The Buffalo Bills (6-3) welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3) to Western New York on Sunday afternoon in a 1 p.m. EST battle of teams that began the year with Super Bowl dreams.
Before this afternoon’s
game, let’s revisit the series history, relive some of the more memorable matchups, break down those common connections, and go through the list of players who played for both teams. Hint: there are 49 players who saw action for both the Bills and Buccaneers.
Bills vs. Buccaneers series history
This is a rare matchup, as the Bills and Buccaneers have only met 13 previous times, with Tampa Bay holding an 8-5 edge in the all-time series. The teams met for the first time in Tampa Bay’s inaugural season of 1976, and in an unusual scheduling quirk, the first eight matchups all took place in Tampa Bay. Buffalo has only hosted the Buccaneers three times, and the Bills are undefeated (3-0) when the two teams play in Western New York. Buffalo has won three of the last five games (all of the wins occurred at home) since the 2009 season.
In their last meeting, Josh Allen completed 30 of 41 passes for 324 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, Allen added a 13-yard rushing touchdown, while wide receiver Gabe Davis and tight end Dalton Kincaid each caught touchdown passes as the Bills held off the Buccaneers 24-18 on Thursday Night Football, on October. 26, 2023. Allen and the Bills amassed 427 yards of total offense, converted 7 of 13 third downs, and held the Buccaneers to 26% on third-down scenarios (4-of-15).
Fun fact: The Bills and Buccaneers’ first-ever meeting came in Week 3 of the 1976 season, Tampa’s first as a member of the NFL. The Buccaneers would endure an 0-14 inaugural campaign, but they almost knocked off the Bills for the franchise’s first victory. Trailing 9-7, Joe Ferguson’s second touchdown pass, a 15-yard strike to tight end Reuben Gant early in the fourth quarter, put the Bills ahead for good, holding on for a 14-9 lead.
Tampa Bay’s defense bottled up running back O.J. Simpson, holding the future Pro Football Hall of Famer to only 39 yards on 20 carries, while Ferguson completed 12 of 22 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns, and wide receiver Bob Chandler hauled in five passes for 110 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown in the second quarter. The Buccaneers were led by quarterback Steve Spurrier, who completed 13 of 27 passes for 170 yards but was picked off by safety Tony Greene. After the loss, Tampa Bay extended its streak of games without scoring a touchdown to three.
Franchise Comparison
Who has played for both the Bills and Buccaneers?
There are a total of 49 players who appeared in a game for both the Bills and Buccaneers. When Tampa Bay entered the league as an expansion franchise for the 1976 season, they featured four former Bills players:
Defensive back Frank Oliver (1975 with the Bills, 1976 with the Buccaneers)
Defensive back Ken Stone (1973 with the Bills, 1976 with the Buccaneers)
Defensive end Pat Toomay (1975 with the Bills, 1976 with the Buccaneers)
Defensive back Roscoe Word (1976 with the Buccaneers and Bills)
Among the other notable players with ties to both the Bills and Buccaneers:
- Defensive lineman Chidi Ahanotu (1993-2004 with the Buccaneers, 2002 with the Bills)
- Wide receiver Cole Beasley (2019-22 with the Bills, 2022 with the Buccaneers)
- Wide receiver John Brown (2019-22 with the Bills, 2021 with the Buccaneers)
- Kicker Steve Christie (1990-91 with the Buccaneers, 1992-2000 with the Bills)
- Quarterback Joe Ferguson (1973-84 with the Bills, 1988-89 with the Buccaneers)
- Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (2009-12 with the Bills, 2017-18 with the Buccaneers)
- Cornerback Leonard Johnson (2012-14 with the Buccaneers, 2017 with the Bills)
- Quarterback Rob Johnson (1998-01 with the Bills, 2002 with the Buccaneers)
- Kicker Rian Lindell (2003-12 with the Bills, 2013 with the Buccaneers)
- Linebacker Eugene Marve (1982-87 with the Bills, 1988-91 with the Buccaneers)
- Running back LeSean McCoy (2015-18 with the Bills, 2020 with the Buccaneers)
- Punter Chris Mohr (1989 with the Buccaneers, 1991-2000 with the Bills)
- Wide receiver/returner Roscoe Parrish (2005-11 with the Bills, 2012 with the Buccaneers)
- Long snapper Garrison Sanborn (2009-16 with the Bills, 2017-18 with the Buccaneers)
Fun fact: Only three players have ever thrown a pass in both a Bills and Buccaneers uniform:
Joe Ferguson
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Rob Johnson
