AFC Divisional Round at Rich Stadium on Sun January 1, 1989. The Houston Oilers (11-6) travel to face the Buffalo Bills (12-4) in the AFC East matchup.
Marv Levy year four as head coach. Jim Kelly at quarterback. Thurman Thomas at running back. Andre Reed at receiver. The Oilers come off the 24-23 wild-card road win at Cleveland. Warren Moon at quarterback. Mike Rozier and Allen Pinkett share the backfield.
Marv Levy's Bills are the AFC's No. 2 seed and the AFC East champs. Jim Kelly has thrown for 3,380 yards. Thurman Thomas has 207 carries for 881. Andre Reed has 71 catches for 968. The Oilers come in 11-6 with Warren Moon's run-and-shoot offense producing the kind of passing volume that has had Houston in the playoffs for two years.
The Sunday divisional matchup at Rich Stadium is the year's first marquee AFC playoff game.
Divisional Round Sunday continues the playoffs' second weekend. The Bills (AFC #2) host the Oilers (AFC #5). The Bengals (AFC #1) host the Seahawks. The Bears (NFC #1) host the Eagles. The 49ers (NFC #2) host the Vikings. The Sunday-afternoon AFC matchup is the year's first AFC East divisional matchup.
Through the regular season the Bills finished 12-4 and the Oilers finished 10-6. Jim Kelly 3,380 yards reg season, 15 TDs, 17 INTs. Thurman Thomas 207 carries for 881. Andre Reed 71 catches for 968. James Lofton 9 for 116. Warren Moon 2,327 reg season yards. The two teams played twice in the regular season.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 12-4 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 10-6 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 10-6 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 12-4 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 9-7 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 9-7 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 8-7-1 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6-10 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 8-8 | W1 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 7-9 | L2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6-10 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-11-1 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 10-6 | W3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 10-6 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 10-6 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5-11 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 12-4 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 11-5 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-11 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-12 | L2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-12 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 10-6 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | W2 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 7-9 | L5 |
| Washington Redskins | 7-9 | L2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 3-13 | L1 |
1988 AFC Divisional - Seahawks vs Bengals
Flashback Friday: Seahawks, Bills Faking Injuries during 1988 Playoffs to try and Slow Down Bengals?
1988 AFC Divisional Playoff – Buffalo Bills vs Seattle Seahawks | Full Game
Seahawks Injuries, 1988 Playoffs
1988 PLAYOFFS SEAHAWKS AT BENGALS PART 1
1988 PLAYOFFS SEAHAWKS AT BEGALS PART 2
1988 PLAYOFFS SEAHAWKS AT BEGALS PART 3| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bengals | Stanley Wilson 3 yard rush (Jim Breech kick) | 0-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bengals | Stanley Wilson 3 yard rush (Jim Breech kick) | 0-14 |
| Bengals | Ickey Woods 1 yard rush (Jim Breech kick) | 0-21 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | John Williams 7 yard pass from Dave Krieg (Norm Johnson kick) | 7-21 |
| Seahawks | Dave Krieg 1 yard rush | 13-21 |
Thurman Thomas ran for 75 yards, Jim Kelly threw a 19-yard touchdown to Andre Reed, and the Buffalo Bills beat the Houston Oilers 17-10 at Rich Stadium in the AFC Divisional Round. Kelly finished 19 of 33 for 244 yards. Robb Riddick ran in a 1-yard touchdown. Warren Moon threw a touchdown to Tony Zendejas's brother (no relation) and finished with 270 yards. The Bills improved to 13-4 and advanced to the AFC Championship.[1][2]
Thurman Thomas's 75 rushing yards and Jim Kelly's 19-yard touchdown to Andre Reed produced the Buffalo Bills' 17-10 AFC Divisional Round home win over the Houston Oilers at Rich Stadium. The Bills advance to the AFC Championship.
Kelly finished 19 of 33 for 244 yards with the touchdown to Reed (19-yarder in the second quarter). Robb Riddick added a 1-yard rushing touchdown. Thurman Thomas ran 24 for 75. Andre Reed caught six for 87 with the touchdown. James Lofton three for 65. Scott Norwood made a 27-yarder.
Warren Moon finished 21 of 31 for 270 with one touchdown (Drew Hill 35) and one interception. Mike Rozier ran 16 for 47. The Oilers' offense produced one touchdown drive and one Tony Zendejas field goal. The Bills' defensive front produced four sacks of Moon and held the run game to 97 yards on 22 carries.
Bills 17, Oilers 10. Margin: plus 7. AFC Divisional Round.
A 17-10 AFC Divisional Round home win for the Buffalo Bills over the Houston Oilers at Rich Stadium. The Bills advance to the AFC Championship at Cincinnati.
How it unfolded
Scott Norwood kicked a 27-yarder first. Robb Riddick's 1-yard rush made it 10-0. Tony Zendejas kicked a 35-yarder. Reed caught a 19-yarder for 17-3. Drew Hill caught a 35-yarder for the final 17-10.
The turning point
The Reed 19-yard touchdown in the second quarter. After the Oilers had cut the lead to 10-3 on Zendejas' field goal, the Bills' second-quarter possession that produced the Reed touchdown gave Buffalo a 17-3 lead the Oilers' run-and-shoot offense could not close.
By the numbers
Kelly 19 of 33 for 244. Thurman Thomas 75 on 24 (3.1 ypc). Reed six for 87 with the touchdown. Moon 21 of 31 for 270 with the touchdown. The Bills' defense produced four sacks of Moon.
What it means
13-4. AFC Championship at Cincinnati next Sunday.
| Seahawks | Bengals | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 19 | 22 |
| Total Yards | 294 | 345 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 24/50 | 7/19 |
| Pass yards | 297 | 108 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 2 |
| Sack yards lost | 21 | 17 |
| Net pass yards | 276 | 91 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 17 | 47 |
| Rush yards | 18 | 254 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 3 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 3 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 2 |
| Penalties | 5 | 2 |
| Penalty yards | 45 | 29 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEA | |||||
| Dave Krieg | 24/50 | 297 | 1 | 2 | 56.8 |
| CIN | |||||
| Boomer Esiason | 7/19 | 108 | 0 | 0 | 56.5 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEA | ||||
| Curt Warner | 8 | 11 | 0 | 8 |
| John Williams | 7 | 10 | 0 | 3 |
| Dave Krieg | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| CIN | ||||
| Ickey Woods | 23 | 126 | 1 | 30 |
| James Brooks | 13 | 72 | 0 | 26 |
| Stanley Wilson | 7 | 45 | 2 | 20 |
| Boomer Esiason | 4 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEA | ||||
| John Williams | 11 | 137 | 1 | 37 |
| Brian Blades | 5 | 78 | 0 | 24 |
| Ray Butler | 2 | 40 | 0 | 32 |
| Steve Largent | 2 | 17 | 0 | 12 |
| Paul Skansi | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Louis Clark | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| John Spagnola | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Curt Warner | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| CIN | ||||
| Rodney Holman | 3 | 44 | 0 | 24 |
| Cris Collinsworth | 1 | 30 | 0 | 30 |
| Eddie Brown | 1 | 23 | 0 | 23 |
| James Brooks | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Jim Riggs | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
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