The 1997 Buffalo Bills season was their 38th in the league. The team failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 10–6, instead falling to 6–10. They missed the playoffs for only the second time in ten seasons. 1997 was Hall of Fame head coach Marv Levy's final year as the team's head coach, and the first season since 1985 when Jim Kelly was not on the opening day roster. Todd Collins started at quarterback for the Bills in their first season in the post-Kelly era. The Bills also signed Oakland's Billy Joe Hobert to challenge Collins for the starting job. Third-string quarterback Alex Van Pelt also saw playing time with three starts in Collins' absence.

Hobert's contract was terminated after Week Seven, in which Hobert was backing up an injured Collins, and after the game revealed to the media that he had not studied the playbook. Hobert was released the next day.David Fleming, Breaking down the Bills' QB situation ESPN.com, September 23, 2010, "the infamous Billy Joe Hobert who promptly threw a pick on his first pass leading to a 33–6 blowout loss, after which Billy Joe admitted (awesomely, I might add) that he hadn't actually, you know, opened his playbook that week" | retrieved January 9, 2012

One of the most memorable regular season games in Buffalo Bills history occurred in Week Four against the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts roared to a 26–0 lead in the second quarter, before the Bills went on a 37–3 run, ultimately taking the lead 37–29 with 1:15 remaining in the game. The Colts closed to within two, but missed a two-point conversion, giving Buffalo a two-point victory. The game remains the third-greatest regular season comeback in NFL history,It has been surpassed only by a 33-point comeback by the 2022 Vikings and a 28-point comeback by the 1980 49ers and the second greatest in team history.Surpassed only by "The Comeback" in the 1992 playoffs

Offseason Prior to the 1997 season, long-time quarterback (and future Hall of Famer) Jim Kelly announced his retirement from professional football. This left the Bills forced to find a different opening day starting quarterback for the first time since 1985. Third-year quarterback Todd Collins started the season, and the Bills signed former Raiders quarterback Billy Joe Hobert, whose contract was terminated after a Week Seven loss to New England.

NFL draft

= Pro Bowler Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career. One notable player that was not drafted by the Bills, but debuted for the team in 1997, was future Pro Bowl defensive tackle Pat Williams, who played with the team for eight seasons.

1997 Buffalo Bills Draft Round Selection Player Position College Notes 1 23 Antowain Smith RB Houston 2 52 Marcellus WileyMade Pro Bowl with San Diego in 2001 DE Columbia 4 120 Jamie Nails OL Florida A&M 5 153 Sean Woodson DB Jackson State 6 185 Marcus Spriggs G Houston 7 226 Pat Fitzgerald TE Texas

Roster

Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Attendance Record 1 August 31 Minnesota Vikings L 34–13 79,139 0–1 2 September 7 at New York Jets W 28–22 72,988 1–1 3 September 14 at Kansas City Chiefs L 22–16 78,169 1–2 4 September 21 Indianapolis Colts W 37–35 55,340 2–2 5 Bye 6 October 5 Detroit Lions W 22–13 78,025 3–2 7 October 12 at New England Patriots L 33–6 59,802 3–3 8 at Indianapolis Colts W 9–6 61,139 4–3 9 October 26 Denver Broncos L 23–20 78,458 4–4 10 November 2 Miami Dolphins W 9–6 78,011 5–4 11 November 9 New England Patriots L 31–10 65,783 5–5 12 at Miami Dolphins L 30–13 74,155 5–6 13 November 23 at Tennessee Oilers L 31–14 23,571 5–7 14 November 30 New York Jets W 20–10 47,776 6–7 15 December 7 at Chicago Bears L 20–3 39,784 6–8 16 December 14 Jacksonville Jaguars L 20–14 41,231 6–9 17 at Green Bay Packers L 31–21 6–10 Note: Intra-divisional games are in bold text.

Game summaries Week 2

Week 3

Starting QBs - Buffalo Bills: Todd Collins / Kansas City Chiefs: Elvis Grbac

Vegas Line: Kansas City Chiefs -4.5 Over/Under: 40.0 (under)

Standings

Notes

References