1992 Houston Oilers season

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1992 NFL draft

Undrafted free agents

Personnel

Staff

• Owner/Chairman of the Board/President – Bud Adams

• Executive Vice President/General Manager – Mike Holovak

• Assistant General Manager – Floyd Reese

• Head Coach – Jack Pardee

• Offensive Coordinator – Kevin Gilbride

• Running Backs – Frank Novak

• Receivers – Chris Palmer

• Offensive Line – Bob Young

• Assistant Offensive Line – Richard Smith

• Defensive Coordinator – Jim Eddy

• Defensive Line – Jim Stanley

• Linebackers – Frank Bush

• Defensive Backs – Pat Thomas

• Quality Control – Gregg Williams

• Special Teams – Richard Smith

• Strength and Rehabilitation – Steve Watterson

Roster

47 active, 2 inactive, 5 practice squad

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week One vs. [[1992 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Steelers]]

Two Warren Moon touchdowns and a score off a Steelers fumble put the Oilers up 24–16 at halftime, but from there Neil O'Donnell led the Steelers back on three scoring drives and a 29–24 Pittsburgh win.

Week Two at [[1992 Indianapolis Colts season|Colts]]

Warren Moon added two more touchdowns while Jack Trudeau and Tom Tupa couldn't reach 140 passing yards in a 20–10 Oilers win.

Week Three vs. [[1992 Kansas City Chiefs season|Chiefs]]

Two years after throwing for 527 yards in a 27–10 win Moon was intercepted twice and held to 279 yards but led the Oilers from down 13–3 to lead in the fourth 20–13. From there future Oiler Todd McNair tied the game, but Al Del Greco won it 23–20 in overtime on a 39-yard field goal.

Week Four vs. [[1992 San Diego Chargers season|Chargers]]

Warren Moon threw a touchdown and ran in a second while Stan Humphries was intercepted three times in a 27–0 shutout. It would be the franchise's final win over the Chargers until 2013.

Bye Week

Week Six at [[1992 Cincinnati Bengals season|Bengals]]

The Oilers had won their previous two matchups (both 1991) with the Bengals by a combined score of 65–10 but memory of Cincinnati's 41–14 playoff win in 1990 was still fresh as the Oilers raced to a 24–0 lead, Warren Moon threw five touchdowns, and Houston won 38–24.

Week Seven at [[1992 Denver Broncos season|Broncos]]

The Oilers returned to the site of a 26–24 playoff meltdown the previous season. The game lead changed five times as the Oilers took a 21–20 lead but the Broncos won 27–21.

Week Eight vs. Bengals

Houston authored another season sweep as Moon threw for 342 yards and two scores while Norman Esiason had a touchdown but gave up a safety when he was run out his own end zone.

Week Nine at Steelers

Moon led the Oilers to two field goal drives as the Steelers led 7–6 at halftime. Moon had to give way to Cody Carlson, who threw a touchdown then saw a fumble-return score and a 20–7 Houston lead. But from there two Neil O'Donnell touchdowns rallied Pittsburgh to a 21–20 win.

Week Ten vs. [[1992 Cleveland Browns season|Browns]]

Moon again started and again Carlson came in, this time with the Oilers down 17–0, and his two touchdowns weren't enough in a 24–14 Browns win.

Week Eleven at [[1992 Minnesota Vikings season|Vikings]]

Future Vikings quarterback Moon rallied Houston from down 10–3 on a touchdown to Ernest Givins and a drive ending in a field goal and the 17–13 Houston win.

This was the last time an NFL franchise from Houston defeated the Minnesota Vikings. The Oilers franchise would never defeat the Vikings again until 2008 when they became the Tennessee Titans, and as of 2024, the Houston Texans are 0-6 against the Vikings.

Week Twelve at [[1992 Miami Dolphins season|Dolphins]]

The Oilers under Jack Pardee had blown leads with noticeable frequency and it happened again after leading 13–3 in the second quarter. The Oilers were held scoreless in the fourth in losing 19–16.

Week Thirteen at [[1992 Detroit Lions season|Lions]]

With Warren Moon now out with injury until the end of the season Cody Carlson started and the game lead changed five times in the second half. Lorenzo White’s score was the winner in the 24-21 contest.

Week Fourteen vs. [[1992 Chicago Bears season|Bears]]

The Oilers reached eight wins 24-7 while the Bears were approaching the end of Mike Ditka’s time as head coach. The opposing quarterbacks Carlson and Peter Tom Willis combined for just 363 yards passing.

Week Fifteen vs. [[1992 Green Bay Packers season|Packers]]

Two Cody Carlson interceptions and two Oilers fumbles hurt Houston in a 16-14 loss to the Packers despite holding Green Bay to less than 230 yards.

Week Sixteen at Browns

Carlson rallied the Oilers from down 14-3, overcoming two interceptions to toss two touchdowns and win 17-14. The Oilers defense picked off Bernie Kosar three times.

Week Seventeen vs. [[1992 Buffalo Bills season|Bills]]

After a Steve Christie field goal the Bills were crushed by 27 straight Oilers points. Jim Kelly was knocked out of the game and for Buffalo’s ensuing playoff game. Cody Carlson had a touchdown then gave way to Warren Moon who had a touchdown and despite completing less than half his passes (6 of 13) had a higher passer rating (91.8 to Carlson’s 73.4); Bills quarterbacks had only a 27 passer rating.

Standings

Playoffs

AFC Wildcard

Main article: The Comeback (American football)

First quarter

• HOU – Haywood Jeffires 3-yard pass from Warren Moon (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 7–0.
• BUF – Steve Christie 36-yard field goal. Oilers 7–3. Second quarter
• HOU – Webster Slaughter 7-yard pass from Warren Moon (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 14–3.
• HOU – Curtis Duncan 26-yard pass from Warren Moon (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 21–3.
• HOU – Haywood Jeffires 27-yard pass from Warren Moon (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 28–3. Third quarter
• HOU – Bubba McDowell 58-yard interception return (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 35–3.
• BUF – Kenneth Davis 1-yard run (Steve Christie kick). Oilers 35–10.
• BUF – Don Beebe 38-yard pass from Frank Reich (Steve Christie kick). Oilers 35–17.
• BUF – Andre Reed 26-yard pass from Frank Reich (Steve Christie kick). Oilers 35–24.
• BUF – Andre Reed 18-yard pass from Frank Reich (Steve Christie kick). Oilers 35–31. Fourth quarter
• BUF – Andre Reed 17-yard pass from Frank Reich (Steve Christie kick). Bills 38–35.
• HOU – Al Del Greco 26-yard field goal. Tied 38–38. Overtime
• BUF – Steve Christie 32-yard field goal. Bills 41–38. Top passers
• HOU – Warren Moon – 36/50, 371 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT
• BUF – Frank Reich – 21/34, 289 yards, 4 TD, INT Top rushers
• HOU – Lorenzo White – 19 rushes, 75 yards
• BUF – Kenneth Davis – 13 rushes, 68 yards, TD Top receivers
• HOU – Ernest Givens – 9 receptions, 117 yards
• BUF – Andre Reed – 8 receptions, 136 yards, 3 TD The Oilers held a 35–3 lead on the Buffalo Bills. Bills backup quarterback Frank Reich led the Bills on a 38–3 run in the second half and overtime against the Oilers defense en route to a 41–38 overtime victory. The game was the largest comeback in NFL history, regular or postseason, until the 2022 Vikings erased a 33-0 gap to beat the Indianapolis Colts. Houston, whose 1992 team some believed gave them their best chance to win the Super Bowl, made several sweeping changes in the offseason.

Defensive coordinator Jim Eddy was fired shortly after the game. Oilers cornerback Cris Dishman called it "the biggest choke in history."

According to statistics site Football Outsiders, who does play-by-play analyses of each team each season, the Oilers were the best team in the AFC at the end of the 1992 season. "So if you are a Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans fan," says the site, "who agonizes over the Frank Reich comeback game blowing your franchise's best shot at a Super Bowl title, well, here's another opportunity to feel sad."

Awards and records

• Warren Moon, AFC Passing Leader (Passer Rating 89.3)

References

References

1. "1992 Houston Oilers (NFL)". Pro Football Archives.
2. "1992 Houston Oilers draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
3. "1992 Houston Oilers starters, roster, and players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
4. [[John McClain]]. (January 4, 1993). "'WE CHOKED'/Oilers squander 32-point lead in historic 41–38 loss to Bills".
5. [http://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings/2011/1992-dvoa-ratings-and-commentary Football Outsiders: 1992 DVOA Ratings and Commentary]
6. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, {{ISBN. 0-7611-2480-2, p. 450