Here are synopses of the famous losing streak in the Big game of the Bills from XXV to XVII.

Super Bowl XXV
Giants 20, Bills 19

An entire season boiled down to a single play. All eyes focused on Buffalo’s Scott Norwood. As his 47-yard FG attempt, launched with a mere eight seconds remaining, sailed wide right, the Bills lost, and Norwood became instantly infamous.

The Giants prevailed 20-19 for their second Super Bowl triumph. Although everyone remembers Norwood’s miss, it was the gritty, ball-controlling efforts of the New York offense that spurred Bill Parcells’ team to victory.

The Giants held the ball a Super Bowl-record 40:33, thanks in large part to game MVP Ottis Anderson, who carried 21 times for 102 yards and a touchdown. Anderson’s one-yard score on the opening drive of the second half capped the Giants’ comeback from a 12-3 second-quarter deficit. New York QB Jeff Hostetler — who went from career backup to Super Bowl hero with a mistake-free, 20-of-32, 222-yard passing performance — had brought the Giants within two with a 14-yard TD strike to Stephen Baker late in the first half.

Super Bowl XXVI
Redskins 37, Bills 24

The cold of Minneapolis, an unusual Super Bowl setting, was shut out by the climate-controlled Metrodome. It wouldn’t have been enough to slow down the Redskins, anyway.

Washington rolled through Super Bowl XXVI the same way it rolled through the rest of the season — in dominating fashion. The Bills, who were the Redskins’ unfortunate opponents, were merely a statistic, becoming the third team to lose back-to-back Super Bowls.

Led by QB Mark Rypien, the game’s MVP, his "Posse" — the trio of WR’s Gary Clark, Art Monk and Ricky Sanders — and a well-rounded running game led by rookie Ricky Ervins and veteran Earnest Byner, Washington rolled up 417 total yards against an overwhelmed Bill defense. The 37-24 final score was made respectable only by two late and inconsequential Buffalo touchdowns.

Down 17-0 at the half, the Bills dug themselves a deeper hole when QB Jim Kelly was intercepted by Redskin LB Kurt Gouveia on the third quarter’s first play from scrimmage. Gouveia returned the ball to the Bills’ two-yard line, and, a play later, Buffalo trailed by 24.

Super Bowl XXVII
Cowboys 52, Bills 17

The Cowboys celebrated their third win in six Super Bowl appearances by devastating the Bills 52-17. QB Troy Aikman threw four TD passes, RB Emmitt Smith rushed for 108 yards and the Cowboys converted nine turnovers into 35 points.

After Buffalo jumped to a 7-0 lead, Aikman hit TE Jay Novacek with a 23-yard TD pass to tie the score. On the next play from scrimmage, Buffalo QB Jim Kelly fumbled when he was sacked by Charles Haley, and the Cowboys’ Jimmie Jones picked up the loose ball and stumbled two yards into the endzone. Dallas took control of the game when Aikman hit Michael Irvin with 19- and 18-yard TD passes 18 seconds apart late in the second quarter to give the Cowboys a 28-10 halftime lead. The Cowboys put the game away with three fourth-quarter touchdowns. Super Bowl MVP Aikman completed 22-of-30 passes for 273 yards and was not intercepted. The victory was the ninth straight for NFC teams over AFC teams.

Super Bowl XXVIII
Cowboys 30, Bills 13

The Cowboys trailed 13-6 at halftime but used a devastating ground attack led by Emmitt Smith and a stifling defense to rally and win their second Super Bowl in a row over the Bills.

Dallas tied the score at 13-13 just 55 seconds into the second half when FS James Washington picked up a Thurman Thomas fumble and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown. The Cowboys forced the Bills to punt on their next possession, and Smith carried seven times for 61 yards on an eight-play, 64-yard scoring drive to give the Cowboys a 20-13 lead. The Cowboys pushed the margin to two touchdowns when Washington’s interception paved the way for Smith’s one-yard TD blast. The loss was Buffalo’s fourth in a row at the Super Bowl and the AFC representative’s 10th straight defeat.

Super Bowl XXIX
49ers 49, Chargers 26

The 49ers came into this game as huge favorites, and the prevailing opinion was that the Chargers simply did not have the ability to trade points with the high-powered San Francisco offense. Steve Young threw the first two of his Super Bowl-record six TD passes to Jerry Rice and Ricky Watters before the game was five minutes old, and the 49ers were never seriously threatened.

Young had a brilliant day in finally getting out from under the shadow of Joe Montana. Young completed 24-of-36 passes for 325 yards and did not throw an interception. The overpowering San Francisco offense scored seven touchdowns and consistently overwhelmed the San Diego defense.

For the Chargers, their biggest highlight was the 98-yard kickoff return for a TD by rookie Andre Coleman, who became only the third player in Super Bowl history to return a kickoff for a touchdown.

To Super Bowl XIX-XXXV recaps

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