The 1987 Houston Oilers season was the franchise's 18th season in the National Football League and the 28th overall. The Oilers came into the season looking to improve on their 5–11 record from 1986, and make the playoffs for the first time since 1980; the team did precisely that, improving sharply from the previous season in a 15-game season in which replacement players were used in weeks 4-6 as a result of a players' strike, which wiped out week 3 of the season, finishing 9-6.
Season summary The 1987 NFL season was affected by a players strike that took place in week 3 of the season, which canceled all week 3 games. As a result, the Oilers canceled there was-to-be week 3 game against the Los Angeles Raiders. The Oilers began the season 3–1, their best start to a season since 1980. After the Oilers lost at home to the Patriots 21–7 in week 5, the Oilers defeated the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals to give them a 5–2 start to the season. After the Oilers lost to the 49ers on the road, they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road, 23–3, for their first win in Pittsburgh since 1978. The Oilers would then play 2 disastrous games against the Browns and the Colts, as they allowed 40+ points in each game, losing 40–7 to Cleveland at home and losing 51–27 to the Colts in Indianapolis. The Oilers would defeat the Chargers the next week, rebounding from those 2 bad losses. The Oilers would clinch a playoff spot in the season's final week with a 21–17 win over Cincinnati, thus ending their 6-year playoff drought. This was the first of seven consecutive playoff appearances for the Oilers. In the playoffs, they defeated the Seattle Seahawks 23–20 in overtime on a Tony Zendejas field goal. However, the next week, they lost to the Broncos 34–10 in the Divisional Round, ending their season.
Offseason
NFL draft
Personnel
Staff
Roster
NFL replacement players After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:
1987 Houston Oilers replacement rosterQuarterbacks
11 Robbie Robbins
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends Offensive linemen
Defensive linemenLinebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 13 Los Angeles Rams W 20–16 1–0 Astrodome 33,186 2 September 20 at Buffalo Bills L 30–34 1–1 Rich Stadium 56,534 – September 27 Los Angeles Raiders canceled 1–1 Astrodome – 3 October 4 at Denver Broncos W 40–10 2–1 Mile High Stadium 38,494 4 October 11 at Cleveland Browns W 15–10 3–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 38,927 5 October 18 New England Patriots L 7–21 3–2 Astrodome 26,294 6 October 25 Atlanta Falcons W 37–33 4–2 Astrodome 29,062 7 November 1 at Cincinnati Bengals W 31–29 5–2 Riverfront Stadium 52,700 8 November 8 at San Francisco 49ers L 20–27 5–3 Candlestick Park 59,740 9 November 15 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 23–3 6–3 Three Rivers Stadium 56,177 10 November 22 Cleveland Browns L 7–40 6–4 Astrodome 51,161 11 November 29 at Indianapolis Colts L 27–51 6–5 Hoosier Dome 54,999 12 December 6 San Diego Chargers W 33–18 7–5 Astrodome 31,714 13 December 13 at New Orleans Saints L 10–24 7–6 Louisiana Superdome 68,257 14 December 20 Pittsburgh Steelers W 24–16 8–6 Astrodome 38,683 15 December 27 Cincinnati Bengals W 21–17 9–6 Astrodome 49,775 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 7
Standings
Playoffs
AFC Wild Card
Oilers kicker Tony Zendejas won the game with a 42-yard field goal 8:05 into overtime. Although Houston outgained Seattle with 427 total offensive yards to 250, the game remained close until the very end.
AFC Divisional Playoff
Awards and records Keith Bostic, NFL Leader, Interceptions, (6) – Tied with two others for league lead
References
External links 1987 Houston Oilers at Pro-Football-Reference.com