1975 Houston Oilers season
The 1975 Houston Oilers season was the team's 16th year, and sixth in the National Football League.
| 1975 Houston Oilers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Bud Adams |
| General manager | Bum Phillips |
| Head coach | Bum Phillips |
| Home field | Houston Astrodome |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–4 |
| Division place | 3rd AFC Central |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
In Bum Phillips' first season as Coach the Oilers played competitive football, posting their first winning season in eight years with a 10-4 record. All four losses were to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, who beat out the Oilers for the Division Title and Wild Card spot, respectively; the Oilers did not make the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. During week 13, the Oilers defeated the Oakland Raiders, who posted an 11-3 record and advanced to the AFC Championship game. During the season, the Oilers also defeated Washington and Miami, each teams with a winning record.
It was a three-win improvement over their previous season, and the franchise's best record since 1962.
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1975 Houston Oilers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Robert Brazile * | Linebacker | Jackson State | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Roster
| Houston Oilers roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
Practice squad rookies in italics | |||
Regular season
The team achieved a winning record with ten wins and four losses, but finished only third in the division and missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 21 | at New England Patriots | W 7–0 | 1–0 | Schaefer Stadium | 51,934 | |
| 2 | September 28 | San Diego Chargers | W 33–17 | 2–0 | Astrodome | 33,765 | |
| 3 | October 5 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 19–21 | 2–1 | Astrodome | 42,412 | |
| 4 | October 12 | at Cleveland Browns | W 40–10 | 3–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 46,531 | |
| 5 | October 19 | Washington Redskins | W 13–10 | 4–1 | Astrodome | 49,566 | |
| 6 | October 26 | Detroit Lions | W 24–8 | 5–1 | Astrodome | 46,904 | |
| 7 | November 2 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 17–13 | 6–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 62,989 | |
| 8 | November 9 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 17–24 | 6–2 | Three Rivers Stadium | 49,460 | |
| 9 | November 16 | Miami Dolphins | W 20–19 | 7–2 | Astrodome | 48,892 | |
| 10 | November 24 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 9–32 | 7–3 | Astrodome | 49,947 | |
| 11 | November 30 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 19–23 | 7–4 | Riverfront Stadium | 46,128 | |
| 12 | December 7 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 27–13 | 8–4 | Candlestick Park | 44,015 | |
| 13 | December 14 | at Oakland Raiders | W 27–26 | 9–4 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 50,719 | |
| 14 | December 21 | Cleveland Browns | W 21–10 | 10–4 | Astrodome | 43,770 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Standings
| AFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers(1) | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 6–0 | 10–1 | 373 | 162 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals(4) | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 3–3 | 8–3 | 340 | 246 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 2–4 | 7–4 | 293 | 226 | W3 |
| Cleveland Browns | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 1–5 | 2–8 | 218 | 372 | L1 |
Awards and records
Milestones
The Houston Oilers were the last NFL team to finally win a game against the NFC, since the AFL/NFL merge happened in 1970.
References
- "1975 Houston Oilers draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 12, 2014.