Your Bills-Cardinals Open Thread: Run, Bubba, Run

It would be understandable if today's Bills-Cardinals game leaves even the most devout fan in need of some inspiration, or at least a bit of distraction.


We Want Marangi is here for you.

The Bills visited the Cardinals, then in St. Louis, on Thanksgiving Day 1975. Buffalo's defense, its weak link then as now (if in a significantly less historic way), came up with seven turnovers against a Cardinals offense led by Jim Hart, who spread it around between weapons as diverse as deep threat wide receiver Mel Gray, power-running fullback (remember those?) and the league's most dangerous runner/receiver/kick returner, Terry Metcalf.

St. Louis held O.J. Simpson, who was on his way to an NFL-leading 1,817 rushing yards and a then-record 23 touchdowns, to 85 yards and a single touchdown on 23 carries. Joe Ferguson, who would lead the league in passing touchdowns, threw two picks and no scores. (It should be noted that Gary Marangi did not play.)

But the Bills still won, 32-14, because of those turnovers and a career day by Jim "Bubba" Braxton. Braxton, who was WWM's first favorite player, ran for 160 yards and three touchdowns, as Pat Summerall would like to tell you.

As ever, please share your thoughts on today's game, or its quite-possibly more-interesting predecessor, in the comments below. We will stop in occasionally, but listening to most of the game on the radio. It's garage-cleaning day. Which, strange as it feels to think, much less type, may well prove to be far more gratifying.