1997 Tennessee Oilers season

1997 Tennessee Oilers season
Owner	Bud Adams
General manager	Floyd Reese
Head coach	Jeff Fisher
Home stadium	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Results
Record	8–8
Division place	3rd AFC Central
Playoffs	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	RB Eddie George G Bruce Matthews
Uniform
←  1996 (Houston) Oilers seasons 1998  →

The 1997 Tennessee Oilers season was their 38th season overall and 28th in the National Football League (NFL). It was the team's only season in Memphis, Tennessee after moving from Houston, and they played at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

Led by head coach Jeff Fisher, the Oilers finished the season with 8 wins and 8 losses, and did not qualify for the playoffs. Despite defeating the Oakland Raiders 24–21 in their first game in their new city, they lost the next four games and would not recover.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1997 NFL Draft

1997 Tennessee Oilers draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	18	Kenny Holmes	Defensive end	Miami (FL)
2	46	Joey Kent	Wide receiver	Tennessee
3	75	Denard Walker	Cornerback	LSU
3	81	Scott Sanderson	Offensive tackle	Washington State
4	98	Derrick Mason  *	Wide receiver	Michigan State
4	107	Pratt Lyons	Defensive end	Troy
5	143	George McCullough	Defensive back	Baylor
6	181	Dennis Stallings	Linebacker	Illinois
7	216	Armon Williams	Defensive back	Arizona
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

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Personnel

Staff

1997 Tennessee Oilers staff

Front office Owner/chairman of the board/president – Bud Adams Executive vice-president/general manager – Floyd Reese Director of player personnel – Rich Snead Director of college scouting – Glenn Cumbee Director of Regional Scouting – Mike Holovak Head coaches Head coach – Jeff Fisher Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – Les Steckel Running backs – Sherman Smith Wide receivers – Alan Lowry Offensive line/tight ends – George Henshaw Offensive line – Mike Munchak Offensive assistant/quality control – Bart Andrus

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Gregg Williams Defensive line – Rex Norris Linebackers – O'Neill Gilbert Defensive backs – Greg Brown Defensive assistant/quality control – Jerry Gray Special teams coaches Special teams – Russ Purnell Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Steve Watterson

Roster

1997 Tennessee Oilers roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 17 Dave Krieg  9 Steve McNair 16 James Ritchey Running backs (RB) 22 Mike Archie 27 Eddie George 35 Spencer George 20 Rodney Thomas KR Wide receivers (WR) 83 Isaac Byrd 86 Willie Davis 86 Joey Kent 82 Derrick Mason 85 Derek Russell 81 Chris Sanders Tight ends (TE) 88 Roderick Lewis 87 James McKeehan LS 80 Michael Roan 89 Frank Wycheck

Offensive linemen (OL) 77 Kevin Donnalley G 71 Melvin Hayes T 72 Brad Hopkins T 66 Jason Layman G/T 74 Bruce Matthews G 64 Erik Norgard C/G 69 Jon Runyan T 73 Scott Sanderson G/T 53 Mark Stepnoski C Defensive linemen (DL) 78 Anthony Cook DE 68 Eric England DE 91 Josh Evans DT 92 Henry Ford DT 99 Kenny Holmes DE 98 Pratt Lyons DE/DT 97 Bryant Mix DT 90 James Roberson DE 96 Gary Walker DT

Linebackers (LB) 58 Joe Bowden OLB 51 Lemanski Hall OLB 57 Lenoy Jones MLB 50 Terry Killens OLB 56 Lonnie Marts OLB 59 Dennis Stallings MLB 52 Barron Wortham MLB Defensive backs (DB) 23 Blaine Bishop SS 30 Anthony Dorsett CB/S 24 Steve Jackson CB 29 Darryll Lewis CB 28 George McCullough CB 31 Marcus Robertson FS 26 Rayna Stewart FS 25 Denard Walker CB 42 Armon Williams SS Special teams (ST)  3 Al Del Greco K  7 Reggie Roby P

Practice squad 54Louis AdamsLB 18 Isaiah Mustafa WR 76T. J. WashingtonT Reserve 94 Kendrick Burton DE (Susp.) 93 Mike Halapin DT (IR) 38 Roger Jones CB (IR) 53 active, 3 inactive, 3 practice squad Rookies in italics

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Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	August 2	New Orleans Saints	L 12–21	0–1	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium	Recap
2	August 9	Washington Redskins	L 12–18	0–2	Vanderbilt Stadium	Recap
3	August 16	San Diego Chargers	L 7–21	0–3	Vanderbilt Stadium	Recap
4	August 22	at Dallas Cowboys	L 10–34	0–4	Texas Stadium	Recap

Regular season

Tennessee Oilers inaugural season logo

The Oilers' new stadium would not be ready until 1999, however, and the largest stadium in Nashville at the time, Vanderbilt Stadium on the campus of Vanderbilt University, seated only 41,000. At first, Bud Adams rejected Vanderbilt Stadium even as a temporary facility and announced that the renamed Tennessee Oilers would play the next two seasons at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis. The team would be based in Nashville, commuting to Memphis only for games—in effect, consigning the Oilers to 32 road games for the next two years. Even though this arrangement was acceptable to the NFL and the Oilers at the time, few people in either Memphis or Nashville were pleased by it. Memphis had made numerous attempts to get an NFL team (including the Memphis Hound Dogs and the Memphis Grizzlies court case), and many people in the area wanted nothing to do with a team that would be lost in only two years—especially to longtime rival Nashville. Conversely, Nashvillians showed little inclination to drive over 200 miles (300 km) to see "their" team. As a result, attendance at the Liberty Bowl was disastrous: on at least two occasions, fewer than 18,000 fans came to the stadium to see the Oilers, a number smaller than the attendance figures the team was getting in Houston after they had announced the move, and smaller than the fan bases the USFL's Memphis Showboats and XFL's Memphis Maniax had drawn/would draw to the same stadium. If not for the attendance of fans supporting the Oilers' opponents, attendance would likely have even been smaller than it was for the CFL's Memphis Mad Dogs. Even in weeks when the Oilers drew over 30,000 fans (which only happened twice), many of the attendees were fans of the opposing team, padding the attendance totals.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	August 31	Oakland Raiders	W 24–21 (OT)	1–0	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium	Recap
2	September 7	at Miami Dolphins	L 13–16 (OT)	1–1	Pro Player Stadium	Recap
3	Bye
4	September 21	Baltimore Ravens	L 10–36	1–2	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium	Recap
5	September 28	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 24–37	1–3	Three Rivers Stadium	Recap
6	October 5	at Seattle Seahawks	L 13–16	1–4	Kingdome	Recap
7	October 12	Cincinnati Bengals	W 30–7	2–4	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium	Recap
8	October 19	Washington Redskins	W 28–14	3–4	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium	Recap
9	October 26	at Arizona Cardinals	W 41–14	4–4	Sun Devil Stadium	Recap
10	November 2	Jacksonville Jaguars	L 24–30	4–5	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium	Recap
11	November 9	New York Giants	W 10–6	5–5	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium	Recap
12	November 16	at Jacksonville Jaguars	L 9–17	5–6	Alltel Stadium	Recap
13	November 23	Buffalo Bills	W 31–14	6–6	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium	Recap
14	November 27	at Dallas Cowboys	W 27–14	7–6	Texas Stadium	Recap
15	December 4	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 14–41	7–7	Cinergy Field	Recap
16	December 14	at Baltimore Ravens	L 19–21	7–8	Memorial Stadium	Recap
17	December 21	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 16–6	8–8	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week One: Oakland Raiders at Tennessee Oilers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Raiders	0	0	7	14	0	21
Oilers	10	0	3	8	3	24

at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee

• Date: August 31
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Partly cloudy, 81 °F (27 °C)
• Game attendance: 30,171
• Referee: Johnny Grier
• TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui & Jim Mora
• Box score

Game information

First quarter TEN – Al Del Greco 30-yard field goal. Oilers 3–0. TEN – Chris Sanders 48-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 10–0. Second quarter No scoring plays Third quarter TEN – Al Del Greco 37-yard field goal. Oilers 13–0. OAK – Tim Brown 59-yard pass from Jeff George (Cole Ford kick). Oilers 13–7. Fourth quarter OAK – Tim Brown 27-yard pass from Jeff George (Cole Ford kick). Raiders 14–13. TEN – Eddie George 29-yard run (Eddie George run). Oilers 21–14. OAK – Tim Brown 16-yard pass from Jeff George (Cole Ford kick). Tied 21–21. Overtime TEN – Al Del Greco 33-yard field goal. Oilers 24–21. Top passers OAK – Jeff George – 21/37, 298 yards, 3 TD TEN – Steve McNair – 13/25, 182 yards, TD, INT Top rushers OAK – Napoleon Kaufman – 12 rushes, 32 yards TEN – Eddie George – 35 rushes, 216 yards, TD Top receivers OAK – Tim Brown – 8 receptions, 158 yards, 3 TD TEN – Ronnie Harmon – 5 receptions, 50 yards

Week 2: at Miami Dolphins

Week Two: Tennessee Oilers at Miami Dolphins – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Oilers	0	10	3	0	0	13
Dolphins	0	3	3	7	3	16

at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

• Date: September 7
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Cloudy, 81 °F (27 °C)
• Game attendance: 64,439
• Referee: Bill Carollo
• TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Jim Mora
• Box score

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter MIA – Olindo Mare 23-yard field goal. Dolphins 3–0. TEN – Eddie George 13-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 7–3. TEN – Al Del Greco 24-yard field goal. Oilers 10–3. Third quarter MIA – Olindo Mare 22-yard field goal. Oilers 10–6. TEN – Al Del Greco 37-yard field goal. Oilers 13–6. Fourth quarter MIA – Irving Spikes 2-yard run (Olindo Mare kick). Tied 13–13. Overtime MIA – Olindo Mare 29-yard field goal. Dolphins 16–13. Top passers TEN – Steve McNair – 7/14, 109 yards, INT MIA – Dan Marino – 24/43, 324 yards Top rushers TEN – Eddie George – 23 rushes, 106 yards, TD MIA – Karim Abdul-Jabbar – 19 rushes, 33 yards Top receivers TEN – Chris Sanders – 3 receptions, 58 yards MIA – O. J. McDuffie – 8 receptions, 135 yards

Week 4: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Week Four: Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Oilers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Ravens	3	17	3	13	36
Oilers	7	3	0	0	10

at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee

• Date: September 21
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Cloudy, 71 °F (22 °C)
• Game attendance: 17,737
• TV announcers (NBC): Joel Meyers & Beasley Reece
• Box score

Game information

First quarter BAL – Matt Stover 38-yard field goal. Ravens 3–0. TEN – Frank Wycheck 36-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 7–3. Second quarter BAL – Derrick Alexander 25-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (Matt Stover kick). Ravens 10–7. BAL – Derrick Alexander 5-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (Matt Stover kick). Ravens 17–7. TEN – Al Del Greco 45-yard field goal. Ravens 17–10. BAL – Matt Stover 42-yard field goal. Ravens 20–10. Third quarter BAL – Matt Stover 41-yard field goal. Ravens 23–10. Fourth quarter BAL – Jermaine Lewis 16-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (Matt Stover kick). Ravens 30–10. BAL – Matt Stover 34-yard field goal. Ravens 33–10. BAL – Matt Stover 35-yard field goal. Ravens 36–10. Top passers BAL – Vinny Testaverde – 23/37, 318 yards, 3 TD TEN – Steve McNair – 20/33, 199 yards, TD, INT Top rushers BAL – Jay Graham – 9 rushes, 51 yards TEN – Eddie George – 10 rushes, 40 yards Top receivers BAL – Jermaine Lewis – 8 receptions, 124 yards, TD TEN – Frank Wycheck – 3 receptions, 55 yards, TD

Week 5: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week Five: Tennessee Oilers at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	0	6	3	15	24
Steelers	10	21	3	3	37

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Date: September 28
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Cloudy, 60 °F (16 °C)
• Game attendance: 57,507
• Referee: Bernie Kukar
• TV announcers (NBC): Jim Donovan and Beasley Reece
• Box score

Game information

First quarter PIT – Kordell Stewart 7-yard run (Norm Johnson kick). Steelers 7–0. PIT – Norm Johnson 48-yard field goal. Steelers 10–0. Second quarter PIT – Jason Gildon 12-yard fumble return (Norm Johnson kick). Steelers 17–0. TEN – Al Del Greco 37-yard field goal. Steelers 17–3. PIT – Mark Bruener 18-yard pass from Kordell Stewart (Norm Johnson kick). Steelers 24–3. PIT – Kordell Stewart 2-yard run (Norm Johnson kick). Steelers 31–3. TEN – Al Del Greco 47-yard field goal. Steelers 31–6. Third quarter TEN – Al Del Greco 26-yard field goal. Steelers 31–9. PIT – Norm Johnson 25-yard field goal. Steelers 34–9. Fourth quarter PIT – Norm Johnson 44-yard field goal. Steelers 37–9. TEN – Frank Wycheck 10-yard pass from Steve McNair (Steve McNair pass to Frank Wycheck). Steelers 37–17. TEN – Willie Davis 11-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Steelers 37–24. Top passers TEN – Steve McNair – 22/43, 266 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT PIT – Kordell Stewart – 16/24, 244 yards, TD Top rushers TEN – Steve McNair – 3 rushes, 29 yards PIT – Jerome Bettis – 18 rushes, 74 yards Top receivers TEN – Frank Wycheck – 9 receptions, 72 yards, TD PIT – Yancey Thigpen – 5 receptions, 89 yards

Week 6: at Seattle Seahawks

Week Six: Tennessee Oilers at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	3	7	0	3	13
Seahawks	0	0	10	6	16

at Kingdome, Seattle, Washington

• Date: October 5
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. PDT
• Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
• Game attendance: 49,897
• Referee: Dick Hantak
• TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui & Jim Mora
• Box score

Game information

First quarter TEN – Al Del Greco 37-yard field goal. Oilers 3–0. Second quarter TEN – Eddie George 11-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 10–0. Third quarter SEA – Todd Peterson 38-yard field goal. Oilers 10–3. SEA – Steve Broussard 77-yard run (Todd Peterson kick). Tied 10–10. Fourth quarter SEA – Steve Broussard 43-yard run (kick failed). Seahawks 16–10. TEN – Al Del Greco 43-yard field goal. Seahawks 16–13. Top passers TEN – Steve McNair – 12/28, 101 yards, TD, 2 INT SEA – Warren Moon – 27/40, 260 yards Top rushers TEN – Eddie George – 26 rushes, 116 yards SEA – Steve Broussard – 6 rushes, 138 yards, 2 TD Top receivers TEN – Frank Wycheck – 4 receptions, 41 yards SEA – Mike Pritchard – 7 receptions, 75 yards

Week 7: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week Seven: Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Oilers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	0	0	0	7	7
Oilers	7	7	6	10	30

at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee

• Date: October 12
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 74 °F (23 °C)
• Game attendance: 17,071
• TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Bob Trumpy
• Box score

Game information

First quarter TEN – Willie Davis 9-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 7–0. Second quarter TEN – Frank Wycheck 39-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 14–0. Third quarter TEN – Al Del Greco 47-yard field goal. Oilers 17–0. TEN – Al Del Greco 45-yard field goal. Oilers 20–0. Fourth quarter TEN – Willie Davis 10-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 27–0. TEN – Al Del Greco 19-yard field goal. Oilers 30–0. CIN – Corey Dillon 21-yard run (Doug Pelfrey kick). Oilers 30–7. Top passers CIN – Jeff Blake – 14/28, 130 yards TEN – Steve McNair – 16/30, 199 yards, 3 TD Top rushers CIN – Corey Dillon – 8 rushes, 39 yards, TD TEN – Eddie George – 30 rushes, 106 yards Top receivers CIN – Eric Bieniemy – 5 receptions, 42 yards TEN – Frank Wycheck – 4 receptions, 78 yards, TD

Week 8: vs. Washington Redskins

Week Eight: Washington Redskins at Tennessee Oilers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	0	0	14	0	14
Oilers	0	14	7	7	28

at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee

• Date: October 19
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 55 °F (13 °C)
• Game attendance: 31,042
• Referee: Ron Blum
• TV announcers (FOX): Kevin Harlan & Bill Maas
• Box score

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter TEN – Steve McNair 2-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 7–0. TEN – Eddie George 3-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 14–0. Third quarter TEN – Rodney Thomas 5-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 21–0. WAS – Henry Ellard 13-yard pass from Gus Frerotte (Scott Blanton kick). Oilers 21–7. WAS – Henry Ellard 10-yard pass from Gus Frerotte (Scott Blanton kick). Oilers 21–14. Fourth quarter TEN – Eddie George 6-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 28–14. Top passers WAS – Gus Frerotte – 16/31, 228 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT TEN – Steve McNair – 13/21, 192 yards Top rushers WAS – Stephen Davis – 13 rushes, 45 yards TEN – Eddie George – 31 rushes, 125 yards, 2 TD Top receivers WAS – Henry Ellard – 6 receptions, 84 yards, 2 TD TEN – Willie Davis – 5 receptions, 72 yards

Week 9: at Arizona Cardinals

Week Nine: Tennessee Oilers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	3	17	14	7	41
Cardinals	0	0	7	7	14

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

• Date: October 26
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST/2:00 p.m. MST
• Game weather: Sunny, 62 °F (17 °C)
• Game attendance: 44,030
• TV announcers (NBC): Bob Fitzgerald and Jim Laslavic
• Box score

Game information

First quarter TEN – Al Del Greco 52-yard field goal. Oilers 3–0. Second quarter TEN – Denard Walker 39-yard interception return (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 10–0. TEN – Al Del Greco 42-yard field goal. Oilers 13–0. TEN – Steve McNair 35-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 20–0. Third quarter TEN – Steve McNair 2-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 27–0. ARI – Rob Moore 12-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Joe Nedney kick). Oilers 27–7. TEN – Chris Sanders 55-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 34–7. Fourth quarter TEN – Chris Sanders 20-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 41–7. ARI – Rob Moore 2-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Joe Nedney kick). Oilers 41–14. Top passers TEN – Steve McNair – 9/17, 146 yards, 2 TD ARI – Jake Plummer – 21/40, 195 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT Top rushers TEN – Eddie George – 17 rushes, 71 yards ARI – Larry Centers – 14 rushes, 57 yards Top receivers TEN – Chris Sanders – 2 receptions, 75 yards, 2 TD ARI – Frank Sanders – 10 receptions, 98 yards

Week 10: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week Ten: Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Oilers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Jaguars	17	7	3	3	30
Oilers	7	3	7	7	24

at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee

• Date: November 2
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Partly cloudy, 55 °F (13 °C)
• Game attendance: 27,208
• TV announcers (NBC): Joel Meyers and Beasley Reece
• Box score

Game information

First quarter TEN – Darryl Lewis 47-yard interception return (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 7–0. JAC – Mike Hollis 30-yard field goal. Oilers 7–3. JAC – Chris Hudson 32-yard fumble return (Mike Hollis kick). Jaguars 10–7. JAC – Pete Mitchell 6-yard pass from Mark Brunell (Mike Hollis kick). Jaguars 17–7. Second quarter TEN – Al Del Greco 36-yard field goal. Jaguars 17–10. JAC – Mark Brunell 6-yard run (Mike Hollis kick). Jaguars 24–10. Third quarter JAC – Mike Hollis 30-yard field goal. Jaguars 27–10. TEN – Rodney Thomas 3-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Jaguars 27–17. Fourth quarter JAC – Mike Hollis 37-yard field goal. Jaguars 30–17. TEN – Eddie George 5-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Jaguars 30–24. Top passers JAC – Mark Brunell – 17/31, 169 yards, TD, INT TEN – Steve McNair – 13/22, 211 yards, INT Top rushers JAC – James Stewart – 17 rushes, 99 yards TEN – Eddie George – 17 rushes, 51 yards, TD Top receivers JAC – Jimmy Smith – 5 receptions, 50 yards TEN – Willie Davis – 4 receptions, 83 yards

Week 11: vs. New York Giants

Week Eleven: New York Giants at Tennessee Oilers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Giants	0	3	3	0	6
Oilers	3	7	0	0	10

at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee

• Date: November 9
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Cloudy, 46 °F (8 °C)
• Game attendance: 26,744
• Referee: Walt Coleman
• TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert and Tim Green
• Box score

Game information

First quarter TEN – Al Del Greco 31-yard field goal. Oilers 3–0. Second quarter TEN – Eddie George 1-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 10–0. NYG – Brad Daluiso 42-yard field goal. Oilers 10–3. Third quarter NYG – Brad Daluiso 41-yard field goal. Oilers 10–6. Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers NYG – Danny Kanell – 15/28, 133 yards, INT TEN – Steve McNair – 13/23, 183 yards, INT Top rushers NYG – Tyrone Wheatley – 13 rushes, 94 yards TEN – Eddie George – 32 rushes, 122 yards, TD Top receivers NYG – Chris Calloway – 4 receptions, 65 yards TEN – Chris Sanders – 3 receptions, 64 yards

Week 12: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week Twelve: Tennessee Oilers at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	0	3	0	6	9
Jaguars	0	7	7	3	17

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

• Date: November 16
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Partly cloudy, 56 °F (13 °C)
• Game attendance: 70,070
• TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Jim Mora
• Box score

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter JAC – Keenan McCardell 17-yard pass from Mark Brunell (Mike Hollis kick). Jaguars 7–0. TEN – Al Del Greco 35-yard field goal. Jaguars 7–3. Third quarter JAC – Natrone Means 1-yard run (Mike Hollis kick). Jaguars 14–3. Fourth quarter TEN – Frank Wycheck 22-yard pass from Willie Davis (run failed). Jaguars 14–9. JAC – Mike Hollis 23-yard field goal. Jaguars 17–9. Top passers TEN – Steve McNair – 8/22, 162 yards, 2 INT JAC – Mark Brunell – 22/30, 267 yards, TD Top rushers TEN – Rodney Thomas – 9 rushes, 54 yards JAC – Natrone Means – 23 rushes, 64 yards, TD Top receivers TEN – Frank Wycheck – 3 receptions, 70 yards, TD JAC – Jimmy Smith – 8 receptions, 158 yards

Week 13: vs. Buffalo Bills

Week Thirteen: Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Oilers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	0	7	0	7	14
Oilers	14	7	3	7	31

at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee

• Date: November 23
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Rain, 40 °F (4 °C)
• Game attendance: 23,571
• TV announcers (NBC): Joel Meyers and Beasley Reece
• Box score

Game information

First quarter TEN – Marcus Robertson 27-yard fumble return (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 7–0. TEN – Steve McNair 1-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 14–0. Second quarter TEN – Steve McNair 3-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 21–0. BUF – Quinn Early 9-yard pass from Todd Collins (Steve Christie kick). Oilers 21–7. Third quarter TEN – Al Del Greco 51-yard field goal. Oilers 24–7. Fourth quarter BUF – Quinn Early 6-yard pass from Todd Collins (Steve Christie kick). Oilers 24–14. TEN – Derek Russell 2-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 31–14. Top passers BUF – Todd Collins – 25/40, 286 yards, 2 TD, INT TEN – Steve McNair – 15/24, 167 yards, TD Top rushers BUF – Antowain Smith – 9 rushes, 7 yards TEN – Eddie George – 25 rushes, 93 yards Top receivers BUF – Quinn Early – 8 receptions, 103 yards, 2 TD TEN – Frank Wycheck – 6 receptions, 51 yards

Week 14: at Dallas Cowboys

Thanksgiving Day games

Week Fourteen: Tennessee Oilers at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	14	10	0	3	27
Cowboys	0	7	7	0	14

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

• Date: November 27
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Clear, 66 °F (19 °C)
• Game attendance: 63,421
• TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg, Phil Simms and Paul Maguire
• Box score

Game information

First quarter TEN – Erik Norgard 2-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 7–0. TEN – Steve McNair 1-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 14–0. Second quarter DAL – Michael Irvin 19-yard pass from Troy Aikman (Richie Cunningham kick). Oilers 14–7. TEN – Al Del Greco 29-yard field goal. Oilers 17–7. TEN – Marcus Robertson 42-yard fumble return (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 24–7. Third quarter DAL – Michael Irvin 37-yard pass from Troy Aikman (Richie Cunningham kick). Oilers 24–14. Fourth quarter TEN – Al Del Greco 19-yard field goal. Oilers 27–14. Top passers TEN – Steve McNair – 9/17, 81 yards, TD DAL – Troy Aikman – 27/42, 356 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT Top rushers TEN – Eddie George – 34 rushes, 110 yards DAL – Emmitt Smith – 10 rushes, 22 yards Top receivers TEN – Frank Wycheck – 3 receptions, 39 yards DAL – Michael Irvin – 5 receptions, 118 yards, 2 TD

Week 15: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week Fifteen: Tennessee Oilers at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	0	0	0	14	14
Bengals	14	14	10	3	41

at Cinergy Field, Cincinnati, Ohio

• Date: December 4
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST/8:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Light rain, 42 °F (6 °C)
• Game attendance: 49,086
• TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann and Ron Jaworski
• Box score

Game information

First quarter CIN – Corey Dillon 2-yard run (Doug Pelfrey kick). Bengals 7–0. CIN – Tony McGee 1-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Doug Pelfrey kick). Bengals 14–0. Second quarter CIN – Corey Dillon 31-yard run (Doug Pelfrey kick). Bengals 21–0. CIN – Corey Dillon 1-yard run (Doug Pelfrey kick). Bengals 28–0. Third quarter CIN – Corey Dillon 2-yard run (Doug Pelfrey kick). Bengals 35–0. CIN – Doug Pelfrey 26-yard field goal. Bengals 38–0. Fourth quarter TEN – Willie Davis 5-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Bengals 38–7. CIN – Doug Pelfrey 40-yard field goal. Bengals 41–7. TEN – Joey Kent 11-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Bengals 41–14. Top passers TEN – Steve McNair – 14/25, 146 yards, 2 TD CIN – Boomer Esiason – 20/28, 245 yards, TD Top rushers TEN – Steve McNair – 5 rushes, 16 yards CIN – Corey Dillon – 39 rushes, 246 yards, 4 TD Top receivers TEN – Willie Davis – 4 receptions, 45 yards, TD CIN – Darnay Scott – 6 receptions, 83 yards

Week 16: at Baltimore Ravens

Week Sixteen: Tennessee Oilers at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	3	3	6	7	19
Ravens	7	7	0	7	21

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

• Date: December 14
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Partly cloudy, 35 °F (2 °C)
• Game attendance: 60,558
• TV announcers (NBC): Jim Donovan and James Lofton
• Box score

Game information

First quarter BAL – Michael Jackson 8-yard pass from Eric Zeier (Matt Stover kick). Ravens 7–0. TEN – Al Del Greco 25-yard field goal. Ravens 7–3. Second quarter TEN – Al Del Greco 40-yard field goal. Ravens 7–6. BAL – Eric Green 37-yard pass from Eric Zeier (Matt Stover kick). Ravens 14–6. Third quarter TEN – Steve McNair 15-yard run (run failed). Ravens 14–12. Fourth quarter BAL – Derrick Alexander 19-yard pass from Eric Zeier (Matt Stover kick). Ravens 21–12. TEN – Steve McNair 1-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Ravens 21–19. Top passers TEN – Steve McNair – 22/45, 219 yards, INT BAL – Eric Zeier – 13/28, 204 yards, 3 TD Top rushers TEN – Eddie George – 26 rushes, 129 yards BAL – Bam Morris – 18 rushes, 51 yards Top receivers TEN – Chris Sanders – 7 receptions, 100 yards BAL – Eric Green – 3 receptions, 59 yards, TD

Week 17: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week Seventeen: Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Oilers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	3	0	0	3	6
Oilers	3	10	3	0	16

at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee

• Date: December 24
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Cloudy, 47 °F (8 °C)
• Game attendance: 50,677
• TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Bob Trumpy
• Box score

Game information

First quarter TEN – Al Del Greco 34-yard field goal. Oilers 3–0. PIT – Norm Johnson 23-yard field goal. Tied 3–3. Second quarter TEN – Rodney Thomas 25-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 10–3. TEN – Al Del Greco 29-yard field goal. Oilers 13–3. Third quarter TEN – Al Del Greco 26-yard field goal. Oilers 16–3. Fourth quarter PIT – Norm Johnson 36-yard field goal. Oilers 16–6. Top passers PIT – Mike Tomczak – 8/11, 89 yards TEN – Steve McNair – 10/26, 102 yards, INT Top rushers PIT – Fred McAfee – 10 rushes, 27 yards TEN – Rodney Thomas – 6 rushes, 41 yards, TD Top receivers PIT – Yancey Thigpen – 6 receptions, 84 yards TEN – Derrick Mason – 3 receptions, 47 yards

Standings

AFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
(2) Pittsburgh Steelers	11	5	0	.688	372	307	L1
(5) Jacksonville Jaguars	11	5	0	.688	394	318	W2
Tennessee Oilers	8	8	0	.500	333	310	W1
Cincinnati Bengals	7	9	0	.438	355	405	W3
Baltimore Ravens	6	9	1	.406	326	345	L1

References

1. "1997 Tennessee Oilers draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
2. "1997 Tennessee Oilers starters, roster, and players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 28, 2014.

External links

• 1997 Tennessee Oilers at Pro-Football-Reference.com