The 1972 Buffalo Bills season was the 13th season for the club and its third in the National Football League . It was also their last season at War Memorial Stadium which has been their home field since 1960.
The season also marked the return of former Bills coach Lou Saban ,[ 1] who had previously led the team to two AFL Championships .
Saban had a new offensive philosophy for Buffalo in 1972: in his first three seasons, former number one overall pick O.J. Simpson had only carried the ball an average of 161 times per season. Saban rushed Simpson 292 times in 1972,[ 2] the second-most in the league.[ 3]
Despite losing two starting offensive lineman – center Bruce Jarvis and guard Jim Reilly—in the season opener,[ 4] O.J. Simpson still led the league in rushing with 1,251 yards.[ 5]
Although the Bills had a potent, yard-gaining rushing attack, they could not put enough points on the scoreboard, scoring only 257 points (18.3 per game) all season, 19th in the league.[ 6] Furthermore, Buffalo's defense gave up 377 points (23.5 per game), the third-most in the NFL in 1972.[ 7]
Offseason [ edit ]
NFL Draft [ edit ]
Main article:
1972 NFL Draft
[ 9]
Personnel [ edit ]
1972 Buffalo Bills staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Regular season [ edit ]
O.J. Simpson would have the first 1,000 rushing yard season of his career.
Schedule [ edit ]
Week
Date
Opponent
Stadium
Result
Record
Streak
Attendance
1
Sep 17
New York Jets
War Memorial Stadium
L 41–24
0–1
L1
46,206
2
Sep 24
San Francisco 49ers
War Memorial Stadium
W 27–20
1–1
W1
45,845
3
Oct 1
Baltimore Colts
War Memorial Stadium
L 17–0
1–2
L1
46,206
4
Oct 8
New England Patriots
War Memorial Stadium
W 38–14
2–2
W1
41,749
5
Oct 15
at Oakland Raiders
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
L 28–16
2–3
L1
53,501
6
Oct 22
at Miami Dolphins
Miami Orange Bowl
L 24–23
2–4
L2
80,010
7
Oct 29
Pittsburgh Steelers
War Memorial Stadium
L 38–21
2–5
L3
45,882
8
Nov 5
Miami Dolphins
War Memorial Stadium
L 30–16
2–6
L4
46,206
9
Nov 12
at New York Jets
Shea Stadium
L 41–3
2–7
L5
62,853
10
Nov 19
at New England Patriots
Schaefer Stadium
W 27–24
3–7
W1
60,999
11
Nov 26
at Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Stadium
L 27–10
3–8
L1
70,104
12
Dec 3
at Baltimore Colts
Memorial Stadium
L 35–7
3–9
L2
55,390
13
Dec 10
Detroit Lions
War Memorial Stadium
T 21–21
3–9–1
T1
41,583
14
Dec 17
at Washington Redskins
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
W 24–17
4–9–1
W1
53,039
[ 10]
Season summary [ edit ]
1
2
3
4
Total
49ers
3
7
3
7
20
• Bills
0
6
7
14
27
Scoring summary
Q1
SF
Gossett 47 yard field goal
SF 3–0
Q2
BUF
Leypoldt 32 yard field goal
Tie 3–3
Q2
BUF
Leypoldt 22 yard field goal
BUF 6–3
Q2
SF
Kwalick 20 yard pass from Spurrier (Gossett kick)
SF 10–6
Q3
SF
Gossett 20 yard field goal
SF 13–6
Q3
BUF
White 17 yard pass from Shaw (Leypoldt kick)
Tie 13–13
Q4
SF
Schreiber 2 yard run (Gossett kick)
SF 20–13
Q4
BUF
Braxton 2 yard run (Leypoldt kick)
Tie 20–20
Q4
BUF
Braxton 1 yard run (Leypoldt kick)
BUF 27–20
[ 11]
Week 13 [ edit ]
1
2
3
4
Total
Lions
0
7
7
7
21
Bills
0
7
7
7
21
[ 12]
Standings [ edit ]
Awards and honors [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
^ Saban had coached the Bills from 1962–1965 before leaving for the University of Maryland
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: O.J. Simpson
^ Behind the Giants ' Ron Johnson , Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1972 NFL Leaders and Leaderboards
^ Neft, David S.; Cohen, Richard M.; and Korch, Rich The Sports Encyclopedia: Pro Football, 12th Edition , p. 234, Martin's Press, August 1994, ISBN 0-312-11073-1
^ It was Simpson's first of four rushing titles over the next five seasons.
^ Out of 26 teams, Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1972 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1972 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics
^ 1973 All-Pro Team
^ Buffalo Bills 1972 NFL Draft
^ 1972 Buffalo Bills Schedule
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved 2014-Nov-27.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
Franchise
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Culture
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Division Championships (10)
Super Bowl Appearances (4)
League Championships (2)
Wall of Fame
Media
Current league affiliations
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1960s
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