Buffalo Bills · Franchise era 4 of 5
The seventeen-year drought: the Buffalo Bills story
Franchise era
1997—2016
The seventeen-year drought
Buffalo Bills
The story in one sentence
Buffalo cycled through coaches and quarterbacks while devoted fans waited through the league's longest active playoff drought.
Great defenses and near misses without January
Eric Moulds, Fred Jackson and Kyle Williams gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for the josh allen revival.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 1997
What came before
Kelly's no-huddle offense and a defense led by Smith reached four straight Super Bowls, an achievement defined equally by dominance and heartbreak.
1999-01-02
Wild Card: Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins
2000-01-08
Wild Card: Buffalo Bills vs Tennessee Titans
After 2016
What came next
Sean McDermott restored the playoffs, Allen developed into an elite quarterback and Buffalo became a permanent part of the AFC championship conversation.
The core