Buffalo Bills pull off NFL feat for first time since 2004
We have an asterisk, but the Buffalo Bills do officially hate punting the ball it appears.
Two weeks ago in a win over the New England Patriots, the Bills (10-6) became the first team to not punt in a game against a team coached by Bill Belichick. Buffalo has now doubled down.
In the Bills’ 29-15 win in Week 17 against the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo again did not punt. It’s the first time since the 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers that a team has not punted in back-to-back games:
The @buffalobills are the first #NFL team to not punt in consecutive games since the 2004 Steelers. pic.twitter.com/lGpoItesKI
— Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) January 2, 2022
The first of the two contests has gotten a bit more reaction. Belichick is a big deal. But then there’s that asterisk.
While the Bills did not officially have any “traditional” punts… punter Matt Haack did do some work.
Buffalo returner Marquez Stevenson fumbled the ball against the Falcons. It led to a safety, which then causes an ensuing safety punt.
But hey, that’s still a long, long time without a classic punt.
In fact, according to WIVB-TV‘s Nick Veronica, it it has been well over two hours of game time since Haack was trotted out on the field:
The Buffalo Bills haven't punted in their last 129 minutes and 49 seconds of game time.
— Nick Veronica (@NickVeronica) January 3, 2022
