1971 Buffalo Bills season
The 1971 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 2nd season in the National Football League, and the 12th overall.
| 1971 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Harvey Johnson |
| Owner | Ralph Wilson |
| Home field | War Memorial Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 1–13 |
| Division place | 5th AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
For the second time in four seasons, the Bills finished with only one victory. The Bills 1–13 record (a 0.071 winning percentage) remains the worst in franchise history. The team allowed 394 points, the most in franchise history for a 14-game season.
The season began in turmoil when coach John Rauch resigned, forcing pro personnel director Harvey Johnson to assume the position for the second time on an interim basis.[1]
Buffalo lost their first ten games of the season, extending their losing streak to 15 and winless streak to 17, dating back to the previous season. They were held scoreless in four games; their minus-210 point differential is the worst in the team's history, and one of the forty worst point-differentials in NFL history.[2]
Running back O.J. Simpson would have a stellar year, despite the Bills poor team record. Simpson would rush for 742 yards on 183 attempts. However, Simpson would only score 5 touchdowns, the fewest of his career in one season. The Bills would only score 21 touchdowns as a team during the 1971 season, the fewest in franchise history.[3]
Offseason
NFL Draft
The Bills had a strong draft in 1971, selecting several players who would have long-term impact with the team.
- Wide receiver J. D. Hill played five seasons for the Bills, making the Pro Bowl in his second season.
- Fullback Jim Braxton was an effective blocker for star tailback O.J. Simpson for the next seven seasons.
- Right tackle Donnie Green became a key component in the Bills' "Electric Company" offensive line for the next seven seasons.
- Receiver Bob Chandler played with the Bills for nine seasons, making second team All-Pro in 1975 and 1977, and leading the league in receptions from '75–'77, with 176 catches.
| = Pro Bowler[4] |
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | J. D. Hill | Wide Receiver | Arizona State |
| 2 | 29 | Jan White | Tight End | Ohio State |
| 3 | 53 | Bruce Jarvis | Center | Washington State |
| 3 | 57 | Jim Braxton | Fullback | West Virginia |
| 5 | 107 | Donnie Green | Offensive Tackle | Purdue |
| 5 | 113 | Tim Beamer | Defensive Back | Illinois |
| 6 | 145 | Bill McKinley | Defensive End | Arizona |
| 7 | 160 | Bob Chandler | Wide Receiver | Southern California |
| 8 | 183 | Louis Ross | Defensive End | South Carolina State |
Personnel
Coaches/Staff
| 1971 Buffalo Bills staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Coaching staff
Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches'
| ||||||
Final roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends |
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
Practice squad
| ||||||
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Streak | Attendance |
| 1 | Sep 19 | vs. Dallas Cowboys | Loss 37-49 | 0–1 | L1 | 46,206 |
| 2 | Sep 26 | vs. Miami Dolphins | Loss 14-29 | 0–2 | L2 | 45,139 |
| 3 | Oct 3 | at Minnesota Vikings | Loss 0-19 | 0–3 | L3 | 47,900 |
| 4 | Oct 10 | vs. Baltimore Colts | Loss 0-43 | 0–4 | L4 | 46,206 |
| 5 | Oct 17 | at New York Jets | Loss 17-28 | 0–5 | L5 | 61,948 |
| 6 | Oct 23 | at San Diego Chargers | Loss 3-20 | 0–6 | L6 | 49,261 |
| 7 | Oct 31 | vs. St. Louis Cardinals | Loss 23-28 | 0–7 | L7 | 40,040 |
| 8 | Nov 7 | at Miami Dolphins | Loss 0-34 | 0–8 | L8 | 61,016 |
| 9 | Nov 14 | at New England Patriots | Loss 33-38 | 0–9 | L9 | 57,446 |
| 10 | Nov 21 | vs. New York Jets | Loss 7-20 | 0–10 | L10 | 41,577 |
| 11 | Nov 28 | vs. New England Patriots | Win 27–20 | 1–10 | W1 | 27,166 |
| 12 | Dec 5 | at Baltimore Colts | Loss 0-24 | 1–11 | L1 | 58,476 |
| 13 | Dec 12 | vs. Houston Oilers | Loss 14-20 | 1–12 | L2 | 28,107 |
| 14 | Dec 19 | at Kansas City Chiefs | Loss 9-22 | 1–13 | L3 | 48,121 |
Standings
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Miami Dolphins | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 5–3 | 7–3–1 | 315 | 174 | W1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 6–2 | 8–3 | 313 | 140 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 4–4 | 6–5 | 238 | 325 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 4–4 | 6–5 | 212 | 299 | W2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | 1–7 | 1–10 | 184 | 394 | L3 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972. [7]
Game summaries
Week 1
Week 11
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Awards and honors
References
- Lou Saban, who resigned as coach of the Denver Broncos after eight games in 1971, would return to Buffalo in 1972; Saban had previously guided the Bills to consecutive American Football League championships in 1964 and 1965.
- Pro-Football-Reference.com: Team Game Finder Query Results
- Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career.
- Buffalo Bills 1971 NFL Entry Draft
- , 1971 Buffalo Bills Schedule
- NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 297
- Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Apr-20.
