AFC Divisional Round at Rich Stadium on Sat January 6, 1990. The Cleveland Browns (9-6-1) travel to face the Buffalo Bills (9-7) in the AFC East matchup.
Marv Levy year four as head coach. Jim Kelly at quarterback. Thurman Thomas at running back. Andre Reed and James Lofton at receiver. The Browns start Bernie Kosar at quarterback. Kevin Mack at running back. Webster Slaughter and Reggie Langhorne at the perimeter. Bud Carson in year one as head coach.
Marv Levy's Bills are 9-7 AFC East champs and the AFC's No. 2 seed. Jim Kelly has thrown for 3,130 yards. Andre Reed has 88 catches for 1,312. James Lofton has 24 catches for 458 in his Buffalo year-one. Thurman Thomas has 298 carries for 1,244. The Browns come in 9-6-1 with Kosar at quarterback. Bud Carson's first-year defensive coaching produced top-five rankings in points allowed.
The Saturday-afternoon divisional matchup is the kind of Brown-Bill rivalry the AFC East has been producing for three years. Cleveland holds a 2-0 head-to-head edge across the regular season.
Divisional Round Saturday opens the playoffs' second weekend. The Bills (AFC #2) host the Browns (AFC #4). The Broncos (AFC #1) host the Steelers (AFC #5 wild-card winner). The Giants (NFC #2) host the Rams (NFC #6). The 49ers (NFC #1) host the Vikings (NFC #4). The Saturday-afternoon AFC matchup is the year's first divisional game.
Through the regular season the Bills finished 9-7 and the Browns finished 9-6-1. The two teams met twice during the regular season; the Browns won both. Jim Kelly 3,130 yards reg season, 25 TDs, 18 INTs. Andre Reed 88 catches for 1,312, 9 TDs. James Lofton 24 catches for 458. Thurman Thomas 298 carries for 1,244. Bernie Kosar 3,533 yards reg season, 18 TDs, 14 INTs. Webster Slaughter 64 catches for 1,236, 6 TDs.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | 9-6-1 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-7 | W3 |
| Houston Oilers | 9-7 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8-8 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 9-7 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 8-8 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8-8 | L2 |
| New England Patriots | 5-11 | L3 |
| New York Jets | 4-12 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 11-5 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8-7-1 | W1 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 8-8 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7-9 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6-10 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 14-2 | W5 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 11-5 | W2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 9-7 | W3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3-13 | L7 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 10-6 | W2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 10-6 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 7-9 | W5 |
| Chicago Bears | 6-10 | L6 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-11 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 12-4 | W3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 11-5 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 10-6 | W5 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 5-11 | L6 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 1-15 | L7 |
1989 Buffalo Bills @ Cleveland Browns AFC divisional playoff
Andre Reed TD - 1989 AFC Divisional Playoffs, Browns vs. Bills
WIVB TV (CBS) Coverage - Browns defeat Bills, 1989 AFC Divisional Playoffs 1/6/90
James Lofton TD - 1989 AFC Divisional Playoffs, Browns vs. Bills
Thurman Thomas TD - 1989 AFC Divisional Playoffs, Browns vs. Bills
Dryden’s Den 1989 playoffs Charlie Jones the intro for Browns vs Bills
Thurman Thomas 2nd TD - 1989 AFC Divisional Playoffs, Browns vs. Bills
The Duel on Dirt! (Bills vs. Browns, 1989 AFC Divisional Playoffs) | NFL Vault Highlights
Cleveland Browns Buffalo Bills Jan. 6 1990 playoff game - live ending, local and ESPN highlights NBC
Dryden’s Den 1989 divisional playoffs Browns defense introduced| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bills | Andre Reed 72 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) | 7-0 |
| Browns | Matt Bahr 45 yard field goal | 7-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Browns | Webster Slaughter 52 yard pass from Bernie Kosar (Matt Bahr kick) | 7-10 |
| Bills | James Lofton 33 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) | 14-10 |
| Browns | Ron Middleton 3 yard pass from Bernie Kosar (Matt Bahr kick) | 14-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Browns | Webster Slaughter 44 yard pass from Bernie Kosar (Matt Bahr kick) | 14-24 |
| Bills | Thurman Thomas 6 yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick) | 21-24 |
| Browns | Eric Metcalf 90 yard kickoff return (Matt Bahr kick) | 21-31 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bills | Scott Norwood 30 yard field goal | 24-31 |
| Browns | Matt Bahr 47 yard field goal | 24-34 |
| Bills | Thurman Thomas 3 yard pass from Jim Kelly | 30-34 |
Bernie Kosar threw three touchdowns and Eric Metcalf returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, and the Cleveland Browns beat the Buffalo Bills 34-30 at Rich Stadium in the AFC Divisional Round. Kosar finished 20 of 29 for 251 yards. Webster Slaughter caught three for 114 with two touchdowns. Jim Kelly threw for 405 yards with four touchdowns to Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas. The Browns improved to 10-6-1 and advanced to the AFC Championship at Denver.[1][2]
Bernie Kosar threw three touchdowns to Webster Slaughter (twice) and Ron Middleton, Eric Metcalf returned a third-quarter kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, and the Cleveland Browns beat the Buffalo Bills 34-30 at Rich Stadium. The Browns move to 10-6-1 and advance to the AFC Championship.
Kosar finished 20 of 29 for 251 with the three touchdowns (Slaughter 52, Ron Middleton 3, Slaughter 44). Slaughter caught three for 114 with the two touchdowns. Kevin Mack ran 12 for 62. Reggie Langhorne caught six for 48. The Browns' offense produced 363 total yards and four touchdowns.
Jim Kelly finished 28 of 54 for 405 with four touchdown passes (Andre Reed 72, James Lofton 33, Thurman Thomas 6, Thurman Thomas 3) and two interceptions. Reed caught six for 115 with the touchdown. Thomas ran 10 for 27 plus 13 catches for 150 with two touchdown receptions. The Bills' offense produced 537 yards but the kind of three-turnover afternoon that lost the divisional matchup.
Browns 34, Bills 30. Margin: plus 4. AFC Divisional Round.
A 34-30 AFC Divisional Round road win for the Cleveland Browns over the Buffalo Bills at Rich Stadium. The Browns advance to the AFC Championship at Denver.
How it unfolded
Andre Reed caught a 72-yard touchdown from Kelly to open the scoring. Matt Bahr kicked a 45-yard field goal. Webster Slaughter caught a 52-yarder for 10-7. James Lofton caught a 33-yarder for 14-7. Ron Middleton's 3-yard touchdown reception made it 17-7. Thurman Thomas caught a 6-yarder for 17-14. Slaughter caught a 44-yarder for 24-14. Eric Metcalf's 90-yard kickoff return touchdown made it 31-14. Scott Norwood kicked a 30-yard field goal. Bahr's 47-yard field goal made it 34-17. Kelly hit Thomas on a 3-yard touchdown for 34-30 final score.
The turning point
Eric Metcalf's 90-yard kickoff return touchdown in the third quarter. With the Bills having cut a 17-7 deficit to 17-14, the kickoff return for a touchdown extended the lead to 24-14 and the kind of two-score margin the Bills' offense could not fully close.
By the numbers
Kosar 20 of 29 for 251 with three touchdowns. Slaughter three catches for 114 with the two touchdowns. Kevin Mack 62 on 12. Eric Metcalf's 90-yard kickoff return was the divisional round's signature special-teams play. Kelly 28 of 54 for 405 with four touchdowns and two interceptions. The Bills' 537 yards were the highest single-game total in any AFC playoff game across the year.
What it means
10-6-1. AFC Championship at Denver next Sunday. The Browns advance to the conference championship.
| Bills | Browns | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 24 | 18 |
| Total Yards | 453 | 325 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 28/54 | 20/29 |
| Pass yards | 405 | 251 |
| Pass TD | 4 | 3 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 1 | 2 |
| Sack yards lost | 1 | 16 |
| Net pass yards | 404 | 235 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 18 | 30 |
| Rush yards | 49 | 90 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties | 6 | 5 |
| Penalty yards | 35 | 30 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUF | |||||
| Jim Kelly | 28/54 | 405 | 4 | 2 | 85.8 |
| CLE | |||||
| Bernie Kosar | 20/29 | 251 | 3 | 0 | 130.1 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUF | ||||
| Thurman Thomas | 10 | 27 | 0 | 7 |
| Larry Kinnebrew | 7 | 17 | 0 | 6 |
| Jim Kelly | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| CLE | ||||
| Kevin Mack | 12 | 62 | 0 | 15 |
| Barry Redden | 6 | 13 | 0 | 9 |
| Lawyer Tillman | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Tim Manoa | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| Eric Metcalf | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Reggie Langhorne | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bernie Kosar | 3 | -1 | 0 | 1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUF | ||||
| Thurman Thomas | 13 | 150 | 2 | 27 |
| Andre Reed | 6 | 115 | 1 | 72 |
| James Lofton | 3 | 66 | 1 | 33 |
| Ronnie Harmon | 4 | 50 | 0 | 22 |
| Don Beebe | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| Larry Kinnebrew | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| CLE | ||||
| Webster Slaughter | 3 | 114 | 2 | 52 |
| Reggie Langhorne | 6 | 48 | 0 | 16 |
| Ozzie Newsome | 4 | 35 | 0 | 12 |
| Kevin Mack | 2 | 19 | 0 | 14 |
| Brian Brennan | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Ron Middleton | 3 | 12 | 1 | 5 |
| Eric Metcalf | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
Find or start the canonical thread for this game on r/49ers. The thread title is deterministic so anyone running this Rewatch lands on the same place.
Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1989 Divisional Round - Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns - Game Thread