Golf great watches Bills end 17- year playoff drought
GOLFING great Jack Nicklaus watched his grandson score a touchdown as the Buffalo Bills snapped the longest playoff drought in North American pro sports when they qualified for the NFL post- season on Sunday.
The Bills were last in the playoffs in 1999, but after 17 fruitless seasons they gave themselves a chance with a 22- 16 win over the Miami Dol- phins on the last day of the regular season.
Wearing Bills gear and a smile, Nicklaus was in the stands as his grandson, Buffalo tight end Nick O’Leary, caught Tyrod Taylor’s 26- yard touchdown pass. Taylor went 19 for 27 for 204 yards and one score.
Buffalo punctuated the victory with a one- yard touchdown run by defensive tackle Kyle Williams, who is in his 12th and perhaps final season with the Bills. The victory, however, was not enough for Buffalo, who also needed Cincinnati to beat Baltimore.
They nervously watched TV in the locker room in Miami as Bengals’ quarterback Andy Dalton connected on fourth down with a 49- yard touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd to earn a 31- 27 win at the death and send the Bills into delirium.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Buffalo coach Sean McDermott told reporters.
Buffalo were not the only team to seal their playoffs spot on the final day of the season.
The Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans also won their respective games and earned their way into the postseason.
Tennessee beat the Jaguars 15- 10 in Nashville, while the Falcons, last year’s Super Bowl losers, also snuck in with a 22- 10 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
The top two seeds, who earn a first round bye, in the AFC had already been decided, though the New England Patriots had to win on Sunday, which they duly did over the New York Jets, to take the No. 1 spot ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers.