| 1972 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Lou Saban |
| Home Field | War Memorial Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 4-9-1 |
| Place | 4th |
| Playoff Finish | Did not qualify for playoffs |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 1971 | 1973 |
The 1972 Buffalo Bills went 4-9-1 and finished 4th in the AFC East under returning Head Coach Lou Saban. This was an improvement over the disasterous 1-13 record of the previous season, but the team still finished in last place in the devision.
Season summary[]
The 1972 season also marked the return of former Bills coach Lou Saban,[1] 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,[2] the second-most in the league.[3]
Despite losing two starting offensive lineman – center Bruce Jarvis and guard Jim Reilly—in the season opener,[4] O.J. Simpson still led the league in rushing with 1,251 yards.[5]
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, 19th in the league.[6] Furthermore, Buffalo's defense gave up 377 points (23.5 per game), the third-most in the NFL in 1972.[7]
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.[8]
Schedule[]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 17 | NY Jets | L 24–41 | 0–1 | War Memorial Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | September 24 | San Francisco | W 27–20 | 1–1 | War Memorial Stadium | Recap | |
| 3 | October 1 | Baltimore | L 0–17 | 1–2 | War Memorial Stadium | Recap | |
| 4 | October 8 | New England | W 38–14 | 2–2 | War Memorial Stadium | Recap | |
| 5 | October 15 | @ Oakland | L 16–28 | 2–3 | Oakland Coliseum | Recap | |
| 6 | October 22 | @ Miami | L 23–24 | 2–4 | Orange Bowl | Recap | |
| 7 | October 29 | Pittsburgh | L 21–38 | 2–5 | War Memorial Stadium | Recap | |
| 8 | November 5 | Miami | L 16–30 | 2–6 | War Memorial Stadium | Recap | |
| 9 | November 12 | at NY Jets | L 3–41 | 2–7 | Shea Stadium | Recap | |
| 10 | November 19 | @ New England | W 27–24 | 3–7 | Schaefer Stadium | Recap | |
| 11 | November 26 | at Cleveland | L 10–27 | 3–8 | Cleveland Stadium | Recap | |
| 12 | December 3 | @ Baltimore | L 7–35 | 3–9 | Memorial Stadium | Recap | |
| 13 | December 10 | Detroit | T 21–21 | 3–9–1 | War Memorial Stadium | Recap | |
| 14 | December 17 | at Washington | W 24–17 | 4–9–1 | RFK Stadium | Recap | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Season summary[]
Week 2: vs. San Francisco 49ers[]
Week Two: San Francisco 49ers (1–0) at Buffalo Bills (0–1)
|
Week 13: vs Detroit Lions[]
- Further information: 1972 Detroit Lions
Week Thirteen: Detroit Lions (7–5) at Buffalo Bills (3–9)
|
Season standings[]
| 1972 AFC East standings | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | PCT(%) | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | Streak |
| Miami Dolphins | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 8–0 | 11–0 | 385 | 171 | W14 |
| New York Jets | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 6–2 | 6–5 | 367 | 324 | L2 |
| Baltimore Colts | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 4–4 | 5–6 | 235 | 252 | L2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4 | 9 | 1 | .321 | 2–6 | 2–9 | 257 | 377 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 0–8 | 0–11 | 192 | 446 | L1 |
NFL Draft picks[]
| 1972 Buffalo Bills draft | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes | |
| 1 | 1 | Walt Patulski | DE | Notre Dame | ||
| 2 | 27 | Reggie McKenzie † | G | Michigan | ||
| 4 | 79 | Randy Jackson | RB | Wichita State | ||
| 5 | 105 | Leon Garror | DB | Alcorn State | ||
| 5 | 108 | Bob Penchion | G | Alcorn State | ||
| 8 | 183 | Paul Gibson | WR | UTEP | ||
| 10 | 235 | Maurice Tyler | DB | Morgan State | ||
| 13 | 313 | Eddie Moss | RB | SW Missouri State | ||
- †= Made roster
Personnel[]
Coaches/Staff[]
| 1972 Buffalo Bills staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Coaching staff
Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches
Special teams
| ||||||
Final roster[]
| 1972 Buffalo Bills roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
| ||||
| Note: Rookies in italics | ||||||
References[]
- ↑ Saban had coached the Bills from 1962–1965 before leaving for the University of Maryland
- ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com: O.J. Simpson
- ↑ Behind the Giants' Ron Johnson, Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1972 NFL Leaders and Leaderboards
- ↑ Neft, David S.; Cohen, Richard M.; and Korch, Rich The Sports Encyclopedia: Pro Football, 12th Edition, p. 234, Martin's Press, August 1994, Template:ISBN
- ↑ It was Simpson's first of four rushing titles over the next five seasons.
- ↑ Out of 26 teams, Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1972 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics
- ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1972 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics
- ↑ 100 Things Dolphins Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die,Salguero, Armando (2020). . Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-62937-722-3.
- ↑ 1972 Buffalo Bills Schedule. National Football League.
- ↑ San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills — September 24th, 1972.
- ↑ Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills — December 10th, 1972. Pro-Football-Reference.com.
External links[]
- 1972 Buffalo Bills article at Wikipedia
