The 1987 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 18th season in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

, and 28th overall. On October 31, 1987, the Los Angeles Rams traded

Eric Dickerson Eric Demetric Dickerson (born September 2, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Dickerson played college football for the Mustangs of Southern Meth ...

to the Indianapolis Colts in a three team trade involving the Bills. The Rams sent Dickerson to the Colts for six draft choices and two players. Buffalo obtained the rights to

Cornelius Bennett Cornelius O'Landa Bennett (born August 25, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Buffalo Bills from 1987 to 1995, Atlanta Falcons from 1996 to 1998 ...

from Indianapolis. Buffalo sent running back Greg Bell and three draft choices to the Rams, while Indianapolis added Owen Gill and three of their own draft picks to complete the deal with the Rams. Adding Bennett to the team helped to form the nucleus for a strong young defensive unit that would become the core of Buffalo's later Super Bowl teams.

Offseason

NFL draft

Buffalo's first two draft picks—linebacker Shane Conlan and defensive back Nate Odomes—would later go on to make to have a great deal of impact on Buffalo's defense. Conlan was named 1987 Defensive Rookie of the Year and would be selected to three consecutive

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

s in the 1988, 1989 and 1990 seasons. Odomes would be selected to consecutive Pro Bowls in 1992 and

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

. Another impactful rookie,

, was drafted by Indianapolis in 1987, before being traded to Buffalo.

Personnel

Staff

NFL replacement players

After the league decided to use replacement players during the

NFLPA The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is a labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by president J. C. Tretter and executive director DeM ...

strike, the following team was assembled:

Roster

Regular season

Cornerback Nate Odomes was the youngest starting defensive player in the NFL. It was also his rookie season.

Schedule

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 2

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

’s first game as a Buffalo Bill, wearing #55. * Steve Tasker blocked punt just before halftime resulting in a safety and 18–0 halftime score.

Week 9

Week 11 vs Dolphins

Week 12

Week 15

Standings

Player stats

Passing

''Note: Comp = Completions; ATT = Attempts; TD = Touchdowns; INT = Interceptions'' 1987 Buffalo Bills Statistics & Players – Pro-Football-Reference.com
/ref>

Rushing

Receiving

Defense

''Note: FR = Fumble Recoveries; TCKL = Tackles; INT = Interceptions; TD = Touchdowns''

Special teams

''Note: FGA = Field Goals Attempted; FGM = Field Goals Made; FG% = Field goal percentage; XPA = Extra Points Attempted; XPM = Extra Points Made; XP% = Extra points percentage''

Punting

Awards and honors

Defensive Rookie of the YearNFL Rookie of the Year
/ref> * Shane Conlan Pro Bowl Most Valuable Player * Bruce Smith

References

External links

1987 Buffalo Bills
at Pro-Football-Reference.com {{DEFAULTSORT:1987 Buffalo Bills season Buffalo Bills seasons Buffalo Bills

Buff Buff or BUFF may refer to: People * Buff (surname), a list of people * Buff (nickname), a list of people * Johnny Buff, ring name of American world champion boxer John Lisky (1888–1955) * Buff Bagwell, a ring name of American professional ...