| 1968 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ralph Wilson |
| Head coach | Joe Collier andHarvey Johnson |
| Home stadium | War Memorial Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 1–12–1 |
| Division place | 5thAFL Eastern |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
The1968 Buffalo Bills season was the team’s ninth season.
The Bills' 1–12–1 record in 1968 (a 0.107 winning percentage) is the second-worst in team history: the1971 Bills went 1–13. They were one of only two teams in AFL history (the other being the1962 Oakland Raiders) to finish the season with only one victory.
The Bills, coming off a 4–10 season in1967, fired coachJoe Collier after an 0–2 start in 1968. Defensive backfield coachHarvey Johnson was promoted to interim head coach,[1] where he went 1–10–1 to finish the year.[2]
With the release ofrunning backWray Carlton,wide receiverElbert Dubenion was the last player from the Bills'original roster in 1960 to still be with the team.[3]
The majority of Buffalo's games were started by backup quarterbackDan Darragh, after injuries claimed the seasons of long-time starterJack Kemp and new additionTom Flores. Even Darragh and new additionKay Stephenson were injured. Ultimately, running backEd Rutkowski, who hadn't played the quarterback position since college six years prior, ended up starting at quarterback for the Bills.[4]
Buffalo's only win of the season was a home victory over theNew York Jets, who eventually went on to winSuper Bowl III. In that game, the Bills held a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter before giving up two late touchdowns to the Jets. Ultimately, the Bills were able to hold on to the two-point win.[5] Through the 2022 season, this is the only instance in which a team that had only 1 win have that win come against the eventual Super Bowl champion.
| 1968 Buffalo Bills staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Coaching staff
Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches
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| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB) Defensive backs(DB)
Special teams(ST) | Practice squad Reserve
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 5 | Detroit Lions | W 13–9 | 1–0 | War Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | August 11 | Miami Dolphins | T 28–28 | 1–0–1 | War Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | August 17 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 6–10 | 1–1–1 | Nippert Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | August 23 | Houston Oilers | L 7–37 | 1–2–1 | Astrodome | Recap |
| 5 | August 30 | Cleveland Browns | L 12–22 | 1–3–1 | War Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | Boston Patriots | L 7–16 | 0–1 | War Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 15 | Oakland Raiders | L 6–48 | 0–2 | War Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 22 | atCincinnati Bengals | L 23–34 | 0–3 | Nippert Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | September 29 | New York Jets | W 37–35 | 1–3 | War Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | October 5 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 7–18 | 1–4 | War Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | October 12 | atMiami Dolphins | T 14–14 | 1–4–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | Recap |
| 7 | October 20 | atBoston Patriots | L 6–23 | 1–5–1 | Fenway Park | Recap |
| 8 | October 27 | Houston Oilers | L 7–30 | 1–6–1 | War Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | November 3 | atNew York Jets | L 21–25 | 1–7–1 | Shea Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 10 | Miami Dolphins | L 17–23 | 1–8–1 | War Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | November 17 | San Diego Chargers | L 6–21 | 1–9–1 | War Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 24 | atDenver Broncos | L 32–34 | 1–10–1 | Mile High Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | November 28 | at Oakland Raiders | L 10-13 | 1–11–1 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | Recap |
| 14 | December 7 | atHouston Oilers | L 6–35 | 1–12–1 | Astrodome | Recap |
| AFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| New York Jets | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 7–1 | 419 | 280 | W4 | |
| Houston Oilers | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 5–3 | 303 | 248 | W2 | |
| Miami Dolphins | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 4–3–1 | 276 | 355 | L1 | |
| Boston Patriots | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–6 | 229 | 406 | L2 | |
| Buffalo Bills | 1 | 12 | 1 | .077 | 1–6–1 | 199 | 367 | L8 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Raiders | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 13 |
atOakland-Alameda County Coliseum •Oakland, California
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Thanksgiving Day
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| Division championships (15) | |
| Conference championships (4) | |
| League championships (2) | |
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