Leading 17-3 at halftime Sunday vs. the New York Jets, the Buffalo Bills scored 21 points unanswered in the third quarter en route to a 45-17 victory. The explosive performance was the first time in 26 years the Bills scored 21 or more points in a third quarter, according to statistician Mike Haim.
#Bills 21-pt 3rd qtr at #NYJets is the 10th time BUF has scored 21+ in a 3rd qtr and 1st since scoring club-record 28 vs. Car, 9/10/95. It's BUF's first time w/21+ in any qtr since putting up 21 in 4th qtr, 10/3/21 vs Hou; first on road since scoring 21 in 2nd qtr at NE, 12/28/20
— Mike Haim (@mikehaim) November 14, 2021
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The 28-point third quarter Haim referenced against Carolina in 1995 came the year after the Bills' run to four consecutive Super Bowls. The eruption decided a fascinating game that ended with a 31-9 Buffalo win in the Panthers' expansion season and second regular-season game in their history.
Buffalo trailed 9-0 after the first drive of the third quarter before the offense rose from its slumber. Jim Kelly's 77-yard touchdown pass to Russell Copeland sparked the offense, with the Panthers punting from their 5-yard-line on the next possession after Jim Jeffcoat and Phil Hansen shared a sack. Taking advantage of quality field position, a 12-yard run by Andre Reed and an 11-yard scamper by Thurman Thomas keyed a drive punctuated by a 4-yard Thomas touchdown run.
After another three-and-out by Carolina, a 60-yard Kelly to Thomas connection took the Bills deep into the red zone, where Darick Holmes rolled in from three yards. The Panthers were clearly rattled on the next series, with Frank Reich recovering his own fumble on second down before throwing a pass intended for Don Beebe that was intercepted and returned for a score by Kurt Schulz.
That strange 1995 game had plenty of storylines: Kelly squared off against his former backup in a game with just 10 completed passes between the two teams – Kelly was 4-for-21, and Reich was 6-21.
According to statmuse.com, the 22.7 combined completion percentage ranks fifth-worst in NFL history; coincidentally, the game with the worst-ever completion percentage was a Bills-Jets affair in 1974, which Buffalo won, 16-12. Joe Namath was 2-for-18 passing in that game, while Bills' QB Joe Ferguson was just 0-2 in an offense dominated by O.J. Simpson.
Joining Reich in that game on Carolina, which had earned the nickname "Buffalo Bills South" in assembling its roster, were Beebe (one catch for eight yards), Pete Metzelaars (no catches on two targets) and Carlton Bailey, who started at inside linebacker. Obviously, the current Bills regime has been dubbed "Carolina North," so the more things change ...
