Buffalo Bills: Three coincidences between the 1999 and 2017 teams

The 1999 and 2017 Bills are the last two teams to make the Playoffs for the Buffalo Bills. History has the tendency to repeat itself, so, here are our coincidences.

The Buffalo Bills are back in the playoffs. The wait is over! January football for the team from Western New York. As you all know, the last time it happened was 1999. As the saying goes, history repeats itself. It’s true in football just like everywhere else. So let’s look at some interesting coincidences between the 1999 team and the current version.

The QB Situation

This one is pretty spooky. In 1999 the Bills had a QB you might have heard from by the name of Doug Flutie. Flutie is a journeyman. He is smaller. But he made plays with his feet and had so many clutch plays in him.

In 2017 the Buffalo Bills have Tyrod Taylor. Not really smaller but not as clutch.

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They both have ideally similar backing though. Both QBs make plays with their feet and also, as history shows, they will “never be the guy.”

In 1999 Flutie rode the Bills’ higher ranked defense to an 11-5 Wild Card birth.

2017 Tyrod rode a play making defense to a 9-7 Wild Card game.

But the icing on the cake of this whole thing is that both QBs were benched by higher-ups for a QB who is supposed to be “the guy.”

In 1999 then owner, the late Ralph Wilson benched Flutie for Rob Johnson.

This was for the playoff actual playoff game!

Johnson was not nearly as skilled but more of a “quintessential NFL QB”. He isn’t all that good but he was paid a lot of money and Wilson wanted him to be the face of the franchise.

Fast forward 18 years and it’s a similar situation. Tyrod, with a winning record as well, was benched in favor of Nathan Peterman.

Peterman is a rookie but it would be convenient if he is the guy.

Both new QBs went on to lose the game.

The QB situation is freaky amongst both seasons. Unorthodox QBs with winning records who ooze charisma who do not even have the backing of the front office or coaching but still got to the playoffs.

The Score

I don’t know if numbers count as the eye test but the scores of the games I’m about to mention speak for themselves.

The final score of the 2000 AFC Wild-Card game between the Bills and Titans:

When the Bills clinched the playoffs on New Years Eve 2017, they needed to win to help them make the playoffs for the first time since the above game.

The score of that game in Miami:

There are countless scores both of these games could have been and they are identical.

Home Sweet Home

This one is more simple and likely. However, it is noteworthy.

In the 1999 and 2017 seasons, the Bills finished the season with a 6-2 home record.

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Both of these teams played and what is now New Era Field.

Winning six games at home is a common formula why both of these teams made the playoffs.

To get more specific, both squads beat the Dolphins, Jets, and Colts at home in their respective seasons.

Both 6-2 and both share three wins vs the same franchise.

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