1993 Houston Oilers

The 1993 season Houston Oilers season was the team's 34th, and their 24th in the National Football League.

Despite their poor start (four losses in their first five games), the Oilers went on a remarkable 11-0 run to finish the 1993 season, ending up tied for the best record in the NFL, at 12-4. Houston earned the #2 seed in the playoffs, and a first round bye. The 11-game winning streak was the longest in the NFL since 1972.

Statistics site Football Outsiders calculates that the Oilers were the hottest team in the NFL heading into the playoffs at the end of the 1993 season.

The Oilers were upset by Joe Montana and the Kansas City Chiefs in the Astrodome during the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

The 2006 edition of Pro Football Prospectus, listed the 1993 Oilers as one of their "Heartbreak Seasons," in which teams "dominated the entire regular season only to falter in the playoffs, unable to close the deal." Said Pro Football Prospectus, "Early in 1993, the Oilers seemed unable to put ["The Comeback"] behind them, dropping four of their first five games. But Houston righted the ship and ran the table, winning its final 11 contests. ... The Oilers allowed 20 points only once during the streak, and in one game held the league-leading 49ers offense to 7 points.

"In their first playoff game," Pro Football Prospectus continued, "they faced Joe Montana's Kansas City Chiefs, a team Houston had beaten 30-0 during the regular season. The Oilers jumped out to an early 10-0 lead, but stalled; leading 13-7 in the fourth quarter, they collapsed, losing 28-20. The team that had played eight straight games while holding opponents to 20 points or less gave up 21 in the fourth quarter of a playoff game. That off-season, the team was dismantled. [Quarterback] Warren Moon was shipped to Minnesota, and the Oilers fell to 2-14 the following year.

Buddy Ryan, Kevin Gilbride Conflict
Conflict had arisen between defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan and offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. Ryan had been criticizing Gilbride's "run and shoot" offense, referring to it as the "chuck and duck." Ryan felt that last-minute stands cost him two players to injury when the offense could have simply just run the ball and killed the clock.

At the end of the first half in the final game of the season, a national broadcast against the New York Jets, Gilbride called a pass play, and when Cody Carlson fumbled the snap, Ryan started yelling at Gilbride, who started walking towards Ryan, yelling back. When they were in arms length, Ryan punched Gilbride and two players quickly separated them.

AFC Divisional Playoff
AFC: Kansas City Chiefs 28, Houston Oilers 20

Chiefs quarterback Joe Montana threw three touchdown passes in the second half to give his team a 28–20 win. The Oilers jumped to a 10–0 lead in the first quarter with kicker Al Del Greco's 49-yard field goal and running back Gary Brown's 2-yard touchdown. Then after a scoreless second period, Montana threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Keith Cash in the third quarter. In the fourth period, Del Greco kicked a 43-yard field goal to give Houston a 13–7 lead. But aided by a 38-yard pass interference penalty, the Chiefs advanced 71 yards to score on wide receiver J.J. Birden's 11-yard touchdown reception form Montana. On the Oilers' next possession, Kansas City defensive lineman Dan Saleaumua recovered a fumble by Houston quarterback Warren Moon, setting up Montana's 18-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Willie Davis. The Oilers then drove 80 yards to score on wide receiver Ernest Givins' 7-yard touchdown catch, but the Chiefs responded with running back Marcus Allen's game-clinching 21-yard touchdown that capped off a 79-yard drive.

Awards and records

 * Haywood Jeffires, Pro Bowl Selection
 * Warren Moon, Pro Bowl Selection

Milestones
This was the last time a NFL Team from Houston, Texas participated in the NFL Playoffs until the 2011 Houston Texans.