(Christie celebrates his winning kick. Photo by John Biever, SI)

You cannot compile a list of the greatest single-game comebacks in sports and omit the Houston Oilers-Buffalo Bills playoff game from 1993. Backup quarterback Frank Reich looked an insurmountable 32-point deficit in the eye and somehow overcame it. Not only was it the largest comeback in NFL history, it was one of the greatest sports games of all time.

This wildcard game had the makings of a blowout from the offset. Buffalo had gotten destroyed in Houston, 27-3, the previous week and lost Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly to a knee injury in the process. Even though the playoff game was in Buffalo, there was little optimism in the air; the game wasn't sold out and, thanks to blackouts, was not broadcasted in many parts of New York (which was unheard-of for a playoff game). A bugaboo for dome teams (such as Houston) was playing in the cold weather, however the Buffalo sky was a mere 41 degrees -- tame compared to the conditions in Green Bay or Pittsburgh.

Houston's first possession threw a jab at whatever optimism Bills fans had left. The Oilers were on fourth-and-2 on the Buffalo 27 and decided to go for it. Lorenzo White ran to the left side, bounced off a defender, regained himself and ran out of bounds for a first down. Several plays later, Warren Moon, another future Hall of Famer, found Haywood Jeffires wide open for the touchdown.

White's run exemplified Houston's dominating first half. Warren Moon was never better, completing 19 of 22 passes for 220 yards and four touchdowns. The Oilers controlled the clock and the scoreboard, while the Bills only managed three points. Adding injury to insult, the Bills' star running back, Thurman Thomas, got hurt in the first half and missed the rest of the game.

The second half began the way the first half left off. Just four plays in, a Frank Reich pass was intercepted by Bubba McDowell, who streaked 59 yards for the score. With 13:19 left in the third, the Oilers maintained a 35-3 lead. Houston was scoring every time they had the ball and Moon was playing out of his mind.

Bills coach Marv Levy then walked over to Reich and encouragingly said, "Frank, you're going to lead the greatest comeback in the National Football League." Without Kelly and Thomas it didn't seem possible, although Reich had experience when it came to toppling large deficits. In college, he had led Maryland to a 42-40 win over the Miami Hurricanes after trailing 31-0 -- then the largest come-from-behind victory in college football.

Buffalo's first break came when the Oilers elected to squib kick it rather than punt the ball into the wind. The decision was a bad one as the Bills took over at midfield. Reich's first throw went through the hands of linebacker Eddie Robinson, allowing Pete Metzelaars to catch the football and move it to the Houston 26. On fourth-and-2 near the goal line, they gave it to backup back Kenneth Davis, who picked up the first. Two plays later, Davis ran for the touchdown and put the Bills on the board.

Buffalo then surprised the Oilers with an on-side kick in place of a punt. Christie kicked the ball into the hands of an Oiler, who was immediately tackled by Mark Pike. The ball was jarred loose and Christie fell on it to instantly hand possession back to the offense. Minutes later, a missed communication by Houston left Don Bebbe all alone for the touchdown. Replays showed that Beebe had stepped out of bounds on the play, which should've made him an ineligible receiver; the officials missed it however, and with instant replay having been discontinued a few years earlier, the game moved on.

Counting Bebbe's TD, it was 35-17 with the crowd suddenly alive. With 7:50 left in the quarter, the Oilers offense finally got back on the field. Counting halftime, it had been almost 40 minutes since they had control of the ball, and their red-hot offense had definitely cooled off in that time. A three-and-out and a short punt later, the Bills once again were in control. An Andre Reed touchdown made it 35-24 with plenty of time still remaining.

Houston continued to unravel. Moon was intercepted on Houston's next possession by the Bills' Henry Jones, who brought it to the Oilers' 23. Knowing they still needed to put points on the board, Buffalo once again went for it on fourth down deep in their own territory. This time, Reich aimed for Andre Reed and found him deep down the middle for a touchdown. It was 35-31 Houston with still seventeen minutes of football to be played.

"We weren't going to give up," said Bills tackle Jeff Wright. "We weren't going to roll over and let somebody score 60 points on us. That;s the attitude when we went out there."

Early in the fourth, the Oilers seemed to regain their poise. They finally stopped the Bills offense and put the football in makeable field-goal range for Al Del Greco. Unfortunately for Houston, the rain botched the hold by Craig Montgomery, and the Oilers turned the ball over.

With just under seven minutes left, Kenneth Davis ran 37 yards before being tripped by a defender. After that, Reich once again found Andre Reed for the midfield touchdown. Buffalo had come all the way back to take the lead: 38-35.

But three minutes were more than enough time for the Houston Oilers. Warren Moon, who was infallible in the first half, attempted to guide his team past this calamity. He was in serious trouble on fourth-and-4 at the Buffalo 35. With the season on the line, Moon connected with Webster Slaughter for 16 yards and the first down. Houston never even sniffed the end zone from there. The coaching staff decided to play it conservative and go for the field goal, which Del Greco accomplished from 26 yards away. Time expired and the 38-38 game went to overtime.

Houston won the coin toss and started the ball on what would be their final drive. On third-and-3, Moon's pass was intended for Ernest Givens. Linebacker Darryl Talley held him back on what could've been a pass interference penalty; the ball sailed over Given's head and into the hands of the Bills' Nate Odomes. After two short runs by Kenneth Davis, Buffalo decided to go for the win. Steve Christie nailed a final 32-yard field goal to vanquish an Oilers team that had sent more men to the Pro Bowl than anyone, giving Buffalo a 41-38 victory and a trip to the second round.

When specifically asked "How does it feel to be a part of the greatest collapse in history?" by a reporter, Oilers cornerback Chris Dishman corrected the man, saying, "The greatest choke in history. Collapse is just being nice."

"We had control of the ballgame like no other team has ever had control of the ballgame," said Moon, who agreed that their team had blown an easy one. "To let it get away like that, and for me to give the big turnover in overtime, it makes it double rotten."

Asked if the Oilers had choked, Frank Reich remarked that if anything was in play, it was divine intervention. "I'd like to give our team credit," he said. "We had to shut them down on every count. I don't look at it like a choke. I look at it as a miracle from God."

Buffalo carried the momentum of their win all the way to their third consecutive Super Bowl, which they lost to the Dallas Cowboys in a blowout. Houston kept the core of the team together for one more year before going on a fire sale and dropping in the standings. They then moved to Tennessee and shortly thereafter became the Tennessee Titans, while the city Houston would receive an expansion team, the Houston Texans, in 2002.