Although not officially known as such until Super Bowl III, in January, 1969, the Super Bowl was inaugurated, as the ‘AFL-NFL World Championship Game’ in 1966. Early in their history, the Buffalo Bills won the American Football League (AFL) Championships twice, in 1964 and 1965, but, following the merger of the AFL and the National Football League (NFL) in 1971, did not appear in the Super Bowl until 1990. Nevertheless, they hold the record for the most consecutive Super Bowl appearances – four, between 1990 and 1993 – albeit that they lost on all four occasions and are still yet to win the NFL championship.
On their first attempt, at Super Bowl XXV at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida in January, 1991, the Bills were seven-point favourites against New York Giants, but lost 20-19 after placekicker Scott Norwood missed a field goal attempt in the dying seconds. Super Bowl XXVI, at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota, also ended in disappointment for the Bills, with quarterback Jim Kelly sacked four times and throwing four interceptions in a 37-24 defeat by Washington Redskins.
The 1992 season was famous for the wildcard playoff game, which became known as ‘The Comeback’ after the Buffalo Bills recovered from a 35-3 deficit against Houston Oilers at Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, New York to win 41-38 in overtime. The Bills subsequently won their divisional playoff against Pittsburgh Steelers and conference championship against Miami Dolphins to make Super Bowl XXVII, but lost an error-strewn encounter with Dallas Cowboys at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California 57-12. The Bills met the Cowboys again in Super Bowl XXVIII at the Geogia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia in January, 1994, but failed to cope with Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP), running back Emmitt Smith, who scored two touchdowns in a 30-13 victory for the Dallas Cowboys.