Bills-Titans rivalry

The controversy between Buffalo Bills and Houston Titans started at the AFL times. These teams represented the same division – AFL Eastern and played twice per year. After the 1970 merging with the NFL, the Houston team moved to the AFC South division. The Buffalo Bills joined AFC Eastern Division. That changed the rivalry status to interdivisional and intraconference.

Houston Oilers (former Titans name) dominated in the 1960s and the 1970s. They won 17 matches, including 4 matches right after the transformation. Buffalo team rehabilitated in the 1980s, beating Oilers in 5 matches of 6. This number includes the first postseason meeting in the 1988 AFC divisional round. Buffalo Bills qualified directly to the divisional winner while the Oilers passed through Wild Card level. They defeated Cleveland Browns in dramatic 24-23 game. The game at Rich Stadium ended 24-10. Cincinnati Bengals stopped the Bills on the way to Super Bowl.

Their next postseason meeting was in the 1992 playoff at the Wild Card level. The viewers at the stadium received dopamine due to spectacular game. 4th quarter ended with a tie 38-38. Bills released an overtime field goal and beat the Oilers. Even more, that was a great comeback as the Buffalo team liquidated a 32-point deficit in a short time. They reached the Super Bowl this time, but Dallas Cowboys declassified the northern team 52-17.

The 1990s are known for rebranding of Houston Oilers into Tennessee Titans. The team moved to Nashville in 1999. Bills and Oilers/Titans exchanged the streaks. Oilers won two consecutive meetings in 1990 and 1992. Then Buffalo Bills triumphed three times in a row. The Tennessee streak continued until 2000, when the Bills broke it one time.

The 1999 Wild Card playoff game in Nashville was very interesting. Both teams had some chances to score with no success. The Titans scored 12 points due to perfect defense. Bills couldn’t gain the first down at all but rallied back in the third quarter. The final quarter demonstrated the strong power to win from both teams. Buffalo Bills gained a lead in the final of the fourth quarter. Tennessee team took part in the Super Bowl against Los Angeles Rams, becoming runners-up. That playoff started the 18-year break of the Buffalo Bills’ participation in playoffs. These teams didn’t meet in postseason games since that period.