Buffalo Bills
Vs.
Washington Redskins
August 8, 1969
Bills Down Redskins
Buffalo, NY (UPI) John Rauch is the first to admit it wasn't the Super
Bowl but his initial victory over a Vince Lombardi-coached team has to
rank as the super surprise of the young professional football season.
Rauch, who like Lombardi, accepted the challenge of rebuilding a
perennial loser, got even with his 1968 Super Bowl coaching rival Friday
night when the brash Buffalo Bills stopped Washington's Redskins 21-17
in an exhibition game played at Buffalo
The former Oakland Raider coach, gracious in victory, said he
didn't consider it a "personal" triumph over the ex-Green Bay genius
because "after all it wasn't the Super Bowl."
But victory hungry Buffalo fans will take a win anytime and
success over a team coached by one of the game's most highly respected
mentors may be just the tonic the Bills need to regain respectability.
In the only other exhibition activity Friday night the Los
Angeles Rams opened their tuneup campaign by edging the Dallas Cowboys
before 87,381 fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The second go-round of exhibition play intensifies this weekend
with eight games scheduled Saturday and two more on Sunday. The schedule
for Saturday night sends San Diego to New Orleans, Baltimore at Oakland,
Denver at Minnesota. New York Jets to St Louis, Chicago at Miami and
Detroit at Kansas City in interleague games. In games involving National
Football League teams the New York Giants play at Green Bay and Atlanta
tangles with Philadelphia at Portland, Ore.
Sunday's slate sends Boston against Cincinnati at Bowling Green,
Ohio, and Cleveland against San Francisco at Seattle
Buffalo's triumph evened the Bills' exhibition record at 1-1 and
gave the American Football League its initial success of the campaign at
the expense of an NFL club. Last week the NFL had a 2-0 log against AFL
teams
Rauch, a loser to Lombardi in pro football's second Super Bowl
championship game, said he was pleased with the fact "our kids didn't
give up when they were behind."
Quarterback Tom Flores flipped a five-yard touchdown pass to
Haven Moses with five minutes left in the game to provide the Bills with
the winning margin and their initial triumph under Rauch.
Washington had taken a 17-14 lead with 39 seconds gone in the
final period on a 19-yard pass from Sonny Jurgensen to Jerry Smith.
The Bills, who could muster only 23 yards rushing in their season
debut a week ago against Houston, showed an improved running game with
little Max Anderson the top ball carrier with 59 yards in 10 carries.
The former Arizona State fullback also caught two passes for 36 yards.
Lombardi, who watched his Redskins even their record at 1-1, said
"our defense played very well but the offense didn't do anything.
"Buffalo was the more aggressive ball club," he said.
Lombardi, on the sideline against the Bills, finally lost to an AFL team.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
| Bills | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Redskins | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
BUF- Masters 9 yard pass from Kemp (Alford kick)
Second Quarter
WASH- FG Gogolak 21
Third Quarter
BUF- Anderson 11 run (Alford kick).
WASH- Richter 12 yard pass from Jurgensen (Gogolak kick)
Fourth Quarter
WASH- J. Smith. 19 yard pass from Jurgensen (Gogolak kick)
BUF- Moses 6 pass from Flores {Alford kick)
Att- 37,012
