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BUFSMITH78

Bruce Smith

Retired

Washington Commanders · DE

Bruce Smith recorded 277 indexed regular-season NFL appearances across 19 rostered seasons with Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills.

▶Best highlights

0.7

tackles/gm

20

playoff games

19

indexed seasons

277

career games

Five defining games

Start here

A researched consensus introduction to Bruce Smith's defining games.

Editorial methodology and sources

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

  1. #1. In the Super Bowl against Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys, Bruce Smith recorded 1 sacks in the leading indexed performance of this editorial five. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Bruce Smith
  2. #2. In the Super Bowl against Buffalo Bills and New York Giants, Bruce Smith recorded 1 sacks in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Bruce Smith
  3. #3. In the conference championship against Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, Bruce Smith recorded 2 sacks in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Bruce Smith
  4. #4. Against Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans, Bruce Smith recorded 4 sacks in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Bruce Smith
  5. #5. Against Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts, Bruce Smith recorded 4 sacks in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Bruce Smith

Reviewed through 2026-08-11

Super Bowl
XXVII
BUFFALOBILLS
DALLASCOWBOYS
JAN 31, 1993

Buffalo Bills vs Dallas Cowboys

Super Bowl XXVII · Jan 31, 1993

0 tackles · 1 sacks · 0 INT

Super Bowl
XXV
BUFFALOBILLS
NEW YORKGIANTS
JAN 27, 1991

Buffalo Bills vs New York Giants

Super Bowl XXV · Jan 27, 1991

0 tackles · 1 sacks · 0 INT

Conference Championship
1988
BUFFALOBILLS
CINCINNATIBENGALS
JAN 8, 1989

Buffalo Bills vs Cincinnati Bengals

Conference Championship · Jan 8, 1989

0 tackles · 2 sacks · 0 INT

Regular Season
1994
BUFFALOBILLS
TENNESSEETITANS
SEP 18, 1994

Buffalo Bills vs Tennessee Titans

Regular Season · Sep 18, 1994

0 tackles · 4 sacks · 0 INT

Regular Season
1990
BUFFALOBILLS
INDIANAPOLISCOLTS
DEC 9, 1990

Buffalo Bills vs Indianapolis Colts

Regular Season · Dec 9, 1990

0 tackles · 4 sacks · 0 INT

Single-game peaks

Career highs

Position-relevant single-game records from Bruce Smith's indexed NFL box scores.

Career high: 7 total tackles

Regular Season
1999
OAKLANDRAIDERS
BUFFALOBILLS
OCT 17, 1999

Oakland Raiders vs Buffalo Bills

Regular Season · Oct 17, 1999

7 tackles · 0 sacks · 0 INT

Career high: 4 sacks

Regular Season
1994
BUFFALOBILLS
TENNESSEETITANS
SEP 18, 1994

Buffalo Bills vs Tennessee Titans

Regular Season · Sep 18, 1994

0 tackles · 4 sacks · 0 INT

Career high: 2 tackles for loss

Regular Season
2002
HOUSTONTEXANS
WASHINGTONCOMMANDERS
DEC 22, 2002

Houston Texans vs Washington Commanders

Regular Season · Dec 22, 2002

6 tackles · 2 sacks · 0 INT

Career high: 3 quarterback hits

Regular Season
2000
WASHINGTONCOMMANDERS
ST. LOUISRAMS
NOV 20, 2000

Washington Commanders vs St. Louis Rams

Regular Season · Nov 20, 2000

4 tackles · 3 sacks · 0 INT

Career high: 1 forced fumble

Regular Season
2002
DALLASCOWBOYS
WASHINGTONCOMMANDERS
DEC 29, 2002

Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Commanders

Regular Season · Dec 29, 2002

2 tackles · 1 sacks · 0 INT

Career chapters

Franchise eras

Follow the team eras that shaped Bruce Smith's career, in chronological order.

Earliest → latest

Franchise era

1985–1996

01
BUFSMITH78Bruce Smith
BUFKELLY12Jim Kelly
BUFTHOMAS34Thurman Thomas

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 →

Franchise era

1997–2016

02
BUFSMITH78Bruce Smith
BUFMOULDS80Eric Moulds
BUFJACKSON22Fred Jackson

Great defenses and near misses without January

Buffalo Bills · The seventeen-year drought

Buffalo cycled through coaches and quarterbacks while devoted fans waited through the league's longest active playoff drought.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1993–2011

03
WASSMITH78Bruce Smith
WASBAILEY24Champ Bailey
WASDAVIS48Stephen Davis

Frequent resets obscure isolated playoff teams

Washington Commanders · Instability after Gibbs

Ownership and coaching turnover prevented a stable successor, even as several veteran teams produced brief postseason runs.

Read the era story →

Career accomplishments

Pro Bowl selection · 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998First-team All-Pro · 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997NFL Defensive Player of the Year · 1990, 199619 NFL seasons277 career games146 career solo tackles200 career sacksDrafted by: BUFDraft pick: 1Jersey: 7820 playoff appearances4 Super Bowl appearancesFirst appearance: Sep 8, 1985Most recent: Dec 27, 2003

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