1980 Houston Oilers season

The 1980 Houston Oilers season was the franchise's 21st overall and the 11th in the National Football League (NFL). The team scored 295 points while the defense gave up 251 points. Their record of 11 wins and 5 losses resulted in a second-place finish in the AFC Central Division. The Oilers appeared twice on Monday Night Football. In their first appearance on Monday Night Football, the Oilers beat the Cleveland Browns 16–7. In their second appearance, the Oilers defeated the New England Patriots 38–34. Earl Campbell led the NFL in rushing for the third consecutive year and had four 200-yard rushing games.

This was the third season in a row that the Oilers made the playoffs. The team lost in the AFC Wild Card Round to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Oakland Raiders. The Oilers would not make it back to the playoffs again until 1987.

The last remaining active member of the 1980 Houston Oilers was defensive lineman Mike Stensrud, who retired after the 1989 season.

3rd year fullback Earl Campbell had the best season of his career rushing for 1,934 yards and scored 13 touchdowns.

Regular season

Earl Campbell

• In 1980, Earl Campbell had four 200-yard rushing games.

Date	Opponent	Attempts	Yards	Touchdowns
Oct 19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	33	203	0
Oct 26	Cincinnati Bengals	27	202	2
Nov 16	Chicago Bears	31	206	0
Dec 21	Minnesota Vikings	29	203	1

Schedule

style="Template:NFLPrimaryStyle"| Week	style="Template:NFLPrimaryStyle"| Date	style="Template:NFLPrimaryStyle"| Opponent	style="Template:NFLPrimaryStyle"| Result	style="Template:NFLPrimaryStyle"| Record	style="Template:NFLPrimaryStyle"| Venue	style="Template:NFLPrimaryStyle"| Recap
1	September 7	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 17–31	0–1	Three Rivers Stadium	Recap
2	September 15	at Cleveland Browns	W 16–7	1–1	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	Recap
3	September 21	Baltimore Colts	W 21–16	2–1	Astrodome	Recap
4	September 28	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 13–10	3–1	Riverfront Stadium	Recap
5	October 5	Seattle Seahawks	L 7–26	3–2	Astrodome	Recap
6	October 12	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 20–21	3–3	Arrowhead Stadium	Recap
7	October 19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 20–14	4–3	Astrodome	Recap
8	October 26	Cincinnati Bengals	W 23–3	5–3	Astrodome	Recap
9	November 2	at Denver Broncos	W 20–16	6–3	Mile High Stadium	Recap
10	November 10	New England Patriots	W 38–34	7–3	Astrodome	Recap
11	November 16	at Chicago Bears	W 10–6	8–3	Soldier Field	Recap
12	November 23	at New York Jets	L 28–31	8–4	Shea Stadium	Recap
13	November 30	Cleveland Browns	L 14–17	8–5	Astrodome	Recap
14	December 4	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 6– 0	9–5	Astrodome	Recap
15	December 14	at Green Bay Packers	W 22–3	10–5	Lambeau Field	Recap
16	December 21	Minnesota Vikings	W 20–16	11–5	Astrodome	Recap

Postseason

AFC Wild Card

Oakland Raiders 27, Houston Oilers 7

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	7	0	0	0	7
Raiders	3	7	0	17	27

at Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California

• Game time: 5:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: , sunny
• Game attendance: 52,762
• Referee: Chuck Heberling
• TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Len Dawson

Even though the Oilers recorded more yards, more first downs, and more time of possession, the Raiders scored on big plays to win, 27–7. This would be Ken Stabler's final playoff game.

Awards and records

• Earl Campbell, NFL Rushing Leader, (1,934)
• Earl Campbell, All-Pro selection 1980
• Earl Campbell, Pro Bowl selection 1980
• Earl Campbell, NEA NFL MVP (1980)
• Earl Campbell, NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1980)

Milestones

• Earl Campbell, 3rd 1,000-yard rushing season
• Earl Campbell, 3rd NFL Rushing Title
• Earl Campbell, Four 200-yard rushing games (Oct 19, Oct 26, Nov., 16, Dec. 21)

External links

• 1980 Houston Oilers at Pro-Football-Reference.com

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