It Was 35-3: 30 Years Later

It's been almost six years, but "28-3" is still discussed as the most embarrassing choke job in the NFL. Sadly, it's for very good reason. "28-3" happened on the biggest stage of the NFL: the Super Bowl. The Atlanta Falcons had the New England Patriots on the ropes, which is a huge understatement. When you have the biggest dynasty in recent history on the verge of a blowout loss, that's a big deal. For football fans who watched, it was a big sigh of relief, as it looked like the Patriots' dominance was coming to an end. That was not the case, as the Patriots managed to score 31 unanswered points and won Super Bowl LI in overtime--the first Super Bowl to reach OT.

While that is definitely the biggest embarrassment in NFL history, it's not the biggest choke job in playoff history. Because while the Falcons totally collapsed late in the big game, they only blew a 25-point lead. They missed the playoff record by a touchdown, as even though the Falcons committed a monumental collapse, it still paled in comparison to the 1992 AFC Wild Card Playoff between the Buffalo Bills and the Houston Oilers.

The game took place on January 3, 1993, which was during the Bills' impressive run. Led by Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, and coached by another Hall of Famer in Marv Levy, the Bills were coming off back-to-back appearances in the Super Bowl, their first two appearances ever. We all know about Super Bowl XXV--the one-point loss after Scott Norwood's infamous missed field goal (which I still feel gets played too much in an attempt to discredit the importance of kickers, but that's another story), and they were blasted in Super Bowl XXVI. The 1992 season saw Buffalo finish behind the Miami Dolphins in the AFC East, but qualified as a Wild Card with an 11-5 record.

The Oilers finished with a 10-6 record; second in the AFC Central behind the Pittsburgh Steelers. They were a hard luck team; I knew that as a kid, but I would really learn about it as I got older. They debuted in the AFL in 1960 and won the debuting league's first two championships, but fell short of a three-peat in one of the NFL's very few double-overtime games in history. They last reached the AFL Championship Game in 1967, falling short of reaching Super Bowl II, but since the 1970 merger, they reached the AFC Championship in 1978 and 1979, and had problems getting back. In the early 90s, Warren Moon was the QB; he was the first Black QB I had ever seen in my lifetime, and I would learn what a legend Moon is as I got older.

The first quarter was quiet, a 7-3 lead for Houston after the frame, though that TD came from a drive that lasted nine minutes. That would change in the second quarter, as the Oilers scored a hat trick of touchdowns, all passing ones, giving Moon four passing TDs in the first half. At halftime, the Oilers led 28-3--yes, you read that right; they had the meme score 24 years before it became a meme. The halftime score was not only the result of Houston's high powered offense, but it was the result of Jim Kelly being out; he injured his knee a week prior in a game against these same Oilers.

Frank Reich (a bit more on him later) stepped in Kelly's place in that game and in the playoff rematch, and he was already in a tough situation. He needed a miracle after halftime. He pulled one off in college, coming back from a 31-0 deficit to win. He would need a bigger one once the 3rd quarter started, as Reich threw a Pick Six that made it 35-3, and even worse, the injury bug hit Thurman Thomas afterwards. The kickoff ended up being a squib kick due to the wind, and Buffalo did capitalize; a 50-yard drive capped off by a one yard touchdown run by Kenneth Davis, making it 35-10 halfway into the third..

And so it began.

After kicker Steve Christie recovered his own kickoff, the Bills scored on a short drive capped off by a 38-yard touchdown pass to Don Beebe. So Buffalo scored two touchdowns in barely over a minute, but even so, it was an 18-point deficit for the team. Houston's next drive resulted in their first punt of the game, which only went 25 yards. Buffalo made them pay, another scoring drive capped off by a 26-yard touchdown pass to the legendary Andre Reed, and just like that, it was 35-24. Moon later threw an interception that led to the Bills scoring again, another Reed touchdown. The Bills outscored the Oilers, 28-7, in the third quarter, and with 15 minutes left, their 32-point deficit was down to just four!

Buffalo did have a tough time in the fourth quarter, as they had to punt and Houston was moving the ball with efficiency again. The Oilers ended up inside the red zone; though Al Del Greco's field goal attempt was hampered by a fumbled snap that was nearly returned all the way by Buffalo, only to be ruled down at the fumble spot. That didn't deter the Bills, as thanks to a long run by Davis, Reich was able to connect with Reed for the third time, and with that, the Bills led for the first time all game, and Rich Stadium was rocking. 35 unanswered points in barely over a quarter! Houston's last drive of regulation went 63 yards, and this time, Del Greco was able to kick and make his field goal attempt, and the game went to overtime tied at 38.

Back then, overtime was sudden death in the regular season and the playoffs, and Houston did win the coin toss. All they had to do to save themselves from a terrible collapse was get to field goal range, but the drive abruptly ended with a third down interception from Moon. After a facemask penalty on Houston, Buffalo had the ball in the red zone, and following some short runs, Christie nailed a 32-yard chip shot to win it for the Bills.

Final score: Bills 41, Oilers 38, in overtime.

Frank Reich did it again. He has to be the only QB to ever lead comebacks of 30+ points at the collegiate and professional level. The Bills turned this momentum into their third straight Super Bowl appearance; defeating the top-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional Playoff, and beating the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Championship, before they were trounced by the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXVII. The Bills returned to the Super Bowl one more time on the following year, but they were again defeated by the Cowboys. The 32-point comeback remains the largest comeback in NFL playoff history, and was the largest in NFL history until December 17, 2022, when the Minnesota Vikings came back from a 33-point deficit to win. The team they defeated was the Indianapolis Colts, who were coached by Jeff Saturday that evening, with Saturday being hired after they fired their previous coach: Frank Reich.

Many say that the Houston Oilers never really recovered after that collapse, and the following season seemed to show that. Under owner Bud Adams' threat to dismantle the team if they didn't reach the Super Bowl, the Oilers lost four of their first five games, including a rematch against the Buffalo Bills. They also dealt with the suicide of their defensive lineman Jeff Alm, as well as the intense animosity between offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride and newly hired defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan (yes, that Buddy Ryan). Despite all of this, the Oilers won 11 straight games, captured the AFC Central, and finished as the top seed in the conference. Despite their great record and high expectations, the Oilers fizzled in the Divisional Playoff, losing to the Joe Montana-led Kansas City Chiefs at home. Sure enough, Adams made good on his promise to dismantle the team, which included Warren Moon ending up with the Minnesota Vikings.

1993 was the final time that the Houston Oilers reached the playoffs. After three dismal seasons (including a 2-14 campaign in 1994), the Oilers moved to Nashville and played as the Tennessee Oilers in 1997 and 1998. They became the Tennessee Titans in 1999, and it was that very season that they reached the Super Bowl for the first and only time. The run began with the Titans pulling off their playoff miracle against the Bills: the famous Music City Miracle.

Today marks the 30th anniversary of "The Comeback," and it still baffles me that a team could lead by over 30 points and lose. I was seven years old at the time and wasn't an avid football watcher, but I did watch the recent comeback. Again, while the Bills thrived from that moment, it has been said by many that the Oilers were broken by that choke job; after all, they ended up out of Houston five seasons later. In any regard, this was one of the most monumental moments in NFL history.