| 1980 Houston Oilers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Bud Adams |
| General manager | Bum Phillips |
| Head coach | Bum Phillips |
| Home stadium | Houston Astrodome |
| Results | |
| Record | 11–5 |
| Division place | 2ndAFC Central |
| Playoffs | LostWild Card Playoffs (atRaiders) 7–27 |
The1980Houston Oilers season was the franchise's 21st overall and the 11th in theNational Football League (NFL). The team scored 295 points while the defense gave up 251 points. Their record of 11 wins and 5 losses resulted in a second-place finish in the AFC Central Division. The Oilers appeared twice onMonday Night Football. In their first appearance on Monday Night Football, the Oilers beat the Cleveland Browns 16–7. In their second appearance, the Oilers defeated theNew England Patriots 38–34.Earl Campbell led the NFL in rushing for the third consecutive year and had four 200-yard rushing games.
This was the third season in a row that the Oilers made the playoffs. The team lost in the AFC Wild Card Round to the eventualSuper Bowl champions, theOakland Raiders. The Oilers would not make it back to the playoffs again until1987.
The last remaining active member of the 1980 Houston Oilers was defensive linemanMike Stensrud, who retired after the1989 season.
3rd year fullbackEarl Campbell had the best season of his career rushing for 1,934 yards and scored 13 touchdowns. The Oilers' average team member age in 1980 was 27.7, making this the oldest Houston Oiler team assembled at the time.
| 1980 Houston Oilers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 38 | Angelo Fields | Tackle | Michigan State | |
| 2 | 52 | Daryle Skaugstad | Defensive tackle | California | |
| 3 | 79 | Tim Smith | Wide receiver | Nebraska | |
| 4 | 106 | Chris Combs | Tight end | New Mexico | |
| 5 | 134 | John Corker | Linebacker | Oklahoma State | |
| 7 | 182 | Craig Bradshaw | Quarterback | Utah State | |
| 8 | 217 | Harold Bailey | Wide receiver | Oklahoma State | |
| 9 | 244 | Ed Harris | Running back | Bishop | |
| 11 | 301 | Ed Preston | Wide receiver | Western Kentucky | |
| 12 | 328 | Wiley Pitts | Wide receiver | Temple | |
| Made roster | |||||
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches | Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
|
| Date | Opponent | Attempts | Yards | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 19 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 33 | 203 | 0 |
| Oct 26 | Cincinnati Bengals | 27 | 202 | 2 |
| Nov 16 | Chicago Bears | 31 | 206 | 0 |
| Dec 21 | Minnesota Vikings | 29 | 203 | 1 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | atPittsburgh Steelers | L 17–31 | 0–1 | Three Rivers Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 15 | atCleveland Browns | W 16–7 | 1–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 21 | Baltimore Colts | W 21–16 | 2–1 | Astrodome | Recap |
| 4 | September 28 | atCincinnati Bengals | W 13–10 | 3–1 | Riverfront Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | October 5 | Seattle Seahawks | L 7–26 | 3–2 | Astrodome | Recap |
| 6 | October 12 | atKansas City Chiefs | L 20–21 | 3–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | October 19 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 20–14 | 4–3 | Astrodome | Recap |
| 8 | October 26 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 23–3 | 5–3 | Astrodome | Recap |
| 9 | November 2 | atDenver Broncos | W 20–16 | 6–3 | Mile High Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 10 | New England Patriots | W 38–34 | 7–3 | Astrodome | Recap |
| 11 | November 16 | atChicago Bears | W 10–6 | 8–3 | Soldier Field | Recap |
| 12 | November 23 | atNew York Jets | L 28–31 | 8–4 | Shea Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | November 30 | Cleveland Browns | L 14–17 | 8–5 | Astrodome | Recap |
| 14 | December 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 6– 0 | 9–5 | Astrodome | Recap |
| 15 | December 14 | atGreen Bay Packers | W 22–3 | 10–5 | Lambeau Field | Recap |
| 16 | December 21 | Minnesota Vikings | W 20–16 | 11–5 | Astrodome | Recap |
| AFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Cleveland Browns(2) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 357 | 310 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers(5) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 295 | 251 | W3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2–4 | 5–7 | 352 | 313 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 4–8 | 244 | 312 | L1 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oilers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Raiders | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 27 |
atOakland Coliseum,Oakland, California
Even though the Oilers recorded more yards, more first downs, and more time of possession, the Raiders scored on big plays to win, 27–7.This would be Ken Stabler's final playoff game.
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