As Highmark Stadium nears its closing, there have been many great games in the 53-year-old building.
Here are some of the best:
Jan. 3, 1993: Bills 41, Houston Oilers 38 (OT)
The wildest and most iconic game in Bills history is simply known as “The Comeback.”
Everyone knows backup quarterback Frank Reich, not Jim Kelly, having been injured a week earlier in Houston, engineered the greatest comeback in NFL history.
But the Bills erased a 35-3 deficit they faced early in the third quarter without the services of running back Thurman Thomas, who suffered a hip pointer and missed the second half, and injured linebacker Cornelius Bennett.
Their absence only adds to the legendary game’s mystique.
Another often forgotten fact: the Oilers had blown out the Bills 27-3 in the regular-season finale at the Astrodome, meaning in a stretch of just over six quarters, they outscored them 62-6.
The inedible moments from the second half – from Andre Reed’s behind-the-back ball drop, to Steve Christie celebration following the game-winning field goal – are seared in the memory of Bills fans.
Jan. 20, 1991: Bills 51, Los Angeles Raiders 3
In an utterly dominant performance, the Bills annihilated the Raiders to punch their ticket to Super Bowl XXV.
Thirty-five years later, if you simply mention the score around Buffalo, it will bring a smile to someone’s face. They know what you’re talking about.
The Bills led 21-3 after the first quarter and 41-3 at halftime. The blowout victory seemed to cement their status as the NFL’s best team.
A week later, however, they lost to the New York Giants by one four, the first of their four consecutive Super Bowl losses.
Sept. 7, 2025: Bills 41, Baltimore Ravens 40
In an instant classic to open their final season at Highmark Stadium, Josh Allen and the Bills erased a 15-point deficit in the final four minutes to roar back to stun the Ravens.
Pity the thousands of fans who departed early as the Ravens held a two-score lead.
Allen had three total touchdowns, threw for 251 yards and had a 131.1 passer rating in just the fourth quarter. Fresh off an MVP season, he gave one of the most dynamic performances in the stadium’s 52-year history.
After Allen’s 1-yard run with 1:58 left, 41-year-old kicker Matt Prater kicked a 32-yard field goal as time expired to seal the improbable victory.
Jan. 12, 1992: Bills 10, Denver Broncos 7
The Broncos stymied the Bills’ no-huddle attack and the NFL’s highest-scoring offense, limiting it to just 213 yards and zero touchdowns. The defense stole the show as the Bills clinched their second consecutive berth in the Super Bowl.
In the third quarter, Jeff Wright tipped John Elway’s pass, and Carlton Bailey grabbed it and rumbled 11 yards into the end zone.
The Bills eked out the win after Scott Norwood nailed a late 44-yard field goal and Kirby Jackson recovered Steve Sewell’s fumble.
Sept. 7, 1980: Bills 17, Miami Dolphins 7
In ending an NFL-record 20-game losing streak to the Dolphins, the Bills exorcised some old demons and earned their first victory en route to an AFC East title.
Despite committing a whopping seven turnovers, touchdowns from Roosevelt Leaks and Joe Cribbs put the Bills up late in the season opener.
The win started a two-year stretch in which the Bills went 21-11 and made the playoffs twice.
Sept. 30, 1990: Bills 29, Denver Broncos 28
With the Bills slogging through the afternoon and trailing 21-9 in the fourth quarter, Broncos kicker David Treadwell lined up for a field goal that would put the game out of reach.
Nate Odomes raced off the edge and blocked the attempt, igniting a memorable 77-second frenzy in which the Bills roared back and scored 20 points.
Cornelius Bennett ran the ball back 80 yards for a touchdown. Leonard Smith returned John Elway’s interception 39 yards for another score. Then Elway fumbled, setting up Kenneth Davis’ short touchdown run.
Jan. 17, 2021: Bills 17, Baltimore Ravens 3
A week after earning their first postseason win since 1995, the Bills downed one of the AFC’s perennial powers to advance to their first AFC championship game in 27 years.
With the Ravens threatening to tie the game, Taron Johnson’s 101-yard interception return of Lamar Jackson’s pass with 41 seconds left in the third quarter sealed a victory that served notice that the Bills had become one of the NFL’s heavyweights.
Jan. 15, 2022: Bills 47, Patriots 17
Barely a month after losing to the Patriots at home, the Bills throttled them in frigid conditions, becoming the first team in the Super Bowl era to score on all seven possessions (not counting a quarterback kneel down).
Allen torched the Pats, throwing for a postseason franchise-record five touchdowns.
Jan. 23, 1994: Bills 30, Kansas City Chiefs 13
The Bills became the first team to advance to four straight Super Bowls by easily disposing of the Joe Montana-led Chiefs.
Thomas set franchise postseason records by carrying 38 times for 186 yards.
Late in the game, some fans brought out a sign that read, “We’re Back. Deal with it America.”
It felt like fate that on their fourth try, the Bills would finally win the big one. But a week later, they blew a halftime lead and lost to the Dallas Cowboys again.
Dec. 30, 1995: Bills 37, Dolphins 22
Don’t let the 15-point margin fool you. It wasn’t that close.
In what would be Don Shula’s final game as Dolphins coach, the Bills ran all over their fiercest rival, rushing for a postseason-record 341 yards and three touchdowns.
Thomas had 158 yards. Darick Holmes added 87. Even Tim Tindale, the “Canadian Comet,” ran for 64 yards and the only touchdown of his career.
The postseason victory marked the Bills’ 10th straight over an AFC opponent. Incredibly, they did not win another playoff game until the 2020 season.
Jan. 12, 1991: Bills 44, Miami Dolphins 34
Reed’s 40-yard touchdown in the first quarter proved to be a harbinger for an entertaining afternoon in the snow.
In his return from a knee injury that sidelined him two games, Kelly directed the no-huddle offense to near perfection, throwing for 339 yards and three touchdowns.
For the eighth time in nine games, the Bills beat the Dolphins.
Nov. 20, 1988: Bills 9, New York Jets 6 (OT)
Why is a game featuring zero touchdowns on this list? Well, the victory clinched the Bills’ first AFC East title since 1980.
After Norwood booted a 30-yard field goal in overtime, a sea of humanity engulfed the field as fans tore down the goal posts.
Fred Smerlas blocked Pat Leahy’s 40-yard field goal attempt in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter to force overtime.
Jan. 1, 1989: Bills 17, Houston Oilers 10 (AFC divisional)
The Bills’ won their first home playoff game in 22 years to advance to the AFC championship Game in Cincinnati, where they lost to the Bengals 21-10 and missed a chance to face the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl XXIII.
The Bills’ first postseason victory since 1981 quickly became overshadowed by some high-scoring, higher-stake playoff wins. But beating the Oilers helped establish them as an NFL heavyweight.
Dec. 10, 2017: Bills 13, Indianapolis Colts 7 (OT)
As a lake-effect snowstorm pummeled Orchard Park – about eight inches fell during the game – the Bills stayed alive in the chase for the AFC’s final Wild Card playoff spot.
In brutal conditions, third-string quarterback Joe Webb – Joe Webb! – led the Bills late after Nathan Peterman suffered an injury. LeSean McCoy’s 21-yard touchdown capped a memorable afternoon in a winter wonderland.
Oct. 18, 1998: Bills 17, Jacksonville Jaguars 16
In perhaps Doug Flutie’s most thrilling comeback in Buffalo, the diminutive quarterback capped a 70-yard drive by running a naked bootleg in from the 1-yard line with 13 seconds left to secure the Bills’ third straight win after a ghastly 0-3 start.
Following the game, Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin, in a fit of anger, famously said, “Everybody in the ballpark knew it would be a naked (bootleg). Ridiculous.”
Flutie Magic was just beginning to spread through Western New York. The Bills would finish 10-6 and earn a playoff spot.