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Buffalo Bills Playoff History: Wins, Super Bowl Appearances, and More

The Buffalo Bills have become a constant when it comes to making the NFL playoffs. To have the amount of talent Buffalo does on both sides of the ball is a luxury few teams in the league possess. How have the Bills performed in their playoff history, and how do they fare getting to and winning the Super Bowl? Let’s comb through the archives of NFL playoff history and find out how the football gods have favored the Bills.

*We’ll only consider appearances from the 1970 merger onward.

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Buffalo Bills Playoff Appearances and Results by Year

  • 2021
    • Wild Card: Won 47-17 vs. Patriots
    • Divisional Round: Lost 42-36 (OT) @ Chiefs
  • 2020
    • Wild Card: Won 27-24 vs. Colts
    • Divisional Round: Won 17-3 vs. Ravens
    • Conference Championship: Lost 38-24 @ Chiefs
  • 2019
    • Wild Card: Lost 22-19 (OT) @ Texans
  • 2017
    • Wild Card: Lost 10-3 @ Jaguars
  • 1999
    • Wild Card: Lost 22-16 @ Titans
  • 1998
    • Wild Card: Lost 24-17 @ Dolphins
  • 1996
    • Wild Card: Lost 30-27 vs. Jaguars
  • 1995
    • Wild Card: Won 37-22 vs. Dolphins
    • Divisional Round: Loss 40-21 @ Steelers
  • 1993
    • Divisional Round: Won 29-23 vs. Raiders
    • Conference Championship: Won 30-13 vs. Chiefs
    • Super Bowl: Lost 30-13 vs. the Cowboys
  • 1992
    • Wild Card: Won 41-38 (OT) vs. Oilers
    • Divisional Round: Won 24-3 @ Steelers
    • Conference Championship: Won 29-10 @ Dolphins
    • Super Bowl: Lost 52-17 vs. Cowboys
  • 1991
    • Divisional Round: Won 37-14 vs. Chiefs
    • Conference Championship: Won 10-7 vs. Broncos
    • Super Bowl: Lost 37-24 vs. Washington
  • 1990
    • Divisional Round: Won 44-34 vs. Dolphins
    • Conference Championship: Won 51-3 vs. Raiders
    • Super Bowl: Lost 20-19 vs. Giants
  • 1989
    • Divisional Round: Lost 34-30 @ Browns
  • 1988
    • Divisional Round: Won 17-10 vs. Oilers
    • Conference Championship: Lost 21-10 @ Bengals
  • 1981
    • Wild Card: Won 31-27 vs. Jets
    • Divisional Round: Lost 28-18 @ Bengals
  • 1980
    • Divisional Round: Lost 20-14 @ Chargers
  • 1974
    • Divisional Round: Lost 32-14 @ Steelers

Bills Playoff History FAQ

Bills Mafia is undefeated against tables, but how have they fared in playoff history? We’ll dive into some frequently asked questions on the Bills’ ups and downs in the playoffs.

What’s the Bills’ Playoff Win/Loss Record?

The Bills’ all-time playoff record is 15-17. Buffalo’s home-field advantage is astounding — they are 12-1 at home (3-16 in away and neutral-site situations).

How Many Times Have the Bills Been to the Playoffs?

Buffalo has made the playoffs 17 times in their team’s history (not including this year). The first playoff appearance (1974 season) resulted in a 32-14 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers; their last playoff experience involved creaming the New England Patriots by 30 and then losing perhaps the game of the 2021 season in the AFC Divisional Round (a 42-36 overtime loss to KC).

How Many Super Bowl Appearances Do the Bills Have?

The Bills completed a ridiculous stretch in the 1990s of four consecutive Super Bowl appearances from the 1990-1993 NFL seasons.

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To the chagrin of Bills fans, those are their only four Super Bowl appearances in post-merger playoff history. They were on the cusp in the 2020 season but fell to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-24 in the AFC Championship Game.

How Many Super Bowls Have the Bills Won?

Despite the four consecutive Super Bowl appearances, the Bills lost each of them and do not have a Lombardi Trophy in their trophy case. The first loss (1990 season) was arguably the most painful, with the Bills losing by one point — kicker Scott Norwood missed a 47-yard field goal with just seconds remaining.

When Was the Last Time the Bills Made the Super Bowl?

1993. Buffalo lost to a Dallas Cowboys team firing on all cylinders — the Cowboys would go on to win 30-13.

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