The 1972 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise’s third season in the National Football League, and thirteenth overall. It was also their last season at War Memorial Stadium which had been their home field since the franchise started in 1960.
Season summary Coming off a 1-13 record the previous season, the Bills had the first overall pick in the draft, which they used to select Notre Dame defensive end Walt Patulski. This came after the Bills allowed 394 points the previous season. The 1972 season marked the return of former Bills coach Lou Saban, 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, the second-most in the league behind the Giants' Ron Johnson.
Despite losing two starting offensive lineman – center Bruce Jarvis and guard Jim Reilly—in the season opener, O. J. Simpson still led the league in rushing with 1,251 yards. This would be was Simpson’s first of four rushing titles over the next five seasons.
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, nineteenth in the league out of 26 teams. Furthermore, Buffalo's defense gave up 377 points (23.5 per game), the third-most in the NFL in 1972. As of 2023, this season was the most recent in which the Bills recorded a tie game.
Offseason
NFL draft
Buffalo Bills 1972 NFL Draft
Personnel
Staff/Coaches
Roster
October 16 – Haven Moses (WR) was traded to Denver for
Regular season In his fourth NFL season, running back O. J. Simpson gained over 1,000 yards rushing for the first time. The 23–24 loss on October 22 was the closest margin of victory for the Dolphins in the NFL’s only perfect season.
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 17 New York Jets L 24–41 0–1 War Memorial Stadium Recap 2 September 24 San Francisco 49ers W 27–20 1–1 War Memorial Stadium Recap 3 October 1 Baltimore Colts L 0–17 1–2 War Memorial Stadium Recap 4 October 8 New England Patriots W 38–14 2–2 War Memorial Stadium Recap 5 October 15 at Oakland Raiders L 16–28 2–3 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Recap 6 October 22 at Miami DolphinsL 23–24 2–4 Orange Bowl Recap 7 October 29 Pittsburgh Steelers L 21–38 2–5 War Memorial Stadium Recap 8 November 5 Miami Dolphins L 16–30 2–6 War Memorial Stadium Recap 9 November 12 at New York Jets L 3–41 2–7 Shea Stadium Recap 10 November 19 at New England Patriots W 27–24 3–7 Schaefer Stadium Recap 11 November 26 at Cleveland Browns L 10–27 3–8 Cleveland Stadium Recap 12 December 3 at Baltimore Colts L 7–35 3–9 Memorial Stadium Recap 13 December 10 Detroit Lions T 21–21 3–9–1 War Memorial Stadium Recap 14 December 17 at Washington Redskins W 24–17 4–9–1 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Season summary
Week 2: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Week 13: vs Detroit Lions
Standings
Notes
References
Bills on Pro Football Reference Bills on jt-sw.com Bills Stats on jt-sw.com