| 1993 Houston Oilers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Bud Adams |
| General manager | Mike Holovak |
| Head coach | Jack Pardee |
| Home field | Houston Astrodome |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–4 |
| Division place | 1st AFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (vs. Chiefs) 20–28 |
| Pro Bowlers | QB Warren Moon WR Haywood Jeffires WR Webster Slaughter G Mike Munchak C Bruce Matthews DE Sean Jones DT Ray Childress P Greg Montgomery |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The 1993 Houston Oilers season was the team's 34th, and their 24th in the National Football League (NFL).
The 1993 Oilers season is widely regarded as one of the most notorious and turbulent seasons in NFL history, both on and off the field. Before the season began, owner Bud Adams told the team that unless the Oilers made the Super Bowl, they can expect to see a massive overhaul next year due to the impending salary cap.[1] Despite their poor start (four losses in their first five games), the Oilers went on a remarkable 11–0 run to finish the 1993 season, ending up tied for the best record in the NFL, and the best record in franchise history, at 12–4. Houston earned the #2 seed in the playoffs, and a first-round bye that meant they would host their first ever Divisional Round playoff game. The 11-game winning streak was the longest in the NFL since 1972.[2]
Statistics site Football Outsiders calculates that the Oilers were the hottest team in the NFL heading into the playoffs at the end of the 1993 season.[3]
Despite the winning streak, first-round bye and playing in front of a home crowd, the Oilers were upset by Joe Montana and the Kansas City Chiefs at the Astrodome during the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
The 2006 edition of Pro Football Prospectus,[4] listed the 1993 Oilers as one of their "Heartbreak Seasons", in which teams "dominated the entire regular season only to falter in the playoffs, unable to close the deal." Said Pro Football Prospectus, "Early in 1993, the Oilers seemed unable to put "The Comeback" behind them, dropping four of their first five games. But Houston righted the ship and ran the table, winning its final 11 contests. ... The Oilers allowed 20 points only once during the streak, and in one game held the league-leading 49ers offense to 7 points.
"In their first playoff game", Pro Football Prospectus continued, "they faced Joe Montana's Kansas City Chiefs, a team Houston had beaten 30–0 during the regular season. The Oilers jumped out to an early 10–0 lead, but stalled; leading 13–7 in the fourth quarter, they collapsed, losing 28–20. The team that had played eleven straight games while holding opponents to 20 points or less gave up 21 in the fourth quarter of a playoff game." This would be the last season Warren Moon played for the Oilers, as he was traded to Minnesota in the 1994 offseason.[5] This would be their last winning season and playoff appearance under the Houston Oilers name,[6] or as the Oilers. Their next winning season and playoff appearance would be in their first year as the Tennessee Titans in 1999. The 1993 season was later covered in the "Houston '93" episode of the NFL Films documentary series A Football Life.[7]
- ^ "BIG SALARY MAY END MOON'S OILERS DAYS". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. January 18, 1994. Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
- ^ Neft, David S.; Cohen, Richard M.; and Korch, Rich The Sports Encyclopedia: Pro Football, 12th Edition, p.680, Martin's Press, August 1994, ISBN 0-312-11073-1
- ^ Football Outsiders, 1993, 34.4% "weighted" DVOA, "adjusted so that earlier games in the season become gradually less important. It better reflects how the team was playing at the end of the season."
- ^ Pro Football Prospectus 2006 (ISBN 0761142177), p.73-75
- ^ Litsky, Frank (April 14, 1994). "PRO FOOTBALL; Vikings Near On a Deal To Acquire Oilers' Moon". New York Times. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
- ^ "Tennessee Titans Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
- ^ "Houston '93". A Football Life. Season 3. Episode 15. December 10, 2013. NFL Network.