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Top 10 single-season player performances in Bills history

Matt Homan
SUPER BOWL XXV

USA TODAY Sports

There have been numerous exceptional players to dawn a Bills uniform in the franchise’s 65 years in Buffalo.

From their inaugural AFL days, to the Electric Company of the 1970’s, to the Super Bowl years, all the way to the Josh Allen era; we all have our favorite Bills players that we remember excelling on the gridiron.

There are, however, a select few all-time Bills players that achieved legendary NFL status while playing with the Bills by displaying exemplary single-season efforts.   

Here are the all-time greatest single seasons by a Bills player:

1. OJ Simpson, 1975

In 1975, OJ Simpson put together one of the most complete seasons for a running back ever. On top of his league-leading 1,817 rushing yards (129.8 per game) and 16 rushing touchdowns, Simpson also had 426 receiving yards and 7 receiving touchdowns.  

His 2,243 combined scrimmage yards were not only a career high for the Hall of Famer but topped the league by 482 yards that year.

Simpson’s 1973 season will get all the glory because of him being the first running back to reach 2,000 rushing yards. However, Simpson’s 1975 season was his most complete and one of the top performances in league history.

2. Bruce Smith, 1990

Bruce Smith’s 1990 campaign was the most dominant ever for a Buffalo Bills defensive player.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer recorded a Bills-record 19 sacks in the regular season and would go on to sack Giants quarterback Jeff Hostetler in the endzone in the first half of Super Bowl XXV.

Smith would go on to receive the following honors in 1990: First-Team All-Pro, Defensive Player of the Year, Pro Bowl, and was fourth in the MVP race.

3. Josh Allen, 2024

Although Josh Allen had an average year by his statistical standards, it was his intangibles that made him he 2024 MVP.

After losing main receiving weapons Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis in the offseason, Allen embraced the “Everybody Eats” offensive approach during the 2024 season, throwing touchdown passes to 13 different receivers, throwing a career-low six interceptions, and creating timely plays to lead his team to their fifth-consecutive AFC East title and to his second AFC Championship game.

Allen was only the third Bills player to receive MVP honors and would finish second in All-Pro voting.

4. Thurman Thomas, 1991

Thurman Thomas was the best offensive player on the 1990’s Bills teams and he reached his pinnacle in 1991.

In only 15 games, Thomas accumulated 2,038 yards from scrimmage, leading the league and setting his personal best for yards from scrimmage per game with 135.9.

Thomas would also lead the league in yards per rush (4.9) and set his own personal rush yards per game mark with 93.8.

Thurman Thomas would be rewarded at the end of the regular season with MVP, First-Team All-Pro and Offensive Player of the Year honors.

 

5. Josh Allen, 2020

The Buffalo Bills as we know them today all started with the transformation of Josh Allen in 2020.

Statistically, 2020 has been Allen’s best season, setting franchise all-time marks in passing yards, passing touchdowns and quarterback rating.

Josh Allen would lead the Bills to the AFC Championship in 2020, their first in 27 years, and finish second in MVP voting, second in All-Pro voting, and fourth in Offensive Player of the Year voting.

6. OJ Simpson, 1973

The sports world was focused on OJ Simpson and the Buffalo Bills late in the 1973 season as Simpson sought to become the first player in NFL history with 2,000 rushing yards in a single season. 

The offense ran through “The Juice” in 1973 as Simpson accounted for nearly 51% of his teams’ offensive yards and scored 12 of the Bills’ 24 total touchdowns.

Simpson would be awarded with his only MVP for the 1973 season along with First-Team All-Pro and Offensive Player of the Year honors.

7. Bruce Smith, 1996

In his twelfth year in the NFL, Bruce Smith had perhaps his second-best season.

With 13.5 sacks, 90 tackles and 5 forced fumbles, no other defensive player was more valuable to his team than Smith was to his in 1996.

Bruce Smith would receive his seventh First-Team All-Pro nod and his second Defensive Player of the Year award.

 

8. Stefon Diggs, 2020

One of the most important moves that has led to the Bills’ recent success was trading for Stefon Diggs before the 2020 season.

The Allen to Diggs connection catapulted the career of both players, and in 2020 they springboarded the Buffalo Bills to an elite level.

Diggs’s first year with the Bills was his most productive, leading the NFL in receptions and receiving yards and setting single-season Bills records in both as well.

Diggs would go on to receive his first and only First-Team All-Pro nod in 2020 along with a Pro Bowl.

9. Jim Kelly, 1991

Jim Kelly’s 1991 season was the best season for a quarterback statistically for the Buffalo Bills from the team’s inception in 1960 through 2002.

In only 15 games, Kelly would lead the league with 33 touchdown passes and be ranked top-four in the NFL in passing yards (3844), QB Rating (97.6), and completion percentage (64.1%).

In perhaps their best season during the Bills early-’90s Super Bowl run, Jim Kelly would be awarded with First-Team All-Pro honors in 1991, finish second in MVP voting and second in Offensive Player of the Year voting.

10. Tom Sestak, 1964

Tom Sestak recorded 15.5 sacks in 14 regular season games in 1964, leading a defense that was number one in the AFL in points and yardage allowed.

Although he isn’t a “household name” Bills player, the Bills Wall of Famer, Sestak, was a dominate force behind the team’s AFL Championships in 1964 and 1965.

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