1972 Buffalo Bills season
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1972 Buffalo Bills season
| 1972 Buffalo Bills season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Lou Saban | ||||||
| Home field | War Memorial Stadium | ||||||
| Results | |||||||
| Record | 4–9–1 | ||||||
| Division Place | 4th AFC East | ||||||
| Playoff finish | did not qualify | ||||||
| Timeline | |||||||
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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]
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Contents
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Offseason
NFL Draft[8]
Main article: 1972 NFL Draft
| = All-Pro [9] |
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Walt Patulski | Defensive end | Notre Dame |
| 2 | 27 | Reggie McKenzie[10] | Offensive guard | Michigan |
| 4 | 79 | Randy Jackson | Running back | Wichita State |
| 5 | 105 | Leon Garror | Defensive back | Alcorn State |
| 5 | 108 | Bob Penchion | Offensive guard | Alcorn State |
| 8 | 183 | Paul Gibson | Wide receiver | Texas El-Paso |
| 10 | 235 | Maurice Tyler | Defensive back | Morgan State |
| 13 | 313 | Eddie Moss | Running back | Southeast Missouri State |
Regular season
O.J. Simpson would have the first 1,000 rushing yard season of his career.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Stadium | Result | Record | Streak | Attendance |
| 1 | Sept. 17 | New York Jets | War Memorial Stadium | L 41–24 | 0–1 | L1 | 46,206 |
| 2 | Sept. 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 |
Standings
| AFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 385 | 171 |
| New York Jets | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 367 | 324 |
| Baltimore Colts | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 235 | 252 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4 | 9 | 1 | .321 | 257 | 377 |
| New England Patriots | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 192 | 446 |
Roster
Awards and honors
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This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. |
References
- ^ 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
- ^ Buffalo Bills 1972 NFL Draft
- ^ Players are identified as All-Pro if they were selected for the NFL All-Pro Team at any time in their career.
- ^ 1973 All-Pro Team
- ^ 1972 Buffalo Bills Schedule
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