| 1990 Houston Oilers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Bud Adams |
| General manager | Mike Holovak |
| Head coach | Jack Pardee |
| Home field | Houston Astrodome |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (atBengals) 14–41 |
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The 1990 Houston Oilers season was the 31st season and their 21st in the National Football League (NFL). The Oilers scored 405 points which ranked second in the AFC and second overall in the NFL. Their defense gave up 307 points. During the season, the Oilers appeared once on Monday Night Football and defeated the Buffalo Bills. On December 16, 1990, Warren Moon threw for 527 yards in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Moon was part of the Oilers "Run and shoot" era. The run and shoot offense also incorporated teammates Ernest Givens, Drew Hill, Haywood Jeffires and Curtis Duncan. The 1990 season saw the Oilers appear in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. They finished tied for first in the AFC Central with the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers, as all three teams finished with identical 9–7 records. The Bengals would be awarded the division title by having a better division record than Houston or Pittsburgh. The Oilers would win the tiebreaker over the Steelers by having a better division record than them. This placed them in second place behind Cincinnati, who would turn out to be their playoff opponent. However, they would have to play their playoff game without Moon, who dislocated his thumb two weeks before the season ended when he hit his thumb on the helmet of defender James Francis.[1] Cody Carlson was tapped to start in what became his only career playoff start. As a result, the Oilers were embarrassed by the Bengals 41-14 in the wild card game, in what was Cincinnati's last playoff win until 2021, being outgained 349-226 in total yards and committing 2 turnovers in the defeat.
| 1990 Houston Oilers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Lamar Lathon * | Linebacker | Houston | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
47 active, 5 inactive, 4 practice squad
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 9 | atAtlanta Falcons | L 27–47 | 0–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 56,222 |
| 2 | September 16 | atPittsburgh Steelers | L 9–20 | 0–2 | Three Rivers Stadium | 54,814 |
| 3 | September 23 | Indianapolis Colts | W 24–10 | 1–2 | Astrodome | 50,093 |
| 4 | September 30 | atSan Diego Chargers | W 17–7 | 2–2 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 48,762 |
| 5 | October 7 | San Francisco 49ers | L 21–24 | 2–3 | Astrodome | 59,931 |
| 6 | October 14 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 48–17 | 3–3 | Astrodome | 53,501 |
| 7 | October 21 | New Orleans Saints | W 23–10 | 4–3 | Astrodome | 57,908 |
| 8 | October 28 | New York Jets | L 12–17 | 4–4 | Astrodome | 56,337 |
| 9 | November 4 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 13–17 | 4–5 | Anaheim Stadium | 52,628 |
| 10 | Bye | |||||
| 11 | November 18 | atCleveland Browns | W 35–23 | 5–5 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 76,726 |
| 12 | November 26 | Buffalo Bills | W 27–24 | 6–5 | Astrodome | 60,130 |
| 13 | December 2 | atSeattle Seahawks | L 10–13 (OT) | 6–6 | Kingdome | 57,592 |
| 14 | December 9 | Cleveland Browns | W 58–14 | 7–6 | Astrodome | 54,469 |
| 15 | December 16 | atKansas City Chiefs | W 27–10 | 8–6 | Arrowhead Stadium | 61,756 |
| 16 | December 23 | atCincinnati Bengals | L 20–40 | 8–7 | Riverfront Stadium | 60,044 |
| 17 | December 30 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 34–14 | 9–7 | Astrodome | 56,906 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
| AFC Central | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| (3) Cincinnati Bengals | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 8–4 | 360 | 352 | W2 |
| (6) Houston Oilers | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 405 | 307 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2–4 | 6–6 | 292 | 240 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 1–5 | 2–10 | 228 | 462 | L2 |
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oilers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Bengals | 10 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 41 |
atRiverfront Stadium, Cincinnati
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| Division championships (11) |
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Formerly the Houston Oilers (1960–1996) and the Tennessee Oilers (1997–1998) | |
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Bold indicates AFL Championship (1960–69) or Super Bowl (1966–present) victory |
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