1973 Houston Oilers season

1973 Houston Oilers season
Head coach	Bill Peterson and Sid Gillman
Owner	Bud Adams
Home field	Houston Astrodome
Results
Record	1–13
Division place	4th AFC Central
Playoff finish	did not qualify

The 1973 Houston Oilers season was the fourth season in league and the 14th overall. The team matched their previous season’s output of 1–13.^[1] They missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, and it was Houston's second-consecutive 1–13 record. Their eighteen consecutive losses after winning the third game in 1972 was an NFL record beaten only by the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976 and 1977 and the Detroit Lions from the last game of 2007 until the third game of 2009, including their 0-16 season of 2008.

Coach Bill Peterson left the team after an 0–5 start, and was replaced by coaching veteran Sid Gillman, who went 1–8 to finish the season. The Oilers’ offense struggled in 1973, ranking last in rushing yards (1388), second worst in yards per play (3.9), and third-worst in both total yards (3307) and first downs (tied at 193).^[2]

The 1973 Oilers had one of the worst defenses of all time, statistically; they gave up 447 points during the season, the most ever for a 14-game season in the merger era (1970–1977).^[3] Only three teams gave up more points in a 14-game season: the 1966 Giants, the 1963 Broncos, and the 1961 Raiders.^[4] Their point-differential of −248 points was the worst in the league that year, and remains one of the ten worst in NFL history.^[5] (The second-worst team, the Philadelphia Eagles, gave up 393 points, or 3.8 fewer points per game.) Houston also gave up a league-high 26 touchdown passes in 1973.

They are also the most recent franchise in the NFL to have back-to-back one win seasons; in fact since 1974 not a single NFL franchise has suffered multiple one- or no-win seasons.^[6] Since the NFL developed a uniform schedule in 1936, the only other time a franchise has had back-to-back one-win seasons has been the 1949 and 1950 Baltimore Colts.

Offseason

NFL draft

1973 Houston Oilers draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	1	John Matuszak	Defensive end	Tampa
Made roster

^[7]

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 16, 1973	at New York Giants	L 14-34	57,979
2	September 23, 1973	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 10-24	51,823
3	September 30, 1973	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 7-36	39,331
4	October 7, 1973	Los Angeles Rams	L 26-31	34,875
5	October 14, 1973	Denver Broncos	L 20-48	32,801
6	October 21, 1973	at Cleveland Browns	L 13-42	61,146
7	October 28, 1973	at Chicago Bears	L 14-35	43,755
8	November 4, 1973	at Baltimore Colts	W 31–27	52,707
9	November 11, 1973	Cleveland Browns	L 13-23	37,230
10	November 18, 1973	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 14-38	68,444
11	November 25, 1973	New England Patriots	L 0-32	27,344
12	December 2, 1973	Oakland Raiders	L 6-17	25,801
13	December 9, 1973	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 7-33	38,004
14	December 16, 1973	Cincinnati Bengals	L 24-27	21,955

Standings

AFC Central
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Cincinnati Bengals	10	4	0	.714	4–2	8–3	286	231	W6
Pittsburgh Steelers	10	4	0	.714	4–2	7–4	347	210	W2
Cleveland Browns	7	5	2	.571	4–2	6–3–2	234	255	L2
Houston Oilers	1	13	0	.071	0–6	1–10	199	447	L6

References

1. 1973 Houston Oilers
2. Pro-Football-Reference.com: 1973 NFL season
3. Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1970 to 1977, in the regular season, sorted by descending Points Allowed
4. Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1960 to 1977, in the regular season, sorted by descending Points Allowed
5. Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2011, in the regular season, sorted by ascending Points Differential
6. 100 Worst NFL Teams
7. "1973 Houston Oilers draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 12, 2014.