Buffalo Bills Are No Longer the Last Team to Accomplish Unthinkable Feat

After 52 years, the Buffalo Bills are no longer the last team to accomplish a feat that was thought to be impossible in this day and age in the NFL.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Joe Ferguson (12) in action against the Miami Dolphins at Rich Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY NETWORK | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Back in 1974, the Buffalo Bills accomplished a feat that does not happen very often.

In a game against the New York Jets that season, the Bills failed to complete a single pass on two attempts in the contest against Gang Green yet they still managed to win, 16-12.

Since then, no other team had accomplished that feat in the NFL before it was done on Sunday in Week 8.

It was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who snapped the 52-year streak after they defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 16-0, without completing any passes, which is unthinkable, especially in this day and age when throwing the football is as prominent as ever.

The Bucs attempted just three passes in the entire game and actually finished with -2 passing yards officially because quarterback Baker Mayfield got sacked once.

Why didn't the Bucs throw more?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) shakes hands with Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) on the field after a game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The reason behind the Bucs' lack of passing had to do with the inclement weather conditions that brought heavy rain. Instead, Tampa Bay decided to run the football a whopping 56 times, gaining 324 yards in all.

Seven of Tampa Bay's points came on a rushing touchdown, and the other nine came from three field goals made by Bucs kicker Chase McLaughlin, who made kicks from 46, 34 and 42 yards.

"We knew it was going to be a nasty day and what type of conditions it was going to be," head coach Todd Bowles said. "We were worried about ball security, and we took care of it other than the fumble in the end zone. We didn't say we were not going to throw the ball; the conditions told [Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson] that. You could see, with the downpour and the wind blowing, you can kind of see that ball wasn't going anywhere."

Unlike the Bucs, the Falcons did attempt to throw the football, but that did not yield positive results. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw four picks and completed just 8-of-24 passes for 125 scoreless yards.

History of teams winning without a completed pass

Buffalo Bills quarterback Joe Ferguson (12) in action against the Baltimore Colts at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Before the Bills and the Bucs, there were eight other instances of a team winning a game without completing a pass, but none of those occurred after 1950.

Here's a look at those instances:

Winning team	Losing team	Year	No. of pass attempts	Final score
Buccaneers	Falcons	2026	3	16-0
Bills	Jets	1974	2	16-12
Browns	Eagles	1950	0	13-7
Steelers	Cardinals	1945	8	23-0
Steelers	Dodgers	1942	7	7-0
Steelers	Dodgers	1941	0	14-7
Steelers	Washington	1937	5	21-13
Lions	Rams	1937	0	28-0
Dodgers	Eagles	1936	3	13-7
Cardinals	Eagles	1936	1	13-0

The Bucs' accomplishing that feat is especially shocking because of the amount of passes that are thrown in the modern era. It was considered unfathomable to think a team could win the way the Bucs did on Sunday, but here we are.

Revisiting Bills' 1974 win

Former quarterbacks Joe Ferguson and Jim Kelly were the legends of the game who warmed up the crowd before the Bills home game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Nov. 2, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In the Bills' aforementioned victory over the Jets, Joe Ferguson was Buffalo's quarterback.

While he didn't complete a pass on two attempts, he did rush for 14 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. O.J. Simpson and Jim Braxton were responsible for most of the offensive output, with Simpson totaling 31 carries for 117 yards and Braxton finishing with 84 yards and a score on 17 totes.

The Jets didn't do much throwing, either, as Joe Namath was only able to complete two passes on 18 attempts, totaling 33 yards. Namath tossed three interceptions, also.

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