The Buffalo Bills have played in four Super Bowls and lost all four, and they did it in four consecutive seasons, from the 1990 season through 1993. No other franchise has reached four straight Super Bowls. Buffalo has not been back since the 30-13 loss to Dallas in Super Bowl XXVIII, a drought that now runs 32 seasons and counting despite seven straight playoff trips with Josh Allen.
Every Bills Super Bowl Appearance
| Game | Date | Site | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Bowl XXV | Jan. 27, 1991 | Tampa Stadium | Loss. Giants 20, Bills 19 |
| Super Bowl XXVI | Jan. 26, 1992 | Metrodome, Minneapolis | Loss. Washington 37, Bills 24 |
| Super Bowl XXVII | Jan. 31, 1993 | Rose Bowl, Pasadena | Loss. Cowboys 52, Bills 17 |
| Super Bowl XXVIII | Jan. 30, 1994 | Georgia Dome, Atlanta | Loss. Cowboys 30, Bills 13 |
The Four Losses
Super Bowl XXV. The closest Super Bowl ever played. Buffalo trailed 20-19 with eight seconds left when Scott Norwood lined up a 47 yard field goal that sailed wide right. The Giants controlled the clock for more than 40 minutes to keep Jim Kelly’s no huddle offense off the field, and Ottis Anderson was named MVP. Thurman Thomas ran for 135 yards in a losing effort.
Super Bowl XXVI. Washington scored 24 unanswered points in the second and third quarters and Mark Rypien was the MVP. Buffalo’s offense turned the ball over five times, Kelly threw four interceptions, and Thomas famously missed the first two plays because he could not find his helmet.
Super Bowl XXVII. The most lopsided of the four. Buffalo committed a Super Bowl record nine turnovers, Dallas turned them into 35 points, and Troy Aikman was the MVP. The lasting image is Don Beebe chasing down Leon Lett to knock the ball loose before a would be touchdown, a play that kept the score from reaching 59.
Super Bowl XXVIII. The only one of the four in which Buffalo led at halftime, 13-6. The game turned on the third play of the third quarter, when Thomas fumbled and James Washington returned it 46 yards for a touchdown. Dallas scored 24 unanswered points from there and Emmitt Smith ran for 132 yards to win MVP.
The Run Itself
All four teams were coached by Marv Levy and built around the same core: Kelly, Thomas, Andre Reed, Bruce Smith and center Kent Hull, and Kelly, Thomas, Reed and Smith are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame along with Levy. Buffalo went 49-15 in the regular season over those four years and 9-0 in AFC playoff games, including the 51-3 rout of the Raiders in the 1990 AFC Championship and the 32 point comeback against Houston in the 1992 wild card round, still the largest comeback in NFL playoff history. Three of the four AFC Championship Games were played at Rich Stadium; the exception was the 1992 season, when Buffalo won 29-10 in Miami as a wild card team.
Before the Super Bowl
Buffalo’s two championships came in the American Football League, both over the San Diego Chargers. The Bills won 20-7 at War Memorial Stadium in 1964 and 23-0 in San Diego in 1965 under Lou Saban, with Jack Kemp at quarterback. They lost the 1966 AFL Championship Game to Kansas City 31-7, which cost them a spot in the first Super Bowl. Because those titles predate the Super Bowl, the NFL does not count them as league championships, but the franchise does.
Since 1993
Buffalo has reached the AFC Championship Game twice in the Josh Allen era, losing at Kansas City 38-24 after the 2020 season and 32-29 after the 2024 season. The 2021 divisional loss in Kansas City, the 13 seconds game, is the closest the Allen teams have come to breaking through. The Bills and Minnesota Vikings are the only franchises with four Super Bowl appearances and no wins.
Related
Bills playoff history · Super Bowl winners by year · Josh Allen stats · New Highmark Stadium · Bills score today · Patriots Super Bowl history
The Bottom Line
Four Super Bowls, four losses, all between January 1991 and January 1994, by a combined 66 points. The first was decided by a missed 47 yard field goal, the last three were not close. Buffalo’s only championships remain the 1964 and 1965 AFL titles.