1975 Houston Oilers season


The 1975 Houston Oilers season was the team's 16th year and sixth in the National Football League.
In Bum Phillips' first season as Coach, the Oilers played competitive football, posting their first winning season in eight years with a 10–4 record. All four losses were to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, who beat out the Oilers for the Division Title and Wild Card spot, respectively; the Oilers did not make the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. During week 13, the Oilers defeated the Oakland Raiders, who posted an 11–3 record and advanced to the AFC Championship game. During the season, the Oilers also defeated Washington and Miami, each team with a winning record.
Had a second wild card been available, the Oilers would have clinched it thanks to their win vs. the Dolphins.
It was a three-win improvement over their previous season, the Oilers' first winning season since 1967, and the franchise's best record since 1962.

Regular season

The team achieved a winning record with ten wins and four losses, but finished only third in the division and missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.

Milestones

When they defeated the Redskins in Week 5, the Oilers became the last AFL team to finally win a game against the NFC, since the AFL/NFL merger in 1970. Houston was 0-11-1 vs. the NFC from 1970-74, with the tie vs. New Orleans in 1971.