| 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 |
The 1975 Houston Oilers season was the team's 16th year, and sixth in the National Football League.
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.
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Main article: 1975 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 | |||||
| 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 | |||
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.
| 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. | |||||||
| 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 |
The Houston Oilers were the last NFL team to finally win a game against the NFC, since the AFL/NFL merge happened in 1970.