# 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.

## Offseason
### NFL draft

1980 Houston Oilers draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 2 | 38 | Angelo Fields | Tackle | Michigan State |
| 2 | 52 | Daryle Skaugstad | Defensive tackle | California |
| 3 | 79 | Tim Smith | Wide receiver | Nebraska |
| 4 | 106 | Chris Combs | Tight end | New Mexico |
| 5 | 134 | John Corker | Linebacker | Oklahoma State |
| 7 | 182 | Craig Bradshaw | Quarterback | Utah State |
| 8 | 217 | Harold Bailey | Wide receiver | Oklahoma State |
| 9 | 244 | Ed Harris | Running back | Bishop |
| 11 | 301 | Ed Preston | Wide receiver | Western Kentucky |
| 12 | 328 | Wiley Pitts | Wide receiver | Temple |
| Made roster ||||||

## 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

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | 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 |

### Standings

AFC Central :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Cleveland Browns$^{(2)}$ | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 357 | 310 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers$^{(5)}$ | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 295 | 251 | W3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2–4 | 5–7 | 352 | 313 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 4–8 | 244 | 312 | L1 |

## Postseason
### AFC Wild Card

| 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: 58 °F (14 °C), 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)