“Redemption for those Fateful Thirteen Fourteen Seconds” | Article by Don Purdy: Author of Thunder Snow of Buffalo – The October Surprise Storm, and former Bills Front Office Executive
So, it came down to this.
By executing the final fourteen seconds of regulation of this road Divisional Playoff game, the Bills would advance to the AFC Championship game where they’d reached the previous year, but come up short.
The talented, young (yet experienced) repeat AFC East Champions were expected to host this Divisional Playoff, but a couple of uncharacteristic regular season stumbles, including getting run over by the Colts, spoiled that plan and sent them on the road.
But no worries. Despite a season-ending injury to their leader in the secondary, the Bills were ultra-talented as built by a most capable General Manager and run by a highly-respected Head Coach. Their 4th-year quarterback had established himself as among the league’s best and their guru Offensive Coordinator would soon be recruited as a Head Coach for another team. The Bills were quite simply a team that nobody wanted to play. The Super Bowl was reasonably in their sights.
The game had more than lived up to its billing on this gray January day. A virtual track meet with multiple lead changes featured highlight-film plays that would burn into the collective memories of fans of both teams – especially this next and final set of plays.
With just fourteen seconds left, the Bills had positioned themselves “to take care of business.” Despite a win probability that most would take in a heartbeat, they still had a couple of decisions to make, then execute.
Down four points and with two chances from deep in the Red Zone, Jim Kelly had options that would make any quarterback jealous. His talented, experienced, and gritty Offensive Line would surely buy him time to find either of his Pro Bowl Receivers, Andre Reed or James Lofton. Rookie speedster, Don Beebe, who had just earlier brought the entire (visiting) stadium to a hush after landing violently on his head, had proven his ability to get open. Kelly could turn to his 2nd year Running Back, Thurman Thomas, who had already amassed a career-high 13 receptions on the day. Running the ball himself was probably not a viable option although he’d done so for the game-winning score earlier that season at Miami.
With 80,000 on their feet at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Kelly received the shotgun snap from Center, Kent Hull, and rainbowed a soft pass over the Cleveland linebackers to multi-purpose back, Ronnie Harmon. During the regular season, the sure-handed Harmon had wowed Bills fans with leaping, one-handed grabs. This play required none of those acrobatic feats. Harmon had gained separation from his defender in the back of the end zone. Ample real estate remained to secure the ball and keep both feet in bounds. Given the stakes, the ball seemed to hang in the air forever, in slow-motion (just like the movies) – a precursor to and preview of an even more important kick just over twelve months in their future. The ball appeared to make contact with all ten of Harmon’s fingers, yet…rolled off of them, incomplete.
Bills fans (of which there were many of us in attendance) and on TV gasped. Browns fans sighed in relief. But there was still time for one more play. Perhaps retrospectively, with the notoriety of the Harmon drop, this next play never carried the same drama. A touchdown here would have won the game the same way the previous play would have. Jim Kelly’s bullet into the end zone hit Browns linebacker, Clay Matthews, in the throat, which he held onto for the interception. Ugh. But it was the Harmon play, eventually dubbed “The Drop” that haunts Bills fans as the “coulda, woulda, shoulda.”
It stung. Hard. It made for a cruel, painful offseason. That was the bad news.
Entering the next season, 1990, the good news was better than the bad news had been bad. Having kept their talented and deep roster almost completely intact (minus Harmon who was released and signed with the Chargers), the Bills were poised to have their best season ever. Everyone knew it. Bills fans, NFL fans, Media, Vegas, and most importantly, the Bills themselves whose future Hall of Fame General Manager, Bill Polian, and Head Coach, Marv Levy, managed to perfection. Their 13-3 record, including. a 42-0 rout of those same Browns on that same field ten months later earned them the coveted Bye, Top Seed, and home field advantage.
…and they did NOT waste it.
In the two home playoff games, their unstoppable no-huddle offense, which was conceived the year before in the Cleveland playoff game, produced 44 and 51 points versus Marino and Shula’s Dolphins and Marcus Allen, Bo Jackson, and Howie Long’s Raiders respectively – 95 points in two games! Their 51-3 obliteration of the Raiders in the AFC Championship Game earned them a trip to Tampa for their first Super Bowl for which they were 7-point favorites over the New York Giants. That is an article (or several) for a different day.
Fast forward to the rapidly-approaching Fall of 2022. Leaving the aforementioned teases aside, the 1990 and 2022 Bills appear on an eerily parallel path. Fans need no reminder of what happened in Kansas City last January. Nor does the team. Like Polian and Levy, Beane and McDermott know their team’s strengths (of which there are many) and weaknesses (of which there are few). The 2022 Bills welcome their own Quarterback Hunter, future Hall of Famer, Von Miller, to evoke Bruce-like “bad things.” They have not just one, but two of the league’s best safeties. Perhaps most importantly, egos, beginning with their unquestioned leader on the field at the league’s most important position, Josh Allen, are not a factor. They are ALL in.
Fasten your seatbelts, Bills fans. It’s déjà vu all over again!
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