Buffalo Bills · Franchise era 3 of 5
The K-Gun years: the Buffalo Bills story
Franchise era
1985—1996
The K-Gun years
Buffalo Bills
The story in one sentence
Kelly's no-huddle offense and a defense led by Smith reached four straight Super Bowls, an achievement defined equally by dominance and heartbreak.
Four consecutive AFC championships
Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for the seventeen-year drought.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 1985
What came before
An elite line powered Simpson's 2,003-yard season before Chuck Knox later returned Buffalo to the playoffs with a tougher, balanced roster.
October 31, 1987
The three-team Eric Dickerson megadeal
The Colts wanted an immediate superstar, Buffalo wanted its unsigned top pick and Los Angeles chose a vast rebuild after its relationship with Dickerson broke down.
11Three-team blockbusterOctober 31, 1987IND⇄BUFDickerson to IndianapolisIndianapolis acquired Eric Dickerson, Buffalo acquired the rights to Cornelius Bennett and the Rams received two players plus six premium picks.6 assets · 2 outcomes＋
The original receipt
Indianapolis Colts received
- • Eric Dickerson
Buffalo Bills received
- • Rights to Cornelius Bennett · No. 2
Los Angeles Rams received
- • Greg Bell
- • Owen Gill
- • Three first-round picks
- • Three second-round picks
Dickerson immediately drove Indianapolis to its first division title, Bennett became a pillar of Buffalo's four-Super Bowl run and the Rams received one of the largest packages ever assembled.
Open full trade tree →1991-01-27
Super Bowl: Buffalo Bills vs New York Giants
1992-01-12
Conference Championship: Denver Broncos vs Buffalo Bills
1992-01-26
Super Bowl: Buffalo Bills vs Washington
After 1996
What came next
Buffalo cycled through coaches and quarterbacks while devoted fans waited through the league's longest active playoff drought.
The core