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BUFKELLY12

Jim Kelly

Retired

Buffalo Bills · QB

Jim Kelly recorded 160 indexed regular-season NFL appearances across 11 rostered seasons with Buffalo Bills.

▶Best highlights

221.7

pass yds/gm

6.6

rush yds/gm

17

playoff games

160

career games

Five defining games

Start here

A researched consensus introduction to Jim Kelly's defining games.

Editorial methodology and sources

Cross-checked Pro Football Hall of Fame: Jim Kelly, postseason and milestone context, and verified Athlore box scores. This frozen editorial order balances the highest-leverage indexed appearances with statistical peaks that represent Jim Kelly's career; no ranking formula runs in the application.

  1. #1. In the Divisional Round against Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns, Jim Kelly recorded 405 passing yards, 4 passing touchdowns, 5 rushing yards in the leading indexed performance of this editorial five. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Jim Kelly
  2. #2. In the Divisional Round against Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills, Jim Kelly recorded 339 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 37 rushing yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Jim Kelly
  3. #3. In the Super Bowl against Buffalo Bills and WSH, Jim Kelly recorded 275 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 16 rushing yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Jim Kelly
  4. #4. Against Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans, Jim Kelly recorded 363 passing yards, 5 passing touchdowns, 43 rushing yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Jim Kelly
  5. #5. Against Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills, Jim Kelly recorded 363 passing yards, 6 passing touchdowns in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Jim Kelly

Reviewed through 2026-08-11

Divisional Round
1989
BUFFALOBILLS
CLEVELANDBROWNS
JAN 6, 1990

Buffalo Bills vs Cleveland Browns

Divisional Round · Jan 6, 1990

405 pass yds · 4 pass TD · 2 INT

Divisional Round
1990
MIAMIDOLPHINS
BUFFALOBILLS
JAN 12, 1991

Miami Dolphins vs Buffalo Bills

Divisional Round · Jan 12, 1991

339 pass yds · 3 pass TD · 1 INT

Super Bowl
XXVI
W
BUFFALOBILLS
WSH
JAN 26, 1992

Buffalo Bills vs WSH

Super Bowl XXVI · Jan 26, 1992

275 pass yds · 2 pass TD · 4 INT

Regular Season
1989
BUFFALOBILLS
TENNESSEETITANS
SEP 24, 1989

Buffalo Bills vs Tennessee Titans

Regular Season · Sep 24, 1989

363 pass yds · 5 pass TD · 1 INT

Regular Season
1991
PITTSBURGHSTEELERS
BUFFALOBILLS
SEP 8, 1991

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Buffalo Bills

Regular Season · Sep 8, 1991

363 pass yds · 6 pass TD · 2 INT

Single-game peaks

Career highs

Position-relevant single-game records from Jim Kelly's indexed NFL box scores.

Career high: 405 passing yards

Divisional Round
1989
BUFFALOBILLS
CLEVELANDBROWNS
JAN 6, 1990

Buffalo Bills vs Cleveland Browns

Divisional Round · Jan 6, 1990

405 pass yds · 4 pass TD · 2 INT

Career high: 6 passing touchdowns

Regular Season
1991
PITTSBURGHSTEELERS
BUFFALOBILLS
SEP 8, 1991

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Buffalo Bills

Regular Season · Sep 8, 1991

363 pass yds · 6 pass TD · 2 INT

Career high: 51 rushing yards

Regular Season
1989
DENVERBRONCOS
BUFFALOBILLS
SEP 18, 1989

Denver Broncos vs Buffalo Bills

Regular Season · Sep 18, 1989

298 pass yds · 1 pass TD · 3 INT

Career chapters

Franchise eras

Follow the team eras that shaped Jim Kelly's career, in chronological order.

Earliest → latest

Franchise era

1985–1996

01
BUFKELLY12Jim Kelly
BUFTHOMAS34Thurman Thomas
BUFSMITH78Bruce Smith

Four consecutive AFC championships

Buffalo Bills · The K-Gun years

Kelly's no-huddle offense and a defense led by Smith reached four straight Super Bowls, an achievement defined equally by dominance and heartbreak.

Read the era story →

Career accomplishments

Pro Bowl selection · 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992First-team All-Pro · 1991NFL passing touchdowns leader · 199111 NFL seasons160 career games35,467 career passing yards237 career passing touchdowns1,049 career rushing yards7 career rushing touchdowns2 career receptions40 career receiving yardsJersey: 1217 playoff appearances4 Super Bowl appearancesFirst appearance: Sep 7, 1986Most recent: Dec 28, 1996

Official awards via ESPN · Pro Bowl and All-Pro counts via NFLverse with selection years cross-checked against Wikipedia · league leads verified from indexed regular-season stats

Team history