# 1997 Tennessee Oilers season

The 1997 Tennessee Oilers season was their 38th season overall and 28th in the National Football League (NFL). It was the team's only season in Memphis, Tennessee after moving from Houston, and they played at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
Led by head coach Jeff Fisher, the Oilers finished the season with 8 wins and 8 losses, and did not qualify for the playoffs. Despite defeating the Oakland Raiders 24–21 in their first game in their new city, they lost the next four games and would not recover.

## Offseason
### NFL draft

1997 Tennessee Oilers draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 18 | Kenny Holmes | Defensive end | Miami (FL) |
| 2 | 46 | Joey Kent | Wide receiver | Tennessee |
| 3 | 75 | Denard Walker | Cornerback | LSU |
| 3 | 81 | Scott Sanderson | Offensive tackle | Washington State |
| 4 | 98 | Derrick Mason * | Wide receiver | Michigan State |
| 4 | 107 | Pratt Lyons | Defensive end | Troy |
| 5 | 143 | George McCullough | Defensive back | Baylor |
| 6 | 181 | Dennis Stallings | Linebacker | Illinois |
| 7 | 216 | Armon Williams | Defensive back | Arizona |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | August 2 | New Orleans Saints | L 12–21 | 0–1 | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | August 9 | Washington Redskins | L 12–18 | 0–2 | Vanderbilt Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | August 16 | San Diego Chargers | L 7–21 | 0–3 | Vanderbilt Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | August 22 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 10–34 | 0–4 | Texas Stadium | Recap |

## Regular season

The Oilers' new stadium would not be ready until 1999, however, and the largest stadium in Nashville at the time, Vanderbilt Stadium on the campus of Vanderbilt University, seated only 41,000. At first, Bud Adams rejected Vanderbilt Stadium even as a temporary facility and announced that the renamed Tennessee Oilers would play the next two seasons at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis. The team would be based in Nashville, commuting to Memphis only for games—in effect, consigning the Oilers to 32 road games for the next two years. Even though this arrangement was acceptable to the NFL and the Oilers at the time, few people in either Memphis or Nashville were pleased by it. Memphis had made numerous attempts to get an NFL team (including the Memphis Hound Dogs and the Memphis Grizzlies court case), and many people in the area wanted nothing to do with a team that would be lost in only two years—especially to longtime rival Nashville. Conversely, Nashvillians showed little inclination to drive over 200 miles (300 km) to see "their" team. As a result, attendance at the Liberty Bowl was disastrous: on at least two occasions, fewer than 18,000 fans came to the stadium to see the Oilers, a number smaller than the attendance figures the team was getting in Houston after they had announced the move, and smaller than the fan bases the USFL's Memphis Showboats and XFL's Memphis Maniax had drawn/would draw to the same stadium. If not for the attendance of fans supporting the Oilers' opponents, attendance would likely have even been smaller than it was for the CFL's Memphis Mad Dogs. Even in weeks when the Oilers drew over 30,000 fans (which only happened twice), many of the attendees were fans of the opposing team, padding the attendance totals.

### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | August 31 | Oakland Raiders | W 24–21 (OT) | 1–0 | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 7 | at Miami Dolphins | L 13–16 (OT) | 1–1 | Pro Player Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 4 | September 21 | Baltimore Ravens | L 10–36 | 1–2 | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | September 28 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 24–37 | 1–3 | Three Rivers Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | October 5 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 13–16 | 1–4 | Kingdome | Recap |
| 7 | October 12 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 30–7 | 2–4 | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | October 19 | Washington Redskins | W 28–14 | 3–4 | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | October 26 | at Arizona Cardinals | W 41–14 | 4–4 | Sun Devil Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 2 | Jacksonville Jaguars | L 24–30 | 4–5 | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | November 9 | New York Giants | W 10–6 | 5–5 | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 16 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 9–17 | 5–6 | Alltel Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | November 23 | Buffalo Bills | W 31–14 | 6–6 | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | November 27 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 27–14 | 7–6 | Texas Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 4 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 14–41 | 7–7 | Cinergy Field | Recap |
| 16 | December 14 | at Baltimore Ravens | L 19–21 | 7–8 | Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 17 | December 21 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 16–6 | 8–8 | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: vs. Oakland Raiders

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Raiders | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| Oilers | 10 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 24 |
at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee
* Date: August 31
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Partly cloudy, 81 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 30,171
* Referee: Johnny Grier
* TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui & Jim Mora
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
TEN – Al Del Greco 30-yard field goal. Oilers 3–0.
TEN – Chris Sanders 48-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 10–0.
Second quarter
No scoring plays
Third quarter
TEN – Al Del Greco 37-yard field goal. Oilers 13–0.
OAK – Tim Brown 59-yard pass from Jeff George (Cole Ford kick). Oilers 13–7.
Fourth quarter
OAK – Tim Brown 27-yard pass from Jeff George (Cole Ford kick). Raiders 14–13.
TEN – Eddie George 29-yard run (Eddie George run). Oilers 21–14.
OAK – Tim Brown 16-yard pass from Jeff George (Cole Ford kick). Tied 21–21.
Overtime
TEN – Al Del Greco 33-yard field goal. Oilers 24–21.
Top passers
OAK – Jeff George – 21/37, 298 yards, 3 TD
TEN – Steve McNair – 13/25, 182 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
OAK – Napoleon Kaufman – 12 rushes, 32 yards
TEN – Eddie George – 35 rushes, 216 yards, TD
Top receivers
OAK – Tim Brown – 8 receptions, 158 yards, 3 TD
TEN – Ronnie Harmon – 5 receptions, 50 yards :

#### Week 2: at Miami Dolphins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Oilers | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Dolphins | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 16 |
at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
* Date: September 7
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 81 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 64,439
* Referee: Bill Carollo
* TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Jim Mora
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays
Second quarter
MIA – Olindo Mare 23-yard field goal. Dolphins 3–0.
TEN – Eddie George 13-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 7–3.
TEN – Al Del Greco 24-yard field goal. Oilers 10–3.
Third quarter
MIA – Olindo Mare 22-yard field goal. Oilers 10–6.
TEN – Al Del Greco 37-yard field goal. Oilers 13–6.
Fourth quarter
MIA – Irving Spikes 2-yard run (Olindo Mare kick). Tied 13–13.
Overtime
MIA – Olindo Mare 29-yard field goal. Dolphins 16–13.
Top passers
TEN – Steve McNair – 7/14, 109 yards, INT
MIA – Dan Marino – 24/43, 324 yards
Top rushers
TEN – Eddie George – 23 rushes, 106 yards, TD
MIA – Karim Abdul-Jabbar – 19 rushes, 33 yards
Top receivers
TEN – Chris Sanders – 3 receptions, 58 yards
MIA – O. J. McDuffie – 8 receptions, 135 yards :

#### Week 4: vs. Baltimore Ravens

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ravens | 3 | 17 | 3 | 13 | 36 |
| Oilers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee
* Date: September 21
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 71 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 17,737
* TV announcers (NBC): Joel Meyers & Beasley Reece
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
BAL – Matt Stover 38-yard field goal. Ravens 3–0.
TEN – Frank Wycheck 36-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 7–3.
Second quarter
BAL – Derrick Alexander 25-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (Matt Stover kick). Ravens 10–7.
BAL – Derrick Alexander 5-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (Matt Stover kick). Ravens 17–7.
TEN – Al Del Greco 45-yard field goal. Ravens 17–10.
BAL – Matt Stover 42-yard field goal. Ravens 20–10.
Third quarter
BAL – Matt Stover 41-yard field goal. Ravens 23–10.
Fourth quarter
BAL – Jermaine Lewis 16-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (Matt Stover kick). Ravens 30–10.
BAL – Matt Stover 34-yard field goal. Ravens 33–10.
BAL – Matt Stover 35-yard field goal. Ravens 36–10.
Top passers
BAL – Vinny Testaverde – 23/37, 318 yards, 3 TD
TEN – Steve McNair – 20/33, 199 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
BAL – Jay Graham – 9 rushes, 51 yards
TEN – Eddie George – 10 rushes, 40 yards
Top receivers
BAL – Jermaine Lewis – 8 receptions, 124 yards, TD
TEN – Frank Wycheck – 3 receptions, 55 yards, TD :

#### Week 5: at Pittsburgh Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oilers | 0 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 24 |
| Steelers | 10 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 37 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* Date: September 28
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 60 °F (16 °C)
* Game attendance: 57,507
* Referee: Bernie Kukar
* TV announcers (NBC): Jim Donovan and Beasley Reece
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
PIT – Kordell Stewart 7-yard run (Norm Johnson kick). Steelers 7–0.
PIT – Norm Johnson 48-yard field goal. Steelers 10–0.
Second quarter
PIT – Jason Gildon 12-yard fumble return (Norm Johnson kick). Steelers 17–0.
TEN – Al Del Greco 37-yard field goal. Steelers 17–3.
PIT – Mark Bruener 18-yard pass from Kordell Stewart (Norm Johnson kick). Steelers 24–3.
PIT – Kordell Stewart 2-yard run (Norm Johnson kick). Steelers 31–3.
TEN – Al Del Greco 47-yard field goal. Steelers 31–6.
Third quarter
TEN – Al Del Greco 26-yard field goal. Steelers 31–9.
PIT – Norm Johnson 25-yard field goal. Steelers 34–9.
Fourth quarter
PIT – Norm Johnson 44-yard field goal. Steelers 37–9.
TEN – Frank Wycheck 10-yard pass from Steve McNair (Steve McNair pass to Frank Wycheck). Steelers 37–17.
TEN – Willie Davis 11-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Steelers 37–24.
Top passers
TEN – Steve McNair – 22/43, 266 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
PIT – Kordell Stewart – 16/24, 244 yards, TD
Top rushers
TEN – Steve McNair – 3 rushes, 29 yards
PIT – Jerome Bettis – 18 rushes, 74 yards
Top receivers
TEN – Frank Wycheck – 9 receptions, 72 yards, TD
PIT – Yancey Thigpen – 5 receptions, 89 yards :

#### Week 6: at Seattle Seahawks

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oilers | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 16 |
at Kingdome, Seattle, Washington
* Date: October 5
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 49,897
* Referee: Dick Hantak
* TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui & Jim Mora
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
TEN – Al Del Greco 37-yard field goal. Oilers 3–0.
Second quarter
TEN – Eddie George 11-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 10–0.
Third quarter
SEA – Todd Peterson 38-yard field goal. Oilers 10–3.
SEA – Steve Broussard 77-yard run (Todd Peterson kick). Tied 10–10.
Fourth quarter
SEA – Steve Broussard 43-yard run (kick failed). Seahawks 16–10.
TEN – Al Del Greco 43-yard field goal. Seahawks 16–13.
Top passers
TEN – Steve McNair – 12/28, 101 yards, TD, 2 INT
SEA – Warren Moon – 27/40, 260 yards
Top rushers
TEN – Eddie George – 26 rushes, 116 yards
SEA – Steve Broussard – 6 rushes, 138 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
TEN – Frank Wycheck – 4 receptions, 41 yards
SEA – Mike Pritchard – 7 receptions, 75 yards :

#### Week 7: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Oilers | 7 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 30 |
at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee
* Date: October 12
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 74 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 17,071
* TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Bob Trumpy
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
TEN – Willie Davis 9-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 7–0.
Second quarter
TEN – Frank Wycheck 39-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 14–0.
Third quarter
TEN – Al Del Greco 47-yard field goal. Oilers 17–0.
TEN – Al Del Greco 45-yard field goal. Oilers 20–0.
Fourth quarter
TEN – Willie Davis 10-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 27–0.
TEN – Al Del Greco 19-yard field goal. Oilers 30–0.
CIN – Corey Dillon 21-yard run (Doug Pelfrey kick). Oilers 30–7.
Top passers
CIN – Jeff Blake – 14/28, 130 yards
TEN – Steve McNair – 16/30, 199 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
CIN – Corey Dillon – 8 rushes, 39 yards, TD
TEN – Eddie George – 30 rushes, 106 yards
Top receivers
CIN – Eric Bieniemy – 5 receptions, 42 yards
TEN – Frank Wycheck – 4 receptions, 78 yards, TD :

#### Week 8: vs. Washington Redskins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Redskins | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Oilers | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee
* Date: October 19
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 55 °F (13 °C)
* Game attendance: 31,042
* Referee: Ron Blum
* TV announcers (FOX): Kevin Harlan & Bill Maas
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays
Second quarter
TEN – Steve McNair 2-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 7–0.
TEN – Eddie George 3-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 14–0.
Third quarter
TEN – Rodney Thomas 5-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 21–0.
WAS – Henry Ellard 13-yard pass from Gus Frerotte (Scott Blanton kick). Oilers 21–7.
WAS – Henry Ellard 10-yard pass from Gus Frerotte (Scott Blanton kick). Oilers 21–14.
Fourth quarter
TEN – Eddie George 6-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 28–14.
Top passers
WAS – Gus Frerotte – 16/31, 228 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
TEN – Steve McNair – 13/21, 192 yards
Top rushers
WAS – Stephen Davis – 13 rushes, 45 yards
TEN – Eddie George – 31 rushes, 125 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
WAS – Henry Ellard – 6 receptions, 84 yards, 2 TD
TEN – Willie Davis – 5 receptions, 72 yards :

#### Week 9: at Arizona Cardinals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oilers | 3 | 17 | 14 | 7 | 41 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
* Date: October 26
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST/2:00 p.m. MST
* Game weather: Sunny, 62 °F (17 °C)
* Game attendance: 44,030
* TV announcers (NBC): Bob Fitzgerald and Jim Laslavic
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
TEN – Al Del Greco 52-yard field goal. Oilers 3–0.
Second quarter
TEN – Denard Walker 39-yard interception return (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 10–0.
TEN – Al Del Greco 42-yard field goal. Oilers 13–0.
TEN – Steve McNair 35-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 20–0.
Third quarter
TEN – Steve McNair 2-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 27–0.
ARI – Rob Moore 12-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Joe Nedney kick). Oilers 27–7.
TEN – Chris Sanders 55-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 34–7.
Fourth quarter
TEN – Chris Sanders 20-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 41–7.
ARI – Rob Moore 2-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Joe Nedney kick). Oilers 41–14.
Top passers
TEN – Steve McNair – 9/17, 146 yards, 2 TD
ARI – Jake Plummer – 21/40, 195 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT
Top rushers
TEN – Eddie George – 17 rushes, 71 yards
ARI – Larry Centers – 14 rushes, 57 yards
Top receivers
TEN – Chris Sanders – 2 receptions, 75 yards, 2 TD
ARI – Frank Sanders – 10 receptions, 98 yards :

#### Week 10: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 17 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 30 |
| Oilers | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee
* Date: November 2
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Partly cloudy, 55 °F (13 °C)
* Game attendance: 27,208
* TV announcers (NBC): Joel Meyers and Beasley Reece
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
TEN – Darryl Lewis 47-yard interception return (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 7–0.
JAC – Mike Hollis 30-yard field goal. Oilers 7–3.
JAC – Chris Hudson 32-yard fumble return (Mike Hollis kick). Jaguars 10–7.
JAC – Pete Mitchell 6-yard pass from Mark Brunell (Mike Hollis kick). Jaguars 17–7.
Second quarter
TEN – Al Del Greco 36-yard field goal. Jaguars 17–10.
JAC – Mark Brunell 6-yard run (Mike Hollis kick). Jaguars 24–10.
Third quarter
JAC – Mike Hollis 30-yard field goal. Jaguars 27–10.
TEN – Rodney Thomas 3-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Jaguars 27–17.
Fourth quarter
JAC – Mike Hollis 37-yard field goal. Jaguars 30–17.
TEN – Eddie George 5-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Jaguars 30–24.
Top passers
JAC – Mark Brunell – 17/31, 169 yards, TD, INT
TEN – Steve McNair – 13/22, 211 yards, INT
Top rushers
JAC – James Stewart – 17 rushes, 99 yards
TEN – Eddie George – 17 rushes, 51 yards, TD
Top receivers
JAC – Jimmy Smith – 5 receptions, 50 yards
TEN – Willie Davis – 4 receptions, 83 yards :

#### Week 11: vs. New York Giants

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Oilers | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee
* Date: November 9
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Cloudy, 46 °F (8 °C)
* Game attendance: 26,744
* Referee: Walt Coleman
* TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert and Tim Green
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
TEN – Al Del Greco 31-yard field goal. Oilers 3–0.
Second quarter
TEN – Eddie George 1-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 10–0.
NYG – Brad Daluiso 42-yard field goal. Oilers 10–3.
Third quarter
NYG – Brad Daluiso 41-yard field goal. Oilers 10–6.
Fourth quarter
No scoring plays
Top passers
NYG – Danny Kanell – 15/28, 133 yards, INT
TEN – Steve McNair – 13/23, 183 yards, INT
Top rushers
NYG – Tyrone Wheatley – 13 rushes, 94 yards
TEN – Eddie George – 32 rushes, 122 yards, TD
Top receivers
NYG – Chris Calloway – 4 receptions, 65 yards
TEN – Chris Sanders – 3 receptions, 64 yards :

#### Week 12: at Jacksonville Jaguars

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oilers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| Jaguars | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida
* Date: November 16
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Partly cloudy, 56 °F (13 °C)
* Game attendance: 70,070
* TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Jim Mora
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays
Second quarter
JAC – Keenan McCardell 17-yard pass from Mark Brunell (Mike Hollis kick). Jaguars 7–0.
TEN – Al Del Greco 35-yard field goal. Jaguars 7–3.
Third quarter
JAC – Natrone Means 1-yard run (Mike Hollis kick). Jaguars 14–3.
Fourth quarter
TEN – Frank Wycheck 22-yard pass from Willie Davis (run failed). Jaguars 14–9.
JAC – Mike Hollis 23-yard field goal. Jaguars 17–9.
Top passers
TEN – Steve McNair – 8/22, 162 yards, 2 INT
JAC – Mark Brunell – 22/30, 267 yards, TD
Top rushers
TEN – Rodney Thomas – 9 rushes, 54 yards
JAC – Natrone Means – 23 rushes, 64 yards, TD
Top receivers
TEN – Frank Wycheck – 3 receptions, 70 yards, TD
JAC – Jimmy Smith – 8 receptions, 158 yards :

#### Week 13: vs. Buffalo Bills

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bills | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Oilers | 14 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 31 |
at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee
* Date: November 23
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Rain, 40 °F (4 °C)
* Game attendance: 23,571
* TV announcers (NBC): Joel Meyers and Beasley Reece
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
TEN – Marcus Robertson 27-yard fumble return (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 7–0.
TEN – Steve McNair 1-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 14–0.
Second quarter
TEN – Steve McNair 3-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 21–0.
BUF – Quinn Early 9-yard pass from Todd Collins (Steve Christie kick). Oilers 21–7.
Third quarter
TEN – Al Del Greco 51-yard field goal. Oilers 24–7.
Fourth quarter
BUF – Quinn Early 6-yard pass from Todd Collins (Steve Christie kick). Oilers 24–14.
TEN – Derek Russell 2-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 31–14.
Top passers
BUF – Todd Collins – 25/40, 286 yards, 2 TD, INT
TEN – Steve McNair – 15/24, 167 yards, TD
Top rushers
BUF – Antowain Smith – 9 rushes, 7 yards
TEN – Eddie George – 25 rushes, 93 yards
Top receivers
BUF – Quinn Early – 8 receptions, 103 yards, 2 TD
TEN – Frank Wycheck – 6 receptions, 51 yards :

#### Week 14: at Dallas Cowboys

Thanksgiving Day games
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oilers | 14 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 27 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
* Date: November 27
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Clear, 66 °F (19 °C)
* Game attendance: 63,421
* TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg, Phil Simms and Paul Maguire
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
TEN – Erik Norgard 2-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 7–0.
TEN – Steve McNair 1-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 14–0.
Second quarter
DAL – Michael Irvin 19-yard pass from Troy Aikman (Richie Cunningham kick). Oilers 14–7.
TEN – Al Del Greco 29-yard field goal. Oilers 17–7.
TEN – Marcus Robertson 42-yard fumble return (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 24–7.
Third quarter
DAL – Michael Irvin 37-yard pass from Troy Aikman (Richie Cunningham kick). Oilers 24–14.
Fourth quarter
TEN – Al Del Greco 19-yard field goal. Oilers 27–14.
Top passers
TEN – Steve McNair – 9/17, 81 yards, TD
DAL – Troy Aikman – 27/42, 356 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
TEN – Eddie George – 34 rushes, 110 yards
DAL – Emmitt Smith – 10 rushes, 22 yards
Top receivers
TEN – Frank Wycheck – 3 receptions, 39 yards
DAL – Michael Irvin – 5 receptions, 118 yards, 2 TD :

#### Week 15: at Cincinnati Bengals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oilers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Bengals | 14 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 41 |
at Cinergy Field, Cincinnati, Ohio
* Date: December 4
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST/8:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Light rain, 42 °F (6 °C)
* Game attendance: 49,086
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann and Ron Jaworski
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
CIN – Corey Dillon 2-yard run (Doug Pelfrey kick). Bengals 7–0.
CIN – Tony McGee 1-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Doug Pelfrey kick). Bengals 14–0.
Second quarter
CIN – Corey Dillon 31-yard run (Doug Pelfrey kick). Bengals 21–0.
CIN – Corey Dillon 1-yard run (Doug Pelfrey kick). Bengals 28–0.
Third quarter
CIN – Corey Dillon 2-yard run (Doug Pelfrey kick). Bengals 35–0.
CIN – Doug Pelfrey 26-yard field goal. Bengals 38–0.
Fourth quarter
TEN – Willie Davis 5-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Bengals 38–7.
CIN – Doug Pelfrey 40-yard field goal. Bengals 41–7.
TEN – Joey Kent 11-yard pass from Steve McNair (Al Del Greco kick). Bengals 41–14.
Top passers
TEN – Steve McNair – 14/25, 146 yards, 2 TD
CIN – Boomer Esiason – 20/28, 245 yards, TD
Top rushers
TEN – Steve McNair – 5 rushes, 16 yards
CIN – Corey Dillon – 39 rushes, 246 yards, 4 TD
Top receivers
TEN – Willie Davis – 4 receptions, 45 yards, TD
CIN – Darnay Scott – 6 receptions, 83 yards :

#### Week 16: at Baltimore Ravens

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oilers | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 19 |
| Ravens | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
* Date: December 14
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Partly cloudy, 35 °F (2 °C)
* Game attendance: 60,558
* TV announcers (NBC): Jim Donovan and James Lofton
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
BAL – Michael Jackson 8-yard pass from Eric Zeier (Matt Stover kick). Ravens 7–0.
TEN – Al Del Greco 25-yard field goal. Ravens 7–3.
Second quarter
TEN – Al Del Greco 40-yard field goal. Ravens 7–6.
BAL – Eric Green 37-yard pass from Eric Zeier (Matt Stover kick). Ravens 14–6.
Third quarter
TEN – Steve McNair 15-yard run (run failed). Ravens 14–12.
Fourth quarter
BAL – Derrick Alexander 19-yard pass from Eric Zeier (Matt Stover kick). Ravens 21–12.
TEN – Steve McNair 1-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Ravens 21–19.
Top passers
TEN – Steve McNair – 22/45, 219 yards, INT
BAL – Eric Zeier – 13/28, 204 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
TEN – Eddie George – 26 rushes, 129 yards
BAL – Bam Morris – 18 rushes, 51 yards
Top receivers
TEN – Chris Sanders – 7 receptions, 100 yards
BAL – Eric Green – 3 receptions, 59 yards, TD :

#### Week 17: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Steelers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Oilers | 3 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee
* Date: December 24
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Cloudy, 47 °F (8 °C)
* Game attendance: 50,677
* TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Bob Trumpy
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
TEN – Al Del Greco 34-yard field goal. Oilers 3–0.
PIT – Norm Johnson 23-yard field goal. Tied 3–3.
Second quarter
TEN – Rodney Thomas 25-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 10–3.
TEN – Al Del Greco 29-yard field goal. Oilers 13–3.
Third quarter
TEN – Al Del Greco 26-yard field goal. Oilers 16–3.
Fourth quarter
PIT – Norm Johnson 36-yard field goal. Oilers 16–6.
Top passers
PIT – Mike Tomczak – 8/11, 89 yards
TEN – Steve McNair – 10/26, 102 yards, INT
Top rushers
PIT – Fred McAfee – 10 rushes, 27 yards
TEN – Rodney Thomas – 6 rushes, 41 yards, TD
Top receivers
PIT – Yancey Thigpen – 6 receptions, 84 yards
TEN – Derrick Mason – 3 receptions, 47 yards :

### Standings

AFC Central :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(2)}$ Pittsburgh Steelers | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 372 | 307 | L1 |
| $^{(5)}$ Jacksonville Jaguars | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 394 | 318 | W2 |
| Tennessee Oilers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 333 | 310 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 355 | 405 | W3 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 6 | 9 | 1 | .406 | 326 | 345 | L1 |