| Team: | Houston Oilers |
| Year: | 1990 |
| Record: | 9–7 |
| Division Place: | 2nd AFC Central |
| Coach: | Jack Pardee |
| General Manager: | Mike Holovak |
| Owner: | Bud Adams |
| Stadium: | Houston Astrodome |
| Playoffs: | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Bengals) 14–41 |
| Shortnavlink: | Oilers seasons |
The 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.
See main article: article and 1990 NFL draft. [2]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 9 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 27–47 | 0–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 56,222 | |
| 2 | September 16 | at Pittsburgh 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 | at San 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 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 13–17 | 4–5 | Anaheim Stadium | 52,628 | |
| 10 | Bye | ||||||
| 11 | November 18 | at Cleveland Browns | W 35–23 | 5–5 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 76,726 | |
| 12 | Buffalo Bills | W 27–24 | 6–5 | Astrodome | 60,130 | ||
| 13 | December 2 | at Seattle 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 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 27–10 | 8–6 | Arrowhead Stadium | 61,756 | |
| 16 | December 23 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 20–40 | 8–7 | Riverfront Stadium | 60,044 | |
| 17 | December 30 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 34–14 | 9–7 | Astrodome | 56,906 | |