Inciting a Stampede: Buffalo’s No-Huddle Left Raiders Befuddled

In the afterglow, you are undecided whether the Buffalo Bills played the game of the century, or whether the Raiders took the century’s premier pratfall.

The score against the Raiders ran 51-3, but not even that disparity in numbers captures fully the humiliation enveloping the losers in a game of such impact, namely, one deciding a Super Bowl opportunity.

Veterans of postseason combat, the Raiders yielded 20 first downs within the first 25 minutes. The score at halftime: 41-3.

One must concede that Buffalo, indeed, is a striking force of impact. But it doesn’t seem possible the Raiders could have turned up for a game so shockingly disoriented.

They crystallized, comporting themselves like a troupe never before observing the no-huddle offense.

By game’s end, Buffalo had accumulated 503 yards, removing, in the late stages, its first-line performers.

Explanations have been advanced in behalf of the Raiders. It is pointed out first that Bo Jackson, well-known entrepreneur, missed the match with a hip injury. For the Raiders, this was loss of a heavy weapon.

Then it has been said that the environment hurt the Raiders, a California force wandering into Arctic-like precincts on the shores of Lake Erie. Made to play in such conditions, a visiting team must choose whether to arrive on the scene early for acclimatization, or whether to arrive late to avoid depression.

George Allen always chose to arrive early--sometimes by Tuesday for a Sunday game.

Tom Landry favored arrival on Saturday.

The Raiders selected Friday night, giving them a day to soak up the atmosphere. In the light of the accident befalling them Sunday, you can bet they will call for readjustment in their thinking the next time they stroll into Buffalo or Green Bay in January.

For Raiders fans watching on television, it was a grim day, looking at their team embarrass itself as it did, amid interspersed news bulletins concerning missile attacks in Saudi Arabia.

If nothing else, the latter served to show that what was happening to the Raiders was quite beside the point.

At least they were beaten by a quality team, propelled by a quality quarterback. Jim Kelly operates the no-huddle better than anyone in his line of work.

And, matched against the Raiders, he found that even a running game flourished in a system conceived primarily for the pass.

Buffalo rolled up more than 200 yards on the ground.

It was a blitzkrieg of sorts. The T formation, appearing on the scene 50 years ago, confused opponents very much as the no-huddle confused the Raiders Sunday.

What this has won for the Bills is a trip to Tampa, normally recommended only if one is looking for a cigar, but a location this time where Buffalo can engage the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV.

Heaven willing, this will happen next Sunday. It will if conditions abroad permit televising during the particular hours the game is scheduled on the air.

When play is preempted by war bulletins, enthusiasm on the part of civilized viewers is watered down indescribably. They come to ask themselves whether war is interrupting football, or vice-versa.

The question now is whether Buffalo can take the measure of the Giants, busting the six-year winning streak of the National Conference in the Super Bowl.

Unwaveringly, the learned connoisseur goes for Buffalo, adding the footnote that its only problem could come from the Giants’ disabling quarterback Kelly.

But if Kelly stays operative, matched against the New York quarterback Jeff Hostetler, it is financially advisable to pick Buffalo.

A week ago, Miami never got the credit it had coming.

It held the Bills to only 44 points.