AFC Wild Card: Houston Oilers at Buffalo Bills (Rich Stadium), the bracket opens here. Kickoff time: 12:30pm. Winner advances to the divisional round. Loser starts the offseason early.
Wild card weekend is the most chaotic football the calendar produces. Houston Oilers at Buffalo Bills at Rich Stadium is the kind of game that decides whether a season was a long buildup or a quick exit. These are the games where the second-tier playoff teams have to prove they belong. Most don't. The few who do define the rest of January.
The bracket has narrowed to the teams that survived the regular season. Houston Oilers and Buffalo Bills are two of them; the rest of the league is in scouting mode for the offseason. What happens in Rich Stadium shifts the rest of the tree: a road favorite winning rearranges seeding expectations; a home upset shows the bracket math underweights heart.
Houston Oilers versus Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Houston Oilers-Buffalo Bills cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 11-5 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 10-6 | W2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 7-9 | L3 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 5-11 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 11-5 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 11-5 | W3 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 9-7 | W5 |
| New York Jets | 4-12 | L3 |
| New England Patriots | 2-14 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 11-5 | W7 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 10-6 | W1 |
| Denver Broncos | 8-8 | L1 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 7-9 | W1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 2-14 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 14-2 | W8 |
| New Orleans Saints | 12-4 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6-10 | L2 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6-10 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 11-5 | W2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 9-7 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 5-11 | L2 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-11 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 13-3 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 11-5 | W4 |
| Washington Redskins | 9-7 | L2 |
| New York Giants | 6-10 | L1 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 4-12 | L2 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Oilers | 7 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 728353838 |
| Buffalo Bills | 3 | 0 | 28 | 7 | 33313841 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Oilers | Haywood Jeffires 3 yard pass from Warren Moon ( Al Del Greco kick) | 7-0 |
| Bills | Steve Christie 36 yard field goal | 7-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Oilers | Webster Slaughter 7 yard pass from Warren Moon ( Al Del Greco kick) | 14-3 |
| Oilers | Curtis Duncan 26 yard pass from Warren Moon ( Al Del Greco kick) | 21-3 |
| Oilers | Haywood Jeffires 27 yard pass from Warren Moon ( Al Del Greco kick) | 28-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Oilers | Bubba McDowell 58 yard interception return ( Al Del Greco kick) | 35-3 |
| Bills | Kenneth Davis 1 yard rush ( Steve Christie kick) | 35-10 |
| Bills | Don Beebe 38 yard pass from Frank Reich ( Steve Christie kick) | 35-17 |
| Bills | Andre Reed 26 yard pass from Frank Reich ( Steve Christie kick) | 35-24 |
| Bills | Andre Reed 18 yard pass from Frank Reich ( Steve Christie kick) | 35-31 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bills | Andre Reed 17 yard pass from Frank Reich ( Steve Christie kick) | 35-38 |
| Oilers | Al Del Greco 26 yard field goal | 38-38 |
| OT | ||
| Bills | Steve Christie 32 yard field goal | 38-41 |
| Oilers | Bills | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 27 | 19 |
| Total Yards | 429 | 366 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 36/50 | 21/34 |
| Pass yards | 371 | 289 |
| Pass TD | 4 | 4 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 4 | 3 |
| Sack yards lost | 24 | 21 |
| Net pass yards | 347 | 268 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 22 | 26 |
| Rush yards | 82 | 98 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties | 4 | 4 |
| Penalty yards | 30 | 30 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU | |||||
| Warren Moon | 36/50 | 371 | 4 | 2 | |
| BUF | |||||
| Frank Reich | 21/34 | 289 | 4 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU | ||||
| Lorenzo White | 19 | 75 | 0 | 14 |
| Warren Moon | 2 | 7 | 0 | 5 |
| Greg Montgomery | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Glenn Montgomery | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| BUF | ||||
| Kenneth Davis | 13 | 68 | 1 | 35 |
| Thurman Thomas | 11 | 26 | 0 | 6 |
| Carwell Gardner | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Frank Reich | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU | ||||
| Ernest Givins | 9 | 117 | 0 | 27 |
| Haywood Jeffires | 8 | 98 | 2 | 32 |
| Webster Slaughter | 8 | 73 | 1 | 18 |
| Curtis Duncan | 8 | 57 | 1 | 26 |
| Leonard Harris | 2 | 15 | 0 | 9 |
| Lorenzo White | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| BUF | ||||
| Andre Reed | 8 | 136 | 3 | 27 |
| Don Beebe | 4 | 64 | 1 | 38 |
| Pete Metzelaars | 3 | 43 | 0 | 24 |
| Kenneth Davis | 2 | 25 | 0 | 19 |
| James Lofton | 2 | 24 | 0 | 18 |
| Thurman Thomas | 2 | -3 | 0 | 1 |
Buffalo Bills defeated Houston Oilers 41-38 at Rich Stadium in the AFC Wild Card. The final scoring play was Bills: Steve Christie 32 yard field goal. The result came down to the final possession; Buffalo Bills won by 3. Top line of the day: Warren Moon: 371 pass yards on 36-of-50, 4 TD, 2 INT. Buffalo Bills advance to the divisional round.
Buffalo Bills walked out of Rich Stadium as the team that survived an AFC Wild Card Houston Oilers will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 41-38. The game stayed within 3 points throughout, the kind of contest where every drive felt like a referendum and every defensive stop carried twice its usual weight. The final scoring play came from Bills: Steve Christie 32 yard field goal. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Buffalo Bills advance to the divisional round.
Buffalo Bills 41, Houston Oilers 38. Round: AFC Wild Card. Attendance: 75141. Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 3 scoring plays. Q3: 5 scoring plays. Q4: 2 scoring plays. OT: 1 scoring play. Top performers: - Warren Moon: 371 pass yards on 36-of-50, 4 TD, 2 INT - Lorenzo White: 75 rush yards on 19 carries - Andre Reed: 8 catches for 136 yards
AFC Wild Card, played at Rich Stadium. Final: Houston Oilers 38, Buffalo Bills 41, with Buffalo Bills taking the result by 3. **First quarter**
- Oilers: Haywood Jeffires 3 yard pass from Warren Moon ( Al Del Greco kick) - Bills: Steve Christie 36 yard field goal
**Second quarter**
- Oilers: Webster Slaughter 7 yard pass from Warren Moon ( Al Del Greco kick) - Oilers: Curtis Duncan 26 yard pass from Warren Moon ( Al Del Greco kick) - Oilers: Haywood Jeffires 27 yard pass from Warren Moon ( Al Del Greco kick)
**Third quarter**
- Oilers: Bubba McDowell 58 yard interception return ( Al Del Greco kick) - Bills: Kenneth Davis 1 yard rush ( Steve Christie kick) - Bills: Don Beebe 38 yard pass from Frank Reich ( Steve Christie kick) - Bills: Andre Reed 26 yard pass from Frank Reich ( Steve Christie kick) - Bills: Andre Reed 18 yard pass from Frank Reich ( Steve Christie kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- Bills: Andre Reed 17 yard pass from Frank Reich ( Steve Christie kick) - Oilers: Al Del Greco 26 yard field goal
**Overtime**
- Bills: Steve Christie 32 yard field goal
**Top performers**
- Warren Moon: 371 pass yards on 36-of-50, 4 TD, 2 INT - Lorenzo White: 75 rush yards on 19 carries - Andre Reed: 8 catches for 136 yards
A 3-point margin in AFC Wild Card is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.