Inside the Bills: Recounting my 10 most memorable moments at Highmark Stadium
From heartbreak at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers, through thrilling performances of the Josh Allen era, Buffalo News sports reporter Jay Skurski writes about his 10 most memorable moments at Highmark Stadium.
Long before I was paid to be at Highmark Stadium for Buffalo Bills game days, I was a paying customer.
Growing up in Western New York, the Bills were, first, a way of life, before writing about them became my way to make a living. I don’t have any particular recollection of my first game at what was then Rich Stadium. I don’t claim to be one of the approximate million people who have stories about being at the Greatest Comeback game, even if capacity at that time was about 80,000.
I do, however, have a lifetime of memories that have been created in a place that is so special to so many. Here are 10 of them, from the earliest to most recent, both from before and during my time on the job.
Sept. 7, 2003 − Bills 31, New England Patriots 0: The Sam Adams game. Who can forget the image of the 350-pound defensive tackle rumbling down the right sideline after an interception of Tom Brady? The vibes were off the chart as he crossed the goal line. The moment was captured perfectly in a photo that ended up on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Remember when that was a big deal? I had gone to Florida for the start of my senior year of college at the University of South Florida a few weeks before this game and left my car at home. I flew home for this game, jumped in the car immediately after and started the drive to Tampa, making it to class Tuesday morning.
Willie Parker ran for 102 yards as he and other Steelers backups dropped the Bills to 9-7 and out of the playoff hunt in a 29-24 victory over the Bills on Jan. 2, 2005.
Buffalo News file photo
Jan. 2, 2005 − Pittsburgh Steelers 29, Bills 24: The Bills had to beat the Steelers’ third-stringers to make the playoffs, and get some help. Nate Clements’ pick-six that put the Bills up in the third quarter had us going bananas in the 300s, but that joy was short-lived. The Steelers’ ended the Bills’ playoff hopes. Walking out of the stadium, we found out that the Bills had gotten the help they would have needed in the form of the St. Louis Rams beating the New York Jets in overtime. Ouch.
Sept. 9, 2007 − Denver Broncos 15, Bills 14: The sound of 74,000 people falling completely silent is hard to forget. While covering the second-half kickoff, Bills tight end Kevin Everett ducked his head while tackling the Broncos' Domenik Hixon. The impact of the collision resulted in a life-threatening spinal-cord injury. An ambulance came onto the field and Everett was transported to Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital. There was initial fear that Everett would sustain permanent neurological damage. In the days that followed, he regained voluntary movement in his arms and legs. His playing career, however, ended on that day, in one of the scariest moments in the history of Highmark Stadium. This was one of my first games on the beat, and a story I never hope to have to tell again.
Sidney Crosby’s shootout goal gives the Pittsburgh Penguins a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres in the inaugural outdoor
Winter Classic in front of a league-record 71,217 fans on Jan. 1, 2008. Associated Press file photo
Jan. 1, 2008 − Pittsburg Penguins 2, Buffalo Sabres 1: The first Winter Classic was a sight to behold. The snow-globe atmosphere was perfect. The idea and execution of an outdoor NHL game was outstanding. The result was not. The shootout loss to the Penguins felt so much worse than it actually was in the standings because of how high profile the game was.
Dec. 24, 2016 − Miami Dolphins 34, Bills 31 (OT): Needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, Rex Ryan’s defense infamously had 10 players on the field in overtime when Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi ripped off a 57-yard run that set up the game-winning field goal a few plays later. It proved to be the nail in the coffin for Ryan, who was fired as head coach a few days later, one game short of finishing his second season on the job. Ryan was defiant until the end, saying after the loss “I'll let my reputation stand for what it is and you can challenge it all you want." That’s exactly what happened. Ryan hasn’t coached in the NFL since.
Bills running back LeSean McCoy, right, celebrates with teammates and fans after scoring a 21-yard touchdown in overtime
to beat the Indianapolis Colts 13-7 on Dec. 10, 2017. Buffalo News file photo
Dec. 10, 2017 − Bills 13, Indianapolis Colts 7: Snow games are nothing new in Buffalo, but this one stands out above all the rest. A lake-effect storm started about 30 minutes before kickoff, and proceeded to dump snow … for the entire game. The windows in the press box steamed up to the point that it was almost impossible to see the game taking place. LeSean McCoy’s touchdown run in overtime gave the Bills what ended up being a critical win in a season in which they ended their 17-year playoff drought. Joe Webb finished the game at quarterback after Nathan Peterman, who was starting for the injured Tyrod Taylor, left because of a head injury.
Sept. 13, 2020 − Bills 27, Jets 17: The game itself isn’t particularly memorable. Playing in an empty stadium, however, certainly was. Fans weren’t allowed in because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in an almost eerie atmosphere for the season opener. Eventually, it became the “new normal” for a time, but that first time watching an NFL game with no fans in the stands – socially distanced and wearing masks, of course – is unforgettable.
Taron Johnson's pick-six against the Baltimore Ravens joins one by Carlton Bailey in the 1992 AFC Championship Game
against the Denver Broncos as being two of the most impactful in franchise history. Harry Scull Jr. / Buffalo News
Jan. 16, 2021 − Bills 17, Baltimore Ravens 3: By the end of the Covid-19 season, the NFL was allowing some fans into the stadium at a reduced capacity. Those who were there on this night witnessed what I consider to be one of the biggest plays in team history – Taron Johnson’s 101-yard pick-six of Lamar Jackson with less than a minute to go in the third quarter. Instead of a touchdown by the Ravens to potentially tie the score 10-10, Johnson ran it back, and the Bills advanced to the AFC championship game.
Jan. 15, 2022 − Bills 47, Patriots 17: The perfect game. The day the Patriots’ dynasty officially died. The Bills scored a touchdown on every offensive possession − an absolute master class of a game plan put together by coordinator Brian Daboll. It remains the best performance I’ve ever seen by a Buffalo offense. The following week, 13 seconds happened in Kansas City, denying the Bills a chance to advance to the AFC championship game, which would have been in Buffalo. I maintain that of the Bills’ recent run, this team is the one that should have won the Super Bowl.
Bills kicker Matt Prater celebrates his game-winning field goal to defeat the Baltimore Ravens 41-40 on Sept. 7, 2025.
Buffalo News file photo
Sept. 7, 2025 − Bills 41, Ravens 40: The Bills and Ravens have played some classics in recent years. Buffalo’s 27-25 victory in the divisional round of the playoffs on Jan. 19, 2025 didn’t even make my list. The two teams would meet again in this year’s season opener. The Ravens went up 40-25 with 11:42 left in the fourth quarter. It sure felt like, at that point, the Bills would start the year 0-1. Josh Allen and Co., however, had other ideas, scoring the game’s final 16 points to escape with a walk-off win. Fans will remember it for the comeback. I’ll remember it for being one of the most difficult games of my career to write, given the late start (it was a Sunday night game) and the nature of the improbable comeback.
