Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills rivalry brings together two of the original teams of the American Football League, founded by two of the visionaries who helped set in motion one of the most significant eras in football history.
It was in 1960 that K.S. “Bud” Adams, Jr.’s then-Houston Oilers and Ralph Wilson, Jr.’s Bills became two of the eight teams that began play in the newly-formed league.
Adams, Wilson and the other original AFL owners were dubbed the “Foolish Club” for their choice to accept the seemingly-impossible task of competing with the National Football League. Ten seasons later, the burgeoning league’s success was more than apparent, as the AFL and NFL completed a historic merger.
The momentum in the series has swung back and forth. From 1967 until 1978, the Oilers had a 10-game winning streak over the Bills, the longest streak in the series. From 1983–94, Buffalo controlled most of the results, going 8-3. Tennessee then won eight out of nine, including five consecutive matchups from 2003-12, before the Bills won the next three games.
The Titans took the last two meetings at Nissan Stadium. On October 13th, 2020, they won 42-16 in a game that was played on a Tuesday night after a postponement due to the Titans’ COVID-19 outbreak. Then on October 18th, 2021, the Tennessee Titans hosted the Buffalo Bills on a Monday night and won 34-31. The last time the Titans and Bills met at Highmark Stadium was October 7th, 2018. Stephen Hauschka’s 46-yard field goal as time expired capped the third consecutive one-point game between the clubs.
The franchises have met three times in the playoffs, with Buffalo holding a 2-1 advantage. The last playoff matchup between the two teams was in 1999, when the Titans defeated the Bills 22-16 in an AFC wild card game.
In a play known as the “Music City Miracle,” Kevin Dyson returned a Frank Wycheck lateral on a kickoff return 75 yards for a touchdown with only 16 seconds left in the game, giving Tennessee the win. The Titans went on to beat Indianapolis and Jacksonville before falling to St. Louis in Super Bowl XXXIV.
In a 1992 wild card game, the Bills achieved a similarly miraculous win. Trailing 35-3 in the third quarter, the Bills rallied to score 35 consecutive points and eventually won 41-38 in overtime.
On January 1st, 1989, the Bills hosted the Oilers in a wild card game and won 17-10.
Most Recent Matchups
2018 Week 5 • Oct. 7, 2018 • Titans 12 at BILLS 13
Stephen Hauschka’s 46-yard field goal as time expires provides the win for the Bills. The Titans take a 12-10 lead with 4:43 remaining on a 50-yard field goal by Ryan Succop but allow Josh Allen and the Bills the ensuing drive for the game-winning score.
The Titans turn the ball over three times—two lost fumbles and one interception. Succop boots four field goals to score all of Tennessee’s points. LeSean McCoy has 85 of Buffalo’s 144 rushing yards on 43 total carries.
2019 Week 5 • Oct. 6, 2019 • BILLS 14 at Titans 7
Bills quarterback Josh Allen throws two touchdown passes, including a seven-yarder to Duke Williams in the fourth quarter that proves to be the game-winning score. Derrick Henry scores the Titans’ lone touchdown on a one-yard run.
Cairo Santos misses all four field goal attempts for the Titans. Marcus Mariota is sacked five times by Bills defenders, including three sacks by defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, while the Titans record four sacks of Allen.
2020 Week 5 • Oct. 13, 2020 • Bills 16 at TITANS 42
Following a 16-day gap between games due to a COVID-19 outbreak, the Tennessee Titans play the NFL’s second Tuesday game since 1946 and the first since 2010. The Titans score 21 points off three turnovers by the Bills, sparked by cornerback Malcolm Butler’s two interceptions off Josh Allen and 97 total return yards.
Ryan Tannehill completes three touchdown passes, including two to Jonnu Smith, and also rushes for a score. Derrick Henry adds two touchdown runs. In the Titans’ first game of 2020 that is opened to fans on a limited basis, the announced attendance is 8,403.
2021 Week 6 • Oct. 18, 2021 • Bills 31 at TITANS 34
In the Monday night game’s final minute, Bills quarterback Josh Allen is stopped by Jeffery Simmons on a fourth-and-one quarterback sneak at Tennessee’s three-yard line. Derrick Henry rushes for 143 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries, including a 76-yard touchdown.
Ryan Tannehill rushes for the Titans’ other touchdown and completes all nine of his passes in the fourth quarter to help the Titans score the final 10 points of a game that featured seven lead changes. Harold Landry III registers two sacks, and Kevin Byard sets up a touchdown with an interception. Allen passes for 353 yards and three touchdowns for the Bills.
