# 1984 Buffalo Bills season

The 1984 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 15th season in the National Football League, and the 25th overall. The team started the season with eleven consecutive losses before an upset home win over Dallas in Week 12. The 1984 Bills gave up a team-record 454 points on defense, an average of more than 28 per game.
The Bills gave up 30+ points eight times and allowed fewer than 20 points in a game only three times all season. The Bills also allowed sixty quarterback sacks, for a total of 554 yards, the most-ever at the time. The Bills’ 4,341 total yards gained was second-worst in the league in 1984 (only the Colts gained fewer total yards). The 1984 Bills are one of only two NFL teams to have been outscored by 25 points six different times during the season. This season is notable for being Pete Carroll’s first NFL coaching experience. The Bills failed to win a single road game.

## Offseason
### Uniform change

For the third time in team history, the Bills changed their helmets. While keeping the streaking buffalo logo from the second change, the Bills changed their helmet color from white to red. They would keep the red helmet through the 2010 season. It was the Bills first major change to their helmets since changing from the "standing Bison" to the streaking buffalo before the 1974 season. Since three of the Bills' four AFC Eastern division opponents—Miami, Indianapolis and New England—then had white helmets (the Jets wore green helmets but would wear white ones from 1998 to 2018; the Patriots have used silver helmets since 1993), "it was easier for [Ferguson] to distinguish and that's the reason why we made the switch." Ferguson had thrown a high number of interceptions over the previous two seasons, and coach Kay Stephenson hoped it would help the quarterback reduce them. Ironically, 1984 was Ferguson's last year with the Bills, and only year with the red helmets; Ferguson, after 107 consecutive starts dating to the 1977 season (at the time tied with the league record), was benched in favor of Joe Dufek on September 30. Ferguson's interception total actually increased compared to the previous year, and he would go on to play for at least three more teams (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts and Canadian football's San Antonio Texans) that all had white helmets.
The Bills wore white jerseys for all 1984 home games, the only time they have done so in franchise history. Buffalo wore white at home occasionally every other year from 1980 to 1986, and has done so since 2011.

### NFL draft

Notre Dame running back Greg Bell made the Pro Bowl in his rookie season; he was later traded to the Los Angeles Rams in the blockbuster three-team Eric Dickerson trade. Defensive end Sean McNanie played for the team for four of his seven NFL seasons. Punter John Kidd played his first six seasons with Buffalo; his career lasted a total of 15 seasons.
1984 Buffalo Bills draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 26 | Greg Bell * | Running back | Notre Dame |
| 2 | 41 | Eric Richardson | Wide receiver | San Jose State |
| 3 | 77 | Rodney Bellinger | Defensive back | Miami (FL) |
| 3 | 79 | Sean McNanie | Defensive end | San Diego State |
| 3 | 82 | Speedy Neal | Running back | Miami (FL) |
| 4 | 95 | Mitchell Brookins | Wide receiver | Illinois |
| 5 | 128 | John Kidd | Punter | Northwestern |
| 6 | 155 | Tony Slaton | Center | USC |
| 7 | 182 | Stan David | Linebacker | Texas Tech |
| 8 | 209 | Stacy Rayfield | Defensive back | Texas–Arlington |
| 9 | 236 | Leroy Howell | Defensive end | Appalachian State |
| 10 | 263 | Joe Azelby | Linebacker | Harvard |
| 11 | 299 | Craig White | Wide receiver | Missouri |
| 12 | 322 | Russell Davis | Wide receiver | Maryland |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 2 | New England Patriots | L 17–21 | 0–1 | Rich Stadium | 48,528 |
| 2 | September 9 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 7–37 | 0–2 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 35,785 |
| 3 | September 17 | Miami Dolphins | L 17–21 | 0–3 | Rich Stadium | 65,455 |
| 4 | September 23 | New York Jets | L 26–28 | 0–4 | Rich Stadium | 48,330 |
| 5 | September 30 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 17–31 | 0–5 | Hoosier Dome | 60,032 |
| 6 | October 7 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 17–27 | 0–6 | Rich Stadium | 37,555 |
| 7 | October 14 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 28–31 | 0–7 | Kingdome | 59,034 |
| 8 | October 21 | Denver Broncos | L 7–37 | 0–8 | Rich Stadium | 31,204 |
| 9 | October 28 | at Miami Dolphins | L 7–38 | 0–9 | Miami Orange Bowl | 58,824 |
| 10 | November 4 | Cleveland Browns | L 10–13 | 0–10 | Rich Stadium | 33,343 |
| 11 | November 11 | at New England Patriots | L 10–38 | 0–11 | Sullivan Stadium | 43,313 |
| 12 | November 18 | Dallas Cowboys | W 14–3 | 1–11 | Rich Stadium | 74,391 |
| 13 | November 25 | at Washington Redskins | L 14–41 | 1–12 | RFK Stadium | 51,513 |
| 14 | December 2 | Indianapolis Colts | W 21–15 | 2–12 | Rich Stadium | 20,693 |
| 15 | December 8 | at New York Jets | L 17–21 | 2–13 | Giants Stadium | 45,378 |
| 16 | December 16 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 21–52 | 2–14 | Riverfront Stadium | 55,771 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

### Game summaries
#### Week 3 (Monday, September 17, 1984): vs. Miami Dolphins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dolphins (3–0) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Bills (0–3) | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
at Rich Stadium • Orchard Park, New York
* Date: September 17, 1984
* Game time: 9:01 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C); wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
* Game attendance: 65,455
* Referee: Bob Frederic
* TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford (play-by-play) and O. J. Simpson (color commentator)
| Team | Category |
| MIA | Passing |
| MIA | Rushing |
| MIA | Receiving |
| BUF | Passing |
| BUF | Rushing |
| BUF | Receiving |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | MIA | BUF |
| 1 | 2:09 | 8 | 62 | 5:13 | Dolphins | Duper 11-yard touchdown reception from Marino, von Schamann kick good | 7 | 0 |
| 2 | 5:04 | 9 | 52 | 4:20 | Dolphins | Clayton 12-yard touchdown reception from Marino, von Schamann kick good | 14 | 0 |
| 2 | 0:05 | 5 | 18 | 1:11 | Bills | 33-yard field goal by Danelo | 14 | 3 |
| 3 | 11:27 | 9 | 57 | 3:21 | Dolphins | Moore 1-yard touchdown reception from Marino, von Schamann kick good | 21 | 3 |
| 3 | 3:57 | 15 | 80 | 6:30 | Bills | Williams 1-yard touchdown run, Danelo kick good | 21 | 10 |
| 4 | 9:20 | 9 | 79 | 3:43 | Bills | Dawkins 13-yard touchdown reception from Ferguson, Danelo kick good | 21 | 17 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 21 | 17 |
* Point spread:
* Over/Under:
* Time of Game: 3 hours, 15 minutes
* Game Statistics
* First downs
* Rushes–yards
* Passing yards
* Passes
* Sacked–yards
* Net passing yards
* Total yards
* Return yards
* Punts
* Fumbles–lost
* Penalties–yards
* Time of Possession
* Buffalo had now gone the first three weeks without scoring a TD in the first half.

#### Week 7

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bills | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| • Seahawks | 17 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 31 |

#### Week 9 (Sunday, October 28, 1984): at Miami Dolphins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bills (0–9) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Dolphins (9–0) | 7 | 17 | 0 | 14 | 38 |
at Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, Florida
* Date: October 28, 1984
* Game time: 4:01 p.m. EST
* Game attendance: 58,824
* Referee: Gene Barth
* TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones (play-by-play) and Bob Griese (color commentator)
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Team | Category |
| BUF | Passing |
| BUF | Rushing |
| BUF | Receiving |
| MIA | Passing |
| MIA | Rushing |
| MIA | Receiving |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | BUF | MIA |
| 1 | 3:18 | 7 | 80 | 3:06 | Dolphins | Clayton 7-yard touchdown reception from Marino, von Schamann kick good | 0 | 7 |
| 2 | 14:53 | 3 | 47 | 1:20 | Dolphins | Johnson 10-yard touchdown reception from Marino, von Schamann kick good | 0 | 14 |
| 2 | 7:55 | 10 | 77 | 4:50 | Dolphins | 22-yard field goal by von Schamann | 0 | 17 |
| 2 | 2:33 | 4 | 75 | 1:05 | Dolphins | Clayton 65-yard touchdown reception from Marino, von Schamann kick good | 0 | 24 |
| 4 | 14:19 | 7 | 64 | 3:42 | Dolphins | Bennett 1-yard touchdown run, von Schamann kick good | 0 | 31 |
| 4 | 3:26 | 12 | 68 | 7:44 | Dolphins | Johnson 1-yard touchdown run, von Schamann kick good | 0 | 38 |
| 4 | 1:22 | 10 | 75 | 2:04 | Bills | Dennard 5-yard touchdown reception from Kofler, Danelo kick good | 7 | 38 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 7 | 38 |
* Point spread:
* Over/Under:
* Time of Game: 2 hours, 54 minutes
* Game Statistics
* First downs
* Rushes–yards
* Passing yards
* Passes
* Sacked–yards
* Net passing yards
* Total yards
* Return yards
* Punts
* Fumbles–lost
* Penalties–yards
* Time of Possession

#### Week 12

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| • Bills | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
* Greg Bell 27 Rush, 206 Yds

#### Week 13

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bills | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| • Redskins | 17 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 41 |

#### Week 14

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 0 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 15 |
| • Bills | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 |

#### Week 16

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bills | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| • Bengals | 7 | 21 | 3 | 21 | 52 |

### Standings

AFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Miami Dolphins$^{(1)}$ | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 8–0 | 10–2 | 513 | 298 | W2 |
| New England Patriots | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 362 | 352 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–5 | 7–7 | 332 | 364 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–6 | 4–8 | 239 | 414 | L5 |
| Buffalo Bills | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 1–7 | 1–11 | 250 | 454 | L2 |