The Comeback

On January third, nineteen eighty three, a game happened in the NFL that will forever be known as the Comeback. The question is, how did the NFL's greatest postseason comeback happen? Well, let's find out on today's Daily Sports History. Welcome to Daily Sports History. I'm Ethan Reese, your guide to the iconic moments in sports history every day. On January third, nineteen ninety three, no one expected sports history to be made that day at Rich Stadium in Buffalo, New York. But before we go into what happened on that incredible showdown, let's look back on how we got to this game. The Buffalo Bills were a perennial powerhouse in the AFC Conference and had been on a terror of the past two season, making the Super Bowl each year, but unfortunately they have lost each year and they were hoping to get back. With their chance to win, they had a Hall of Fame offense led by four future Hall of Famers and Jim Kelly Thurman, Thomas Andre Reid and James Lofton, the Bills were forced to be wreckon with but not to be outdone. Their defense also had legendary defensive end Bruce Smith, the NFL's all time leader in sacks on the opposing side of the field. That Houston Oilers were making ways of their own despite their second place finish in the AFC Central Division. Their run and shoot offense spearheaded by future Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon and talented receivers as well little the league and passing yards and they were a formidable force on offense. And we come to the wild card game that year featuring these two teams, everyone expect did a shootout, not a blowout or a comeback, and it started out as a blowout. The Houston Oilers stormed out of the gate, with warn Moon delivering a mesmerizing first half. He completed nineteen and twenty two passes for two hundred and eighteen yards and four touchdowns. Reminder that was in one half, leaving the Buffalo Bills in their dust twenty eight to three. Part of the reason why they were able to obtain this was the fact that the Bill's Hall of fin quarterback Jim Kelly was not playing like a Hall of Famer that day. Instead, he had thrown four interceptions that had led the Buffalo Bills into their devastating state and to pile on on. He was also injured, straining his knee, so they had turned to their backup quarterback. That backup quarterback Frank Wright, who later became a head coach in the NFL, but before that he was known as come back Kid. He got that name for two reasons. The first one in college. While at the University of Maryland, he led his team back to one of the biggest college comebacks of all time, coming back from thirty one down to beat the Miami Hurricanes that year, something that the head coach for the Buffalo Bills had not forgot about. Frank had been on their team for over six years. He knew the offense well, he knew the team well, and the coach, Marvin Levy, let the team know he came back before in college he can do it again. So when they come out in the second half its trailing thirty five to three, they begin their march back right connected with his receivers, including a thirty eight yard touchdown pass to Don Beebe. The crowd had erupted. They went on to score thirty five great points unanswered. Nows was not all on the offense. The defense stepped up as well, shutting down the Houston Oilers offense completely, as they did not score another point that entire gate and the Bills had closed the gap thirty one to thirty five, and Reich was orchesdra strading a final drive culminating in a touchdown pass to Andre Reid with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, and they had taken With that they had taken the lead thirty eight thirty five, but the Oilers refused to quit. It had been a rough second half for them, but now was their chance to come back and finish the win, and warn Moon had them go down the field and tie the game with the field goal, pushing the game into overtime thirty eight to thirty eight. Everyone was on the edge of their seat. Yes, the Bills had come back, but the Oilers didn't go away. They showed up that final drive they could still do something, and at this time in the NFL, any score ended the game in overtime, and luckily the Bills were able to get the ball and with their kicker Coulck a thirty two yard field goal to finish the game forty one to thirty eight. Rink Wright, the backup quarterback, was a hero. He finished the game with twenty one completions for two hundred and eighty nine yards in four touchdowns. Again a reminder, this was all in one half. After this colossal comeback, the Bills went on to win the next two playoff series and get back to the super Bowl, where they fell to the Dallas Cowboys. If you know anything about the nineties football, this was a tradition as the Bills went to four street super Bowls and lost them all. And impressive feet in and of itself, this one game led to changing Frank Wright's career. He got to the opportunity to start other teams, but never really caught on anywhere else and will always be known for this game as a player, but he made waves as a coach, coaching with the Philadelphia Eagles as an offensive coordinator, to the as a quarterbacks coach to the first Super Bowl win, and later coaching successfully as a head coach. You will always be known as the comeback kid. He made his comeback and win a Super Bowl one day