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1988 Houston Oilers season

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1988 Houston Oilers season
OwnerBud Adams
General managerLadd Herzeg
Head coachJerry Glanville
Home fieldHouston Astrodome
Local radioKODA–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 BowlersDT Ray Childress
LB John Grimsley
WR Drew Hill
G Bruce Matthews
QB Warren Moon
G Mike Munchak
RB Mike Rozier
Uniform

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.

Offseason

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NFL draft

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Main article: 1988 NFL draft
1988 Houston Oilers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 22 Lorenzo White *  Running back Michigan State
2 48 Quintin Jones  Safety Pittsburgh
3 72 Greg Montgomery *  Punter Michigan State
5 125 Cris Dishman *  Cornerback Purdue
5 130 Chris Verhulst  Tight end Chico State
6 157 Kurt Crain  Linebacker Auburn
7 187 Tracey Eaton  Safety Portland State
8 214 David Viaene  Offensive tackle Minnesota–Duluth
9 241 David Spradlin  Linebacker TCU
10 271 Mario Johnson  Wide receiver Hawaii
11 298 Jethro Franklin  Defensive line Fresno State
12 325 John Brantley  Linebacker Georgia
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[1]

Personnel

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Staff

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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

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1988 Houston Oilers roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

none

47 active, 10 inactive Reserve


Rookies in italics

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 4 at Indianapolis Colts W 17–14 (OT) 1–0 Hoosier Dome 57,251
2 September 11 Los Angeles Raiders W 38–35 2–0 Astrodome 46,050
3 September 18 at New York Jets L 3–45 2–1 Giants Stadium 64,683
4 September 25 New England Patriots W 31–6 3–1 Astrodome 38,646
5 October 2 at Philadelphia Eagles L 23–32 3–2 Veterans Stadium 64,692
6 October 9 Kansas City Chiefs W 7–6 4–2 Astrodome 39,134
7 October 16 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 34–14 5–2 Three Rivers Stadium 52,229
8 October 23 at Cincinnati Bengals L 21–44 5–3 Riverfront Stadium 54,659
9 October 30 Washington Redskins W 41–17 6–3 Astrodome 48,781
10 November 7 Cleveland Browns W 24–17 7–3 Astrodome 51,467
11 November 13 at Seattle Seahawks L 24–27 7–4 Kingdome 60,446
12 November 20 Phoenix Cardinals W 38–20 8–4 Astrodome 43,843
13 November 24 at Dallas Cowboys W 25–17 9–4 Texas Stadium 50,845
14 December 4 Pittsburgh Steelers L 34–37 9–5 Astrodome 47,791
15 December 11 Cincinnati Bengals W 41–6 10–5 Astrodome 50,269
16 December 18 at Cleveland Browns L 23–28 10–6 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 74,610

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Season summary

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Week 1

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Week 1: Houston Oilers at Indianapolis Colts
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Oilers 7 7 00317
Colts 7 7 00014

at Hoosier Dome • Indianapolis, 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

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Week 2: Los Angeles Raiders at Houston Oilers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Raiders 7 21 0735
Oilers 7 14 31438

at Astrodome • Houston, 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

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Week 3: Houston Oilers at New York Jets
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Oilers 3 0 003
Jets 14 14 31445

at Giants Stadium • East 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

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Week 4: New England Patriots at Houston Oilers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Patriots 6 0 006
Oilers 7 7 71031

at Astrodome • Houston, Texas

Game information

Week 5

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Week 5: Houston Oilers at Philadelphia Eagles
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Oilers 16 0 0723
Eagles 0 20 9332

at Veterans Stadium • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Game information

Week 6

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Week 6: Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Oilers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 3 3 006
Oilers 0 0 707

at Astrodome • Houston, Texas

Game information

Week 7

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Week 7: Houston Oilers at Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Oilers 6 12 7934
Steelers 0 7 0714

at Three Rivers Stadium • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game information

Week 8

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Week 8: Houston Oilers at Cincinnati Bengals
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Oilers 0 7 14021
Bengals 28 0 7944

at Riverfront Stadium • Cincinnati, Ohio

Game information

Week 9

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Week 9: Washington Redskins at Houston Oilers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Redskins 0 3 7717
Oilers 7 17 71041

at Astrodome • Houston, Texas

Game information

Week 10

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Week 10: Cleveland Browns at Houston Oilers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Browns 3 0 7717
Oilers 0 7 14324

at Astrodome • Houston, Texas

Game information

Week 11

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Week 11: Houston Oilers at Seattle Seahawks
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Oilers 7 3 7724
Seahawks 7 3 71027

at Kingdome • Seattle, Washington

Game information

Week 12

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Week 12: Phoenix Cardinals at Houston Oilers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 0 7 7620
Oilers 7 17 7738

at Astrodome • Houston, Texas

Game information

Week 13

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Week 13: Houston Oilers at Dallas Cowboys
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Oilers 0 10 31225
Cowboys 7 3 7017

at Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas

Game information

This would be Houston's last win on the road against the Cowboys until 2024.

Week 14

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Week 14: Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Oilers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 3 14 71337
Oilers 0 13 14734

at Astrodome • Houston, Texas

Game information

Week 15

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Week 15: Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Oilers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bengals 0 3 306
Oilers 7 17 71041

at Astrodome • Houston, Texas

Game information

Week 16

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Week 16: Houston Oilers at Cleveland Browns
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Oilers 10 6 7023
Browns 0 7 71428

at Cleveland Stadium • Cleveland, Ohio

Game information

Standings

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AFC Central
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Cincinnati Bengals(1) 12 4 0 .750 4–2 8–4 448 329 W1
Cleveland Browns(4) 10 6 0 .625 4–2 6–6 304 288 W1
Houston Oilers(5) 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 424 365 L1
Pittsburgh Steelers 5 11 0 .313 1–5 4–8 336 421 W1

Playoffs

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Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
Wild Card December 24, 1988 at Cleveland Browns W 24–23
74,977
Divisional January 1, 1989 at Buffalo Bills L 10–17
79,532

AFC Wild Card

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AFC Wild Card Playoff: Houston Oilers at Cleveland Browns
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Oilers 0 14 01024
Browns 3 6 7723

at Cleveland Stadium • Cleveland, Ohio

Game information

AFC Divisional

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AFC Divisional Playoff: Houston Oilers at Buffalo Bills
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Oilers 0 3 0710
Bills 0 7 7317

at Rich Stadium • Orchard Park, New York

Game information

Awards and records

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  • Warren Moon, Pro Bowl
  • Warren Moon, All-Pro selection

Milestones

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  • Drew Hill, 3rd 1,000 Yard Receiving Season (1,141)

References

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  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.
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