1993: Bills Overcome 32-Point Deficit, Beat Oilers in Overtime

The Buffalo Bills, under Head Coach Marv Levy, had been AFC Champions in 1990 and ’91 and went 11-5 in 1992 to finish second in the AFC East (to Miami, due to the conference record tiebreaker). They had lost the Super Bowls following those previous conference titles, and their road to another shot required them to host the Houston Oilers on January 3, 1993 in the Wild Card playoff round.

The team’s veteran core was still intact. RB Thurman Thomas ran for 1487 yards and caught 56 passes for 626 more to lead the NFL in yards from scrimmage (2113) for the fourth straight year. WR Andre Reed caught 65 passes for 913 yards and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fifth consecutive season. OT Will Wolford and G Jim Ritcher anchored a solid offensive line. Defensively, DE Bruce Smith, LB Cornelius Bennett, CB Nate Odomes, and SS Henry Jones all had Pro Bowl years. However, QB Jim Kelly had slumped toward the end of the season, and a knee injury in the last game forced him to miss the playoff contest against Houston – backup QB Frank Reich (pictured above) would be starting.

The Houston Oilers, who finished second in the AFC Central with a 10-6 record, were also not recent strangers to the postseason – they had qualified for the playoffs for the sixth straight year. However, they had not made it beyond the divisional round in any of those seasons, leading the club to gain a reputation for choking in big games. Coached since 1990 by the low-key Jack Pardee, they utilized a run-and-shoot offense that was run effectively by 36-year-old QB Warren Moon (pictured below left) and included three wide receivers that were chosen for the Pro Bowl in Haywood Jeffires, Curtis Duncan, and Ernest Givins. RB Lorenzo White ran for 1226 yards and caught 57 passes. But while they could run up points, the defense was prone to blowing leads – a factor that would come into play in classic fashion in the playoff game at Buffalo.


There were 75,141 fans present at Rich Stadium, and for the first half of the contest they had little to cheer about. The Oilers took the opening kickoff and drove 80 yards in 14 plays, culminating in a three-yard touchdown pass from Moon to Jeffires. Buffalo responded with a 10-play drive that led to a 36-yard field goal by Steve Christie and the score was 7-3 after one quarter.

Houston took control in the second quarter. They finished off another long, 12-play drive, again covering 80 yards, with Givins hauling in four passes along the way for 41 yards. It was WR Webster Slaughter finishing off the possession, however, as Moon threw to him for a seven-yard TD. Buffalo went three-and-out, and the Oilers again drove to a touchdown. This time it took only five plays to go 67 yards and Moon threw a 26-yard scoring pass to Duncan. It was 21-3 with just over four minutes remaining in the half.

Buffalo was able to put together a drive in its next possession, but after getting to the Houston 32, Reich threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-four and the Oilers took over on downs. Moon capped an eight-play drive with his fourth touchdown pass of the day, covering 27 yards to Jeffires, and Houston took a big 28-3 margin into halftime.

The Bills received the second half kickoff, and four plays later Reich, throwing out of the shotgun formation, was intercepted by safety Bubba McDowell, who returned it 58 yards for another Houston touchdown. The score was now 35-3, and it seemed as though the Oilers had the game well in hand.

Buffalo put together a scoring drive, converting a third-and-15 situation (Reich pass to Reed for 16 yards) and fourth-and-two (RB Kenneth Davis running for five yards) along the way. Davis ran for a one-yard touchdown and the score was now 35-10.

The Bills executed a successful onside kick, and four plays later Reich threw to WR Don Beebe for a 38-yard touchdown that made it 35-17. Houston went three-and-out on its next possession, and following a short punt the Bills moved swiftly down the field on yet another scoring drive. Reich completed passes of 18 yards to WR James Lofton, 39 yards to Beebe, and 19 to Davis before hitting Reed for a 26-yard touchdown. Houston’s margin was now down to 35-24, and Buffalo wasn’t done yet in the third quarter.

The Oilers got the ball back, and Moon was intercepted by Henry Jones, who returned it 15 yards to the Houston 23. Reich threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Reed on a fourth-and-five play, and with yet another successful Christie PAT, it was now a four-point game at 35-31.

The reeling Oilers were unable to get anything going on their next possession, as Moon completed one of three passes and was sacked once (he fumbled, but Houston recovered). The decision by the Bills to abandon the six-defensive back prevent defense of the first half and return to their standard alignment was proving effective.

Having scored 28 points in the third quarter, Buffalo’s offense finally stalled to begin the fourth period and the Bills went three-and-out. Houston’s offense began to move, with Moon hitting on six passes, including one to Givins for 27 yards. An apparent interception was wiped out by a roughing-the-passer penalty on Bruce Smith, but after getting to the Buffalo 14, a field goal attempt was botched when Montgomery, the holder for placekicks as well as punter, fumbled the snap.

The Bills drove down field, going 74 yards on a possession that featured a 35-yard run by Davis. Reich again threw to Reed for a 17-yard touchdown, and Buffalo was ahead by 38-35, having scored 35 unanswered points since the interception return by McDowell early in the third quarter.

With three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Moon once more led the Oilers on a methodical drive that covered 63 yards in 12 plays. Al Del Greco kicked a 26-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the score at 38-38 and send the game into overtime.

Houston won the toss for the overtime period, but on the third play Moon was intercepted by Odomes, who returned it to the Houston 35 (a facemask penalty on Jeffires moved the ball another 15 yards closer). Following two short runs by Davis, Christie kicked a 32-yard field goal at just over three minutes into OT and Buffalo, having made the biggest comeback in NFL history, came away with a 41-38 win.

Houston outgained the Bills (429 yards to 366) and had more first downs (27 to 19), but the inability to stop Buffalo’s attack in the second half and the interception in overtime sealed the Oilers’ fate.

Frank Reich completed 21 of 34 passes for 289 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Andre Reed (pictured below) caught 8 passes for 136 yards and scored three of the TDs. Kenneth Davis led the Bills in rushing with 68 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown (Thurman Thomas, who left the game in the third quarter due to a hip injury, had 26 yards on 11 attempts).


Warren Moon went to the air 50 times with 36 completions for 371 yards and four touchdowns against two big interceptions. Ernest Givins caught 9 passes for 117 yards while Haywood Jeffires, Webster Slaughter, and Curtis Duncan all grabbed 8 apiece (for 98, 73, and 57 yards, respectively). Lorenzo White ran for 75 yards on 19 carries.

For Reich, the big comeback was not a first – playing at the college level in 1984, he had led Maryland to a 42-40 win over Miami after trailing 31-0 at halftime. Asked afterward if he thought back to that earlier comeback, he replied, “Many times. As a football player, you gear your mind to not thinking in terms of how far behind you are. We're so geared to the game not being over until the final whistle blows.”

“I've never seen momentum change like that in my life,” said a disappointed Warren Moon afterward. “We had control of this ball game like no other team has had control of the ball game.”

The Bills won their next two games, over Pittsburgh in the Divisional playoff and Miami for the AFC Championship; however, their futility in the Super Bowl continued as they lost by a 52-17 margin to the Dallas Cowboys.

1979: Injury-Wracked Oilers Upset Chargers in Divisional Playoff Game

Coming into the AFC Divisional playoff game at San Diego Stadium on December 29, 1979, the odds were not favorable for the visiting Houston Oilers. The team, coached by O.A. “Bum” Phillips, had finished second in the AFC Central with an 11-5 record, good enough to secure a wild card spot. They also won the Wild Card playoff against Denver the previous week, but it was at high cost. QB Dan Pastorini and WR Ken Burrough had gone down with groin and tailbone injuries, respectively, that would keep them out of the game at San Diego (Burrough would come in during the second half, but was used solely as a decoy). Even more significant was the loss of the consensus league MVP, RB Earl Campbell, who had run for 1697 yards and scored 19 touchdowns during the season and would also be unavailable due to a groin injury.

The San Diego Chargers had prospered in their first full season under offensive-minded Head Coach Don Coryell, going 12-4 to win the AFC West. The explosive passing attack was led by QB Dan Fouts, who set a new league record with 4082 yards through the air and included outstanding receivers in WRs John Jefferson and Charlie Joiner as well as TE Bob Klein (rookie TE Kellen Winslow played well until lost seven games into the season with a broken leg). The defense was solid, too, and it seemed certain that they would defeat the crippled Oilers.

All seemed to be going to plan when San Diego scored on its first possession of the game, driving 81 yards in 11 plays. Highlights were a 34-yard pass from Fouts to TE Greg McCrary to the San Diego 43 and, three plays later, a completion to Jefferson for 17 yards to the Houston 26. RB Clarence Williams capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run.

However, another San Diego drive into Houston territory during the first quarter ended when Oilers SS Vernon Perry intercepted a Fouts pass at his own 18 to shut down the potential scoring threat.

Midway through the second quarter, Perry made a big play on special teams when he blocked a 26-yard field goal attempt by San Diego’s Mike Woods, then picked up the ball and ran 57 yards before being forced out of bounds at the San Diego 28. Five plays later, Toni Fritsch kicked a 26-yard field goal to make the score 7-3.

Before the half ended, Perry struck again, intercepting a second pass; he lateraled to FS Mike Reinfeldt (pictured at top), who picked up seven yards to the San Diego 38 yard line. On the fourth play of the Houston possession, QB Gifford Nielsen ran 18 yards to the San Diego four, and after two more running plays got the ball down to the one. Nielsen threw an incomplete pass to stop the clock and, at that point, Fritsch kicked a field goal. However, the Chargers were penalized for having 12 players on the field and, with the ball moved half the distance, Coach Phillips gambled. He took the points off the board and the Oilers went for it with fourth down and less than a yard to go with 19 seconds left on the clock. It paid off when RB Boobie Clark took a pitchout and found running room to his left to score a touchdown that put Houston ahead, 10-7, at halftime.

The Chargers regained the lead on their first possession of the third quarter. Starting at the San Diego 35, Fouts completed passes of 20 yards to Joiner and 16 to Klein, and with the help of a roughing the passer penalty, the ball was at the Houston 14. Williams ran for six yards and then RB Lydell Mitchell finished off the drive with an 8-yard TD run.

Later in the period, CB J.C. Wilson intercepted a Fouts pass at the San Diego 45. RB Rob Carpenter, who was filling in for Campell although playing hurt himself, was thrown for a one-yard loss and Nielsen threw an incomplete pass. Facing a third-and-13 situation, Nielsen connected with WR Mike Renfro over the middle, who proceeded to break a tackle and run for a 47-yard touchdown. There was 2:05 left in the third quarter, but that would prove to be the end of the scoring.

San Diego had two more shots in the fourth quarter, and both ended in Perry interceptions. With 3:18 left in the game, Perry picked off his third pass at the Houston 35 and his last interception came on a desperation pass by Fouts intended for Jefferson with two seconds remaining in the game. The Oilers came away with a stunning 17-14 win.

The Chargers won the statistical battle, outgaining Houston (380 yards to 259) and accumulating more first downs (25 to 15). However, they also turned the ball over five times (all by interceptions) to just one suffered by the Oilers.

Vernon Perry was the star, intercepting four passes, a NFL playoff-record. He also had the blocked field goal and return that was one of the contest’s most significant plays. Perry had gone undrafted out of Jackson State and played two years with the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes before joining the Oilers in ’79. He had intercepted just three passes during the regular season.

“We knew when we signed him as a free agent out of Canada that the kid was a player,” Coach Bum Phillips said of Perry. “If the Canadian League never does anything else for the NFL, they did something for us.”

“We played the pass all the time,” said Perry. “I was surprised he (Fouts) kept coming at me, but I'm glad that he did because I got four of them (interceptions).”


Offensively for the Oilers, second-year QB Gifford Nielsen (pictured at left) performed ably in place of Pastorini, completing 10 of 19 passes for 111 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The Campbell-less Oilers still gained 148 yards on the ground, with Rob Carpenter leading the way with 67 yards on 18 carries. Carpenter also caught four passes for 23 yards, while Mike Renfro, with his one long 47-yard TD catch, was the team’s receiving yardage leader.

As for San Diego, Dan Fouts threw for 333 yards as he completed 25 of 47 passes, but he had no touchdown passes and gave up the five interceptions. Bob Klein caught 5 passes for 41 yards while Charlie Joiner had 81 yards on four receptions and John Jefferson was right behind with 70 yards on four catches as well. The Chargers gained only 63 yards on 19 rushing attempts, with Lydell Mitchell gaining 33 yards on 8 carries with a TD and Clarence Williams accumulating 30 yards on 11 rushes, also with a score.

“I've been around football 31 years, and I've never seen a team with more character,” summed up Bum Phillips regarding the Oilers.

“We just made too many mistakes, that's all,” Dan Fouts said from the San Diego perspective. “We didn't play very well and they did.”

The Oilers lost the following week in the AFC Championship game to the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers, despite a 75-yard Vernon Perry interception return for a touchdown. San Diego went to the postseason in each of the next three seasons, making it as far as the conference championship game in the next two, but never made it to the Super Bowl during the Coryell era.

1961: George Blanda Throws 7 TD Passes Against NY Titans

The Houston Oilers, defending champions of the American Football League, had gotten off to a rough start in 1961. They were 1-3-1 after five games, and George Blanda (pictured above), the 33-year-old quarterback who had revived his pro football career in ’60 while leading the club to the title, was benched for two games.

However, owner Bud Adams fired Head Coach Lou Rymkus at that point and replaced him with Wally Lemm. There was an immediate turnaround, and by the time the Oilers hosted the New York Titans at Jeppesen Stadium on November 19, they had reeled off four straight wins. Blanda was back at the helm. In the preceding four contests, he had passed for 1076 yards (including 464 in a game at Buffalo alone) with 11 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

The Titans, coached by legendary QB Sammy Baugh, were 5-4 coming into the game. While the offense was capable of providing some excitement, in particular due to the presence of split end Art Powell and flanker Don Maynard, the defense was porous, especially the defensive backfield. Having started off 3-1, New York was in danger of falling out of contention in the Eastern Division.

There were 33,428 fans in attendance at the small venue as Houston took command quickly and decisively. Blanda tossed his first touchdown pass, of 28 yards to flanker Charley Hennigan, at the conclusion of an 80-yard drive early in the first quarter. With 4:40 remaining in the opening period, Blanda tossed a six-yard TD pass to HB Billy Cannon to conclude a six-play possession that covered 31 yards. Before the first quarter was over, the Oilers scored again as Blanda threw another pass to Cannon that covered 78 yards for a third touchdown.

The Titans offense didn’t threaten until midway through the second quarter. Flanker Don Maynard put New York on the board, making an outstanding catch on a four-yard pass from QB Al Dorow, but DE Don Floyd blocked the extra point attempt.


Blanda poured it on as he connected with split end Bill Groman for a 66-yard TD and with Cannon once more for a six-yard score. The tally at the end of the first half was 35-6 and the veteran quarterback had set a new AFL record with five touchdown passes.

Three minutes into the third quarter, Blanda threw for his sixth touchdown, connecting with Groman on a 46-yard play. He tossed his seventh, tying the NFL record held at that point by Sid Luckman of the Bears and Philadelphia’s Adrian Burk, in the fourth quarter on a play that covered 11 yards to Groman.

Dorow, who was constantly harassed by the aggressive Houston defense, tossed a second TD pass, of 11 yards to TE Thurlow Cooper, to salvage a slight bit of pride for the Titans. Houston won by a final score of 49-13.

The Oilers rolled up 555 yards, to 347 for New York, and the Titans further hurt their cause by turning the ball over four times, as opposed to just once by Houston. There was plenty of aggressive play on both sides, and several fights broke out, including one that cleared both benches. Altogether, 18 penalties were called, resulting in 193 yards (11 for 128 yards on Houston, 7 for 65 yards on the Titans). Three players were ejected.

In throwing for seven touchdowns, George Blanda completed 20 of 32 passes for 418 yards and was picked off once. Three Houston receivers gained over 100 yards – Bill Groman led the group with 5 catches for 152 yards and three TDs, followed by Charley Hennigan, who caught 8 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown, and Billy Cannon added 122 yards on 7 receptions with three scores. Cannon added another 41 yards on 14 rushes, behind FB Charley Tolar, who gained 58 yards on 11 carries, and FB Dave Smith with 49 yards on six attempts.

For the visitors, Al Dorow went to the air 47 times and had 21 completions for 278 yards with two TDs and three interceptions. HB Dick Christy led the club with 7 catches for 103 yards out of the backfield. FB Bill Mathis ran for 68 yards on 14 carries.

It was another big performance by the defending champions as they surged back into the Eastern Division race. Ultimately, the Oilers went undefeated the rest of the way, winning the division with a 10-3-1 record and again beating the Chargers for the AFL title. The Titans ended up in third place at 7-7.

The offense in particular achieved many superlatives. George Blanda threw 36 touchdown passes, exceeding the existing NFL record of 32, and also led the AFL in passing yards (3330), yards per attempt (9.2, almost two yards per pass better than the runners-up), yards per completion (17.8), and percentage of TD passes (9.9). Considering he had actually missed two full games due to being benched, it was an amazing overall performance. Blanda was selected as AFL Player of the Year by the Associated Press and UPI.


Bill Groman, with his three touchdown catches against New York, caught a TD pass in his 8th consecutive game. While he was shut out the next week, he ended up with 17 touchdown receptions to not only lead the league but tie the existing NFL record. Groman caught 50 passes for 1175 yards.

Charley Hennigan set a single-season record with 1746 receiving yards that not only was never beaten in the AFL, but wasn’t exceeded in the NFL until 1995. He ranked second in both receptions (82) and receiving touchdowns (12).

Billy Cannon led the AFL in rushing with 948 yards on 200 carries and was also the league’s all-purpose yardage leader with 2043. The 1959 Heisman Trophy-winner out of LSU scored a total of 15 touchdowns (6 rushing, 9 receiving). As his performance against the Titans demonstrated, Cannon was a potent pass receiving threat out of the backfield and caught 43 passes for 586 yards.

1991: Oilers Defeat Dolphins in Turnover-Filled Game

The game on October 20, 1991 at Joe Robbie Stadium featured the host Miami Dolphins, 3-4 under 22nd-year Head Coach Don Shula, against the Houston Oilers of Head Coach Jack Pardee, sporting a 5-1 record. Both teams were known for their flashy passing offenses, led by quarterbacks Dan Marino and Warren Moon, respectively. However, while the Oilers were playing like contenders with their “run-and-shoot” attack, Miami was having far too many problems on defense and with the running game.

Moon tossed an interception to end Houston’s first possession and the teams traded punts before the Dolphins put together a scoring drive of 57 yards on nine plays highlighted by a 39-yard pass play from Marino to WR Mark Clayton. Pete Stoyanovich kicked a 34-yard field goal and Miami was ahead 3-0 after one quarter.

After the quiet first quarter, the second quarter turned wild with a total of seven turnovers. First, Moon was intercepted for a second time, by safety Bobby Harden who returned the pickoff 17 yards to the Houston 48. However, on Miami’s first play, Marino went long and was intercepted by safety Bubba McDowell (pictured above), who ran it back 23 yards to the 47.

The Oilers went three-and-out, and Greg Montgomery’s punt went into the end zone for a touchback. Marino and the Dolphins began to move down the field, but a 13-yard completion to TE Greg Baty was fumbled and recovered by Houston’s safety Bo Orlando at the Miami 49.

Three plays later, it was Moon intercepted a third time, with safety Louis Oliver, who had accounted for the first quarter pickoff, grabbing it at his eight yard line and returning it to the 12. But now it was Marino’s turn to give up another interception, also on the third play of the possession, but far costlier because CB Darryl Lewis returned it 33 yards for a touchdown.

The Dolphins went three-and-out after receiving the ensuing kickoff, but on Houston’s first play RB Lorenzo White took a pass from Moon two yards behind the line of scrimmage and fumbled when hit by LB E.J. Junior. Harden recovered for Miami at the Houston 27 yard line. The Dolphins gave the ball up once more when McDowell intercepted Marino a second time at the Houston three.

The Oilers didn’t get far and punted with under two minutes remaining in the half. The Dolphins got a break when Montgomery’s first kick, of 62 yards, was nullified by a penalty and the second, shorter punt of 46 yards was returned by WR Scott Miller for 17 yards to give Miami good field position at the Houston 34. Four plays later Marino fired a 19-yard touchdown pass to Clayton running a slant pattern.

The Oilers got the ball back with 39 seconds remaining and, after two carries by RB Allen Pinkett and a pass from Moon to WR Ernest Givins got the ball to the Miami 39, Ian Howfield’s 56-yard field goal attempt was short. The eventful second quarter concluded with the Dolphins leading by 10-7.

Things calmed down in the third quarter. Howfield tied the game with a 26-yard field goal but Stoyanovich responded with a 46-yarder to keep Miami in front by a 13-10 margin after three periods.


In the fourth quarter, Houston finished off a 16-play march down the field that resulted in a one-yard touchdown pass from Moon to WR Curtis Duncan. Although there was 9:30 remaining, that proved to be the end of the scoring. A promising Miami drive to the Oilers’ one yard line ended with a fumble into the end zone by RB Sammie Smith that was recovered for a touchback by Houston CB Cris Dishman. The Dolphins never got another chance as Houston controlled the ball for the final three minutes of the game and came away with the 17-13 win.

Houston outgained the Dolphins, 282 yards to 275, and had 23 first downs to Miami’s 16. Of the total of nine turnovers, five were committed by the Dolphins and four by the Oilers, with most occurring in the comedy of errors that was the second quarter.

Warren Moon (pictured above left) had a mediocre day (for him), completing 21 of 35 passes for 171 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Ernest Givins caught 6 passes for 55 yards while WR Drew Hill gained 63 yards on 5 receptions. Lorenzo White accounted for 74 of Houston’s 120 yards on the ground, on 17 carries. Bubba McDowell had two of the defense’s three interceptions.


Dan Marino (pictured at right) also had a hard day, going to the air 40 times with 19 completions for 229 yards, also with a TD and three picked off. WR Mark Duper caught four passes for 79 yards (running backs Tony Paige and Sammie Smith also had four receptions apiece, for 45 and 23 yards, respectively). Sammie Smith gained 40 yards on 10 carries, but had the costly fumble (as would too-often be the case during his disappointing stint in Miami). Louis Oliver (pictured at bottom) picked off two passes.

The Oilers went on to win the AFC Central with an 11-5 record, and after a win over the Jets in the Wild Card round, lost a close contest to Denver in the Divisional playoff. Miami finished third in the AFC East with an 8-8 tally.

Warren Moon had far many better passing days operating out of the “run-and-shoot” as he ended up leading the NFL in passes (655), completions (404), yards (4690), and, more unfortunately, interceptions (21). His 23 touchdown passes ranked fifth.

Dan Marino was second to Moon in passes (549), completions (318), and yards (3970). However, he tossed more TD passes (25), fewer interceptions (13), and had a better overall passer rating (85.8 to 81.7). Both quarterbacks were named to the Pro Bowl and, of course, eventually ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

1975: Goal-Line Stand Preserves Bengals Win Over Oilers & “White Shoes” Johnson

The matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Oilers on October 5, 1975 at the Astrodome promised to be a good one. Both AFC Central teams had won their first two games heading into the Week 3 contest. Cincinnati, under 67-year-old founding Head Coach Paul Brown, was coming off of a disappointing 7-7 season in ’74 after having won the AFC Central with a 10-4 mark in 1973. QB Ken Anderson (pictured at right), a precision passer who led the NFL in that category in ’74, was off to another fine start.

Meanwhile, the Oilers were on the rise under a new head coach, Bum Phillips. After back-to-back 1-13 records in 1972 and ’73, they had risen to 7-7 under the guidance of Sid Gillman, who chose to turn over the head coaching duties to Phillips, a veteran assistant coach who had most recently been Houston’s defensive coordinator; later he also inherited Gillman’s position as general manager.

The first quarter was scoreless. Cincinnati finally got on the board in the second quarter when Anderson tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to RB Lenvil Elliott. However, Houston WR Billy “White Shoes” Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 64 yards and RB Fred Willis (a former Bengal) capped the possession with a dive into the end zone from a yard out to tie the score.

Johnson struck again before the half when he returned a 53-yard punt by David Green for 30 yards to set up a 37-yard field goal by Skip Butler that gave Houston a 10-7 halftime lead.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati missed opportunities to score further in the first half as Anderson tossed an interception and FB Boobie Clark fumbled the ball away on the Houston 19 yard line.

There was just one score in the third quarter, but it was once again a big play by Houston’s Johnson as he returned a punt for a 63-yard touchdown. The Oilers were up 17-7 thanks to the heroics of the 5’9”, 170-pound wide receiver/kick returner from Widener who had set up both first half scores and directly produced the third.

However, Houston turnovers set up two fourth quarter touchdowns by the Bengals. First, CB Ken Riley recovered a fumble deep in his own territory and returned it 43 yards. Six plays later, RB Stan Fritts caught a pass from Anderson for a 17-yard touchdown that narrowed the Oilers’ margin to three points. Then, LB Al Beauchamp recovered a fumble at the Houston 41 on the Oilers’ next possession. Anderson tossed another TD pass, of six yards to WR Isaac Curtis, seven plays later. With less than nine minutes remaining to play, the Bengals were now ahead by 21-17.


The lead hardly appeared to be safe when the Oilers, thanks to a long pass interference penalty, found themselves with a first-and-goal situation at the Cincinnati one yard line. In the key defensive stand of the game, the Oilers attempted four straight runs into the center of the line and came up empty. Bengals MLB Jim LeClair (pictured at right) made two of the tackles on his own in the goal-line stand, and assisted on the other two. With 5:18 remaining in the game, Cincinnati took over on downs.

On the first play after the change of possession, Anderson was tackled in the end zone for a safety that narrowed the Bengals’ lead to two points. But later Riley intercepted a pass to thwart Houston’s last effort, and Cincinnati escaped with a 21-19 win.

Ken Anderson said afterward, “The only thing we didn’t want to do was panic. We were only down by 10 and you can come back from that.” The Bengals led in total yards (262 to 176) and first downs (18 to 13). They lost 107 yards on seven penalties and Anderson was sacked seven times for a loss of 34 more, but the Oilers suffered five critical turnovers.

Anderson completed 19 of 28 passes for 210 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Neither club ran the ball effectively, and of Cincinnati’s 86 yards on 37 carries (2.3-yard average), Boobie Clark contributed the most with 29 yards on 13 attempts; he also caught the most passes with 5, for another 29 yards. Stan Fritts added 28 yards on 8 carries and Lenvil Elliott 27 yards on 6 rushes. Elliott also had the most receiving yards, with 49 on three catches that included a TD.

The biggest contributor for the Oilers had been Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, who had 263 yards in kick returns for the day (136 on four kickoffs and 127 on six punts); he added another 19 yards on two pass receptions. QB Dan Pastorini was successful on 11 of 23 passes for 93 yards with two of them intercepted. Rookie FB Don “Jaws” Hardeman ran for a team-leading 33 of Houston’s 83 rushing yards, on 16 carries. WR Ken Burrough led the receivers with four catches for 47 yards.

In the highly competitive AFC Central, Cincinnati went on to win its first six games and finished with an 11-3 record, second to the 12-2 Steelers and good enough for a wild card spot in the playoffs. In Paul Brown’s last game as a head coach, they lost a close Divisional playoff contest to Oakland. Houston recovered to win its next four games and came in third with a very respectable 10-4 tally, the club’s best since 1962.

Ken Anderson again led the NFL in passing with a 93.9 rating and also topped the league with 3169 yards and 8.4 yards-per-pass attempt. His 60.5 completion percentage ranked second, as did his low 2.9 percentage of interceptions.

As this game exemplified, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson (pictured below) in his second year had established himself as one of the most exciting players in the league. He ranked fourth in the league with his 1820 all-purpose yards and was the top punt returner with a 15.3-yard average on 40 returns, which included three touchdowns.

1994: Rookie Marshall Faulk Spurs Colts to Win Over Oilers

The Indianapolis Colts had used their second overall pick in the 1994 NFL draft to choose RB Marshall Faulk of San Diego State, a fast 5’10”, 207-pounder with toughness and solid receiving skills. Faulk wasted no time in having an impact as he led the Colts to a big win in the season opening game on September 4, 1994 against the Houston Oilers at the RCA Dome.

Indianapolis, coming off a 4-12 record in ’93, had not only added Faulk, as well as LB Trev Alberts, in the first round of the draft, but had also revamped much of the team. In taking on the Oilers, Head Coach Ted Marchibroda’s club was up against the defending AFC Central champions, but Houston was a team in transition, especially having lost QB Warren Moon by a trade to the Vikings, G Mike Munchak to retirement, and defensive ends William Fuller and Sean Jones to free agency (gone also was defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, who had openly feuded with offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride).

Faulk opened the scoring late in the first quarter on a one-yard run, following a series in which the Colts drove 47 yards in seven plays and the rookie running back carried the ball on six of them.

Indianapolis ripped the game open in the second quarter. First, LB Tony Bennett recovered a fumble by Houston QB Cody Carlson and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown. On their next possession, the offense moved 56 yards in eight plays capped by a touchdown pass of four yards from QB Jim Harbaugh to WR Floyd Turner. Houston’s WR Travis Hannah fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which was recovered by the Colts at the Oilers’ 22 yard line, and five plays later Harbaugh connected with Turner again for a nine-yard TD.

No sooner did the Houston offense get on the field when, on the first play, Carlson threw a pass that was intercepted by FS Ray Buchanon, who returned it 22 yards. It took just four plays for Faulk to score his second touchdown of the game, running up the middle from two yards out, and the Colts went into halftime with a 35-0 lead. The 28-point second quarter tied a club record (since broken).

Faulk led off the second half scoring ten minutes into the third quarter with an 11-yard touchdown run before Houston finally scored three late TDs. The final tally was 45-21.

Faulk ended up running for 143 yards on 23 carries with three touchdowns in his regular season debut. He also caught one pass for 31 yards, which was the longest pass play of the day for the Colts (who didn’t have much need to go to the air) and made him the team’s receiving yardage leader for the game. Jim Harbaugh, a veteran free agent signee from the Bears, completed 9 of 12 passes for 105 yards with two TDs and an interception.

Indianapolis outrushed the Oilers, 182 yards to 79. Houston gained the most total yards (374 to 288), a deceiving figure since the Oilers were far behind and went to the air often at a point when the outcome had long been decided. There was plenty of sloppy play throughout – the teams combined for 23 penalties, which were almost evenly divided (12 by the Oilers, 11 by the Colts).

The ineffective Cody Carlson (11 of 22 for 129 yards with an interception) gave way to backup Bucky Richardson who threw 35 passes with 19 completions for 203 yards and three touchdowns. WR Webster Slaughter had 9 receptions for 77 yards, while WR Haywood Jeffires gained 99 yards on 8 catches with two touchdowns. RB Gary Brown rushed for 39 yards on 10 carries.

The big opening day win did not signal a huge turnaround for the Colts, who lost their next three contests, but overall they improved to an 8-8 record that placed them third in the AFC East. The loss did portend bad tidings for Houston, however, as the Oilers went on to a 2-14 finish that was the worst in the NFL.

Marshall Faulk ended his rookie campaign with 1282 yards on 314 carries for a 4.1-yard average and 11 touchdowns while also catching 52 passes for 522 yards and a TD. The rushing total ranked third in the AFC, as did Faulk’s 1804 all-purpose yards, and he was chosen as Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press. Over the course of his 12-year career with two teams, he would come to be recognized as one of the most productive all-around running backs (receiver out of the backfield as well as runner) in pro football history with an eventual total of 19,172 yards (12,279 rushing, 6875 receiving).