me was last years opener. A superbowl contending team that we hadnt gotten to see in person for 2 seasons and they laid a complete clunker. And it was personal for me living in Erie, Pa.  Right on the outskirts of "stiller" country. IMO the most self righteous fan base in all of the NFL.

 

 

That one STUNG.

I remember that as having a good dose of 4-wide and empty backfield and not liking it.  It was a game or two and that was reigned in.  

[Ned Flanders]

3 minutes ago, corta765 said:

I can't even imagine being there. You could feel on broadcast the entire place just get sick the moment the TD happen. The worst thing was the defense blew a fourth down they could've just knocked down going for an INT.

Yup, Nate Clements went for the INT.  A few plays beforehand, the Bills had a game clinching first down wiped out by a phantom holding penalty.  We were in the endzone the Jags scored the winning TD...a lot of expletives flying leaving the Ralph on a very sunny and hot day.

[gonzo1105]

3 hours ago, Logic said:

Worst of all time, never to be defeated:

Bills vs Broncos, 2007. I was at this game.

The Broncos scrambled the field goal unit onto the field and Jason Elam kicked the game winning field goal JUST as the last second ticked off the clock, causing the Bills to lose a game they should've won.

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY...Kevin Everett was paralyzed in this game. It's the most scary, horrific, deflating thing I've ever seen on a football field. All of the opening day excitement was sucked out of the crowd in an instant, replaced by a scared, hushed silence. All of the momentum and energy was sucked out of the team, as well. The loss was heartbreaking, but I didn't even care about the outcome of the game, because what we had just seen on the field with Everett made sports seem really insignificant in comparison.

I felt like the season was over after that game. The Bills would not recover. How could they? Just awful.

 

This times a million. The Bills have had a lot of bad losses but this is the game that I always remember in my brain. It was a horrible loss all the way around. I was at the game it was boring but it was beautiful all day long. Outside of Kevin Everett which was brutal enough, Jay Cutler on the final drive of the game threw a 25 yard post route on like 3rd and 22 deep in their own territory on the final drive. Then the Bills had another 4th down near midfield and the Bills couldn't stop them again. Then they get into field goal range rush the team on and he buries it at the buzzer to win the game in Buffalo. Even worse than that no more than 5 minutes after Cutler/Elam crushed us on opening day, the skies opened up and it started raining on all the fans as they left the stadium. 
 

The Best was the Bills 31-0 win over the Patriots 

 

My favorite is 2 of them. When the Bills drubbed the Chiefs behind Fitzy 41-7 in arrowhead. The other was my first game in person  when the Bills beat the LA Rams 40-7 when Lofton broke the record and Tasker broke a returner in half 

Edited June 29, 2022 by gonzo1105

[brianthomas]

Worst for me was September 9, 2001 New Orleans Saints here for our home opener.

It was hot as hell, down on the field about 100-110.

Aaron Brooks, Joe Horn, Ricky Williams & their D dominated us all day as Rob Johnson threw 3 int's & our offense had no life whatsover.

So naturally we all drank a ton. Nothing worse in the heat either.

1 of my friends we were with brought some illicit substances as a pick me up. I dont condone it, we were young & liked to party. Well turned out to be the exact opposite: ketamine.

If anyone knows what that is, you can imagine... it's not the kind of experience you'd want in the heat & in front of thousands of angry BILLS fans let me tell ya. 1 guy locked himself in the bathroom stall & passed out for the entire 2nd half, until security was alerted & removed him. Another got sick in the stands, it was just a nightmare. And we lost 24-6. And no we never hung out with that guy again. Worst experience ever.

[Marv's Neighbor]

3 hours ago, Greg S said:

 

Yes they did. It felt like we won the Super Bowl instead of going just 1-0.

After going 0 for the 1970's, against the Dol-felons, you bet it was like a SB win.  Just saying, because I've never experienced a SB win.

[machine gun kelly]

4 hours ago, Greg S said:

 

Yes they did. It felt like we won the Super Bowl instead of going just 1-0.

Well it was a 10 year losing record 20x to the Fins in the 70’s.

 

It was so meaningful to my Dad and 40 years later he still hates the Fins even more than the Pats.

[blacklabel]

Best/Favorite

2003 vs Patriots. I was there for that one and it was pretty awesome. 

2019 vs Jets was cool. It gave me the impression that you can't ever count Josh out. He's a gamer. 

 

Worst

2004 vs Jaguars. I was there for this one too. What a bummer. They'd start out 0-4 before going on a late season surge and then poopin' their pants against a buncha Pittsburgh backups. 

 

Future Best 

Whoever they face to open 2023 because they'll be defending champs, ha!

 

[oldmanfan]

Best opener is a tie, and I was at both:

 

1974:  Bills vs. Raiders.  Ferguson brings back twice in the last two minutes to win.  One of the best games I’ve ever seen live

 

1989 vs the Fish:  after 22 games we finally squished the Fish and I helped carry the goalposts to Ralph’s box.

[CSBill]

4 hours ago, Stank_Nasty said:

Personally, one of the worst for me was last years opener. A superbowl contending team that we hadnt gotten to see in person for 2 seasons and they laid a complete clunker. And it was personal for me living in Erie, Pa.  Right on the outskirts of "stiller" country. IMO the most self righteous fan base in all of the NFL.

 

 

That one STUNG.

Agree. It was such a disappointment after all the pre-season hype. Let’s hope we don’t have a repeat this year. 

[ganesh]

5 hours ago, Logic said:

Worst of all time, never to be defeated:

Bills vs Broncos, 2007. I was at this game.

The Broncos scrambled the field goal unit onto the field and Jason Elam kicked the game winning field goal JUST as the last second ticked off the clock, causing the Bills to lose a game they should've won.

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY...Kevin Everett was paralyzed in this game. It's the most scary, horrific, deflating thing I've ever seen on a football field. All of the opening day excitement was sucked out of the crowd in an instant, replaced by a scared, hushed silence. All of the momentum and energy was sucked out of the team, as well. The loss was heartbreaking, but I didn't even care about the outcome of the game, because what we had just seen on the field with Everett made sports seem really insignificant in comparison.

I felt like the season was over after that game. The Bills would not recover. How could they? Just awful.

Hunted down an article from 2014 about Kevin.

"In fact, he’s somebody special. The same man who doctors feared wouldn’t survive the injury has become a doting father of three young girls. Faith is the middle child between 5-year-old Famatta and 1-year-old Kelani. They don’t care about his place in football. They depend on his place in family."

 

https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/everett-finds-peace-as-a-husband-and-dad/article_b0c135cf-e25e-5cd0-8005-c38ee44ad841.html

 

 

[Freddie's Dead]

Another home opener of note was Bills Jests on September 7, 1986.  Jim Kelly makes his debut in a 28-24 loss, but you just knew something big was coming.  I was in the upper deck and remember one play where the Bills were about to go in for a score.  Prior to the snap, Joe Klecko just jumps offside and levels Kelly, who gets up immediately and tries to level Klecko right back.  It was a dirty, cheap play, but everybody at Rich went nuts, and we knew that we had our guy after the Stephenson-Bullough debacle.

Edited June 29, 2022 by Freddie's Dead