1988 Houston Oilers season

Last updated

1988 Houston Oilers season
Owner Bud Adams
General manager Ladd Herzeg
Head coach Jerry Glanville
Home field Houston Astrodome
Local radio KODA–FM 99.1
Results
Record10–6
Division place3rd AFC Central
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(at Browns) 24–23
Lost Divisional Playoffs
(at Bills) 10–17
Pro Bowlers DT Ray Childress
LB John Grimsley
WR Drew Hill
G Bruce Matthews
QB Warren Moon
G Mike Munchak
RB Mike Rozier
Uniform
Houston oilers uniforms.png

The 1988 Houston Oilers season was the franchise's 19th season in the National Football League and the 29th overall. The franchise scored 424 points, which was second in the AFC and second overall in the NFL. The defense gave up 365 points. Their record of 10 wins and 6 losses resulted in a third-place finish in the AFC Central Division. The Oilers appeared once on Monday Night Football and appeared in the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Warren Moon would be selected for the Pro Bowl. In the playoffs, they defeated the Cleveland Browns 24-23 in the Wild Card game. However, in the divisional playoffs, they lost 17-10 to the Bills.

Contents

Offseason

NFL draft

1988 Houston Oilers draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
122 Lorenzo White  *  Running back Michigan State
248 Quintin Jones   Safety Pittsburgh
372 Greg Montgomery  *  Punter Michigan State
5125 Cris Dishman  *  Cornerback Purdue
5130 Chris Verhulst   Tight end Chico State
6157 Kurt Crain   Linebacker Auburn
7187 Tracey Eaton   Safety Portland State
8214 David Viaene   Offensive tackle Minnesota–Duluth
9241David Spradlin Linebacker TCU
10271Mario Johnson Wide receiver Hawaii
11298 Jethro Franklin   Defensive line Fresno State
12325 John Brantley  Linebacker Georgia
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[1]

Personnel

Staff

1988 Houston Oilers staff

Front office

  • Owner/Chairman of the Board/President – Bud Adams
  • Executive Vice President/General Manager – Ladd Herzeg

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special Teams – Richard Smith
  • Special Teams Intern- Dwight Point

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and Rehabilitation – Steve Watterson

Roster

1988 Houston Oilers roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad none

47 active, 10 inactive


Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance
1September 4at Indianapolis Colts W 17–14 (OT)1–0 Hoosier Dome 57,251
2September 11 Los Angeles Raiders W 38–352–0 Astrodome 46,050
3September 18at New York Jets L 3–452–1 Giants Stadium 64,683
4September 25 New England Patriots W 31–63–1Astrodome38,646
5October 2at Philadelphia Eagles L 23–323–2 Veterans Stadium 64,692
6October 9 Kansas City Chiefs W 7–64–2Astrodome39,134
7October 16at Pittsburgh Steelers W 34–145–2 Three Rivers Stadium 52,229
8October 23at Cincinnati Bengals L 21–445–3 Riverfront Stadium 54,659
9October 30 Washington Redskins W 41–176–3Astrodome48,781
10November 7 Cleveland Browns W 24–177–3Astrodome51,467
11November 13at Seattle Seahawks L 24–277–4 Kingdome 60,446
12November 20 Phoenix Cardinals W 38–208–4Astrodome43,843
13November 24at Dallas Cowboys W 25–179–4 Texas Stadium 50,845
14December 4 Pittsburgh Steelers L 34–379–5Astrodome47,791
15December 11 Cincinnati Bengals W 41–610–5Astrodome50,269
16December 18at Cleveland Browns L 23–2810–6 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 74,610

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Season summary

Week 1

Week 1: Houston Oilers at Indianapolis Colts
Period1234OTTotal
Oilers7700317
Colts7700014

at Hoosier DomeIndianapolis, Indiana

Game information

The game started at 4:00 PM on Sunday, September 4, 1988, in Hoosier Dome.

First Quarter:

Second Quarter:

Third Quarter: No points scored.

Fourth Quarter: No points scored.

Overtime:

The game ended in overtime at 17-14, with the Houston Oilers on top.

Week 2

Week 2: Los Angeles Raiders at Houston Oilers
Period1234Total
Raiders7210735
Oilers71431438

at AstrodomeHouston, Texas

Game information

The game started at 4:00 PM on Sunday, September 11, 1988. The game was played at the Houston Astrodome. In the first quarter, Marcus Allen of the Raiders rushed one yard for a touchdown. That same quarter, Allen Pinkett of the Oilers rushed three yards for a touchdown. In the second quarter, Willie Gault of the Raiders received a 42-yard pass from Steve Beuerlein for a touchdown. In that quarter, Tim Brown of the Raiders also received a 4-yard pass from Steve Beuerlein for another touchdown. Allen Pinkett of the Oilers rushed for a one-yard touchdown in the same quarter, Steve Smith of the Raiders received a 9-yard pass from Steve Beuerlein in the same quarter, Drew Hill received a 16-yard pass from Cody Carlson of the Oilers for the fifth touchdown in that quarter between both teams. In the third quarter, Tony Zendejas kicked a 19-yard field goal for the Oilers. In the fourth quarter, Ernest Givins of the Oilers received a 12-yard touchdown pass from Cody Carlson. Also in that quarter, Marcus Allen of the Raiders rushed one yard for a touchdown. Allen Pinkett of the Oilers brought back the lead on that quarter, rushing 6 yards for a touchdown. Eventually, the game ended 38-35 with the Oilers on top, resulting in a win. [2]

Week 3

Week 3: Houston Oilers at New York Jets
Period1234Total
Oilers30003
Jets141431445

at Giants StadiumEast Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

The game started at 1:00 PM on Sunday, September 18, 1988. The game was played at Giants Stadium. In the first quarter, Tony Zendejas of the Oilers kicked a 30-yard field goal, scoring the only points of the game for the Oilers. Kurt Sohn of the New York Jets received a 8-yard pass from Ken O'Brien for a touchdown in the same quarter. Also in the first quarter, Freeman McNeil of the New York Jets rushed 8 yards for a touchdown. In the second quarter, Wesley Walker of the New York Jets received two touchdown passes from . Ken O'Brien, with the distances being 4-yards and 50-yards. In the third quarter, Pat Leahy of the Jets kicked a 47-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, Wesley Walker received a 23-yard pass from Pat Ryan, resulting in a touchdown. Also in that quarter, Mike Zordich of the Jets intercepted a pass, and ran 35 yards for a touchdown. The final score was 45-3, with the New York Jets on top. This game was a loss for the Oilers.

Week 4

Week 4: New England Patriots at Houston Oilers
Period1234Total
Patriots60006
Oilers7771031

at AstrodomeHouston, Texas

Game information

Week 5

Week 5: Houston Oilers at Philadelphia Eagles
Period1234Total
Oilers1600723
Eagles0209332

at Veterans StadiumPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania

Game information

Week 6

Week 6: Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Oilers
Period1234Total
Chiefs33006
Oilers00707

at AstrodomeHouston, Texas

Game information

Week 7

Week 7: Houston Oilers at Pittsburgh Steelers
Period1234Total
Oilers6127934
Steelers070714

at Three Rivers StadiumPittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game information

Week 8

Week 8: Houston Oilers at Cincinnati Bengals
Period1234Total
Oilers0714021
Bengals2807944

at Riverfront StadiumCincinnati, Ohio

Game information

Week 9

Week 9: Washington Redskins at Houston Oilers
Period1234Total
Redskins037717
Oilers71771041

at AstrodomeHouston, Texas

Game information

Week 10

Week 10: Cleveland Browns at Houston Oilers
Period1234Total
Browns307717
Oilers0714324

at AstrodomeHouston, Texas

Game information

Week 11

Week 11: Houston Oilers at Seattle Seahawks
Period1234Total
Oilers737724
Seahawks7371027

at KingdomeSeattle, Washington

Game information

Week 12

Week 12: Phoenix Cardinals at Houston Oilers
Period1234Total
Cardinals077620
Oilers7177738

at AstrodomeHouston, Texas

Game information

Week 13

Week 13: Houston Oilers at Dallas Cowboys
Period1234Total
Oilers01031225
Cowboys737017

at Texas StadiumIrving, Texas

Game information

Week 14

Week 14: Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Oilers
Period1234Total
Steelers31471337
Oilers01314734

at AstrodomeHouston, Texas

Game information

Week 15

Week 15: Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Oilers
Period1234Total
Bengals03306
Oilers71771041

at AstrodomeHouston, Texas

Game information

Week 16

Week 16: Houston Oilers at Cleveland Browns
Period1234Total
Oilers1067023
Browns0771428

at Cleveland StadiumCleveland, Ohio

Game information

Standings

AFC Central
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
Cincinnati Bengals (1)1240.7504–28–4448329W1
Cleveland Browns (4)1060.6254–26–6304288W1
Houston Oilers (5)1060.6253–37–5424365L1
Pittsburgh Steelers 5110.3131–54–8336421W1

Playoffs

WeekDateOpponentResultAttendance
Wild CardDecember 24, 1988at Cleveland Browns W 24–23
74,977
DivisionalJanuary 1, 1989at Buffalo Bills L 10–17
79,532

AFC Wild Card

AFC Wild Card Playoff: Houston Oilers at Cleveland Browns
Period1234Total
Oilers01401024
Browns367723

at Cleveland StadiumCleveland, Ohio

Game information

AFC Divisional

AFC Divisional Playoff: Houston Oilers at Buffalo Bills
Period1234Total
Oilers030710
Bills077317

at Rich StadiumOrchard Park, New York

Game information

Awards and records

Milestones

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References

  1. "1988 Houston Oilers draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  2. "Los Angeles Raiders at Houston Oilers - September 11th, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 21, 2021.