The 1971 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's second 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 the 12th overall. For the second time in four seasons, the Bills finished with only one victory. The Bills 1–13 record (a 0.071 winning percentage) remains the worst in franchise history. The team allowed 394 points, the most in franchise history for a 14-game season. The season began in turmoil when coach John Rauch resigned, forcing pro personnel director Harvey Johnson to assume the position for the second time on an interim basis. Buffalo lost their first ten games of the season, extending their losing streak to 15 and winless streak to 17, dating back to the previous season. They were held scoreless in four games; their minus-210 point differential is the worst in the team's history, and one of the forty worst point-differentials in NFL history. Running back O. J. Simpson would have a stellar year, despite the Bills poor team record. Simpson would rush for 742 yards on 183 attempts. However, Simpson would only score 5 touchdowns, the fewest for a single season in his career. The Bills would only score 21 touchdowns as a team during the 1971 season, a franchise low.

Offseason

NFL Draft

The Bills had a strong draft in 1971, selecting several players who would have long-term impact with the team. *Wide receiver

J. D. Hill J. D. Hill (born October 30, 1948) is an American former professional player who was a wide receiver for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions. He played college football at Arizona State U ...

played five seasons for the Bills, making the Pro Bowl in his second season. *Fullback Jim Braxton was an effective blocker for star tailback

O. J. Simpson Orenthal James Simpson (born July 9, 1947), nicknamed "Juice", is an American former football running back, actor, and broadcaster who played for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Once a popular figure ...

for the next seven seasons. *Right tackle

Donnie Green Donnie Gerald Green (July 21, 1948 – August 28, 2019) was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Detroit Lions. He played college football at Purdue ...

became a key component in the Bills' " Electric Company" offensive line for the next seven seasons. *Receiver Bob Chandler played with the Bills for nine seasons, making second team All-Pro in

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

and

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

, and leading the league in receptions from '75–'77, with 176 catches. Buffalo Bills 1971 NFL Entry Draft
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Personnel

Coaches/Staff

*Source: https://pro-football-history.com/franchise/7/buffalo-bills-coaches

Final roster

Regular season

Schedule

Standings

Game summaries

Week 1

Week 11

Retrieved 2015-Apr-20.

Awards and honors

References

Bills on jt-sw.com

Bills Stats on jt-sw.com

{{1971 NFL season by team Buffalo Bills seasons

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

Buffalo