Top 12 most shocking Super Bowl moments
The Buffalo Bills Drive For The Winning Score … And Miss
The Buffalo Bills came into Super Bowl XXV with the NFL’s best offense, and sixth best defense. They sent nine players to the Pro Bowl that year, and Bruce Smith was the AP Defensive Player of the year. Jim Kelly’s K-Gun offense led the Bills to a 13-3 record and the number one seed in the AFC Playoffs.
The Giants were a contrast to the flashy style of the Bills. The Men in Blue had the number one overall defense and a power running game, which they used to grind down opponents. They were battle tested, having defeated the Bears and 49ers in the playoffs. They entered the Super Bowl with a backup quarterback, Jeff Hostetler, after starter Phil Simms was lost with a broken foot – ironically, in their Week 14 home loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The high-powered Bills were favored by 7 points. The Giants were not expected to be able to keep up with the potent Buffalo offense.
The Giants didn’t really keep up – instead, they choked the life out of the Bills, dominating the time of possession. The G Men set a Super Bowl record by holding onto the ball for 40:33.
Even with limited opportunities, the Bills rushed out to a 12-3 lead in the second quarter. The Giants led two long scoring drives, one in the second quarter that led to a 12-10 halftime deficit, and another to begin the third quarter to gain the lead at 17-12. On the first play of the 4th quarter, Thurman Thomas scored on a 31 yard run to make it 19-17 Bills. A defensive struggle consumed the remainder of the quarter, with the Giants taking a 20-19 lead with eight minutes left.
The Bills were finally able to put together a potential game winning drive in the final minutes. Starting from their own 10 yard line with 2:16 left, Thurman Thomas ripped off several runs to get the Bills within field goal range. With 8 seconds left on the clock, the Bills lined up for a 47 yard attempt … and the rest is history.