The 1979Houston Oilers season was the franchise's 20th overall and the 10th in the National Football League. The franchise scored 362 points while the defense gave up 331 points. Their record of 11 wins and 5 losses resulted in a second-place finish in the AFC Central Division. The Oilers appeared once on Monday Night Football on December 10, 1979 where the sports promotion Luv ya Blue was launched and returned to the AFC Championship Game for the second consecutive year. Earl Campbell would lead the NFL in rushing for the second consecutive year and set a franchise record for most touchdowns in a season with 19. The Oilers would make the playoffs again as a wild card. In the wild card game, they beat the Denver Broncos 13-7, and then defeated the San Diego Chargers 17-14 in San Diego to reach their second straight AFC Championship game. Unfortunately for them, they had to once again run into the Pittsburgh Steelers, who a year earlier had eliminated them 34-5 in the previous AFC Championship game. The Oilers lost the game 27-13. The game included a controversial moment in which wide receiver Mike Renfro had a touchdown called back after the referees of the game took a long time to decide the ruling on the field. The call went down as one of the most controversial calls in NFL history.
Offseason
NFL draft
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
Game summaries
Week 1 at Washington Redskins">1979 Washington Redskins season">Washington Redskins
Week 2 at Pittsburgh Steelers">1979 Pittsburgh Steelers season">Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 10 at Miami Dolphins">1979 Miami Dolphins season">Miami Dolphins
Week 11 vs. Oakland Raiders">1979 Oakland Raiders season">Oakland Raiders
Week 12 vs. Cincinnati Bengals">1979 Cincinnati Bengals season">Cincinnati Bengals
Week 13 at Dallas Cowboys">1979 Dallas Cowboys season">Dallas Cowboys
Earl Campbell 33 Rush, 195 Yds
Week 14 at Cleveland Browns">1979 Cleveland Browns season">Cleveland Browns
Week 15 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers">1979 Pittsburgh Steelers season">Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 16 vs. Philadelphia Eagles">1979 Philadelphia Eagles season">Philadelphia Eagles
Standings
Postseason
AFC Wild Card vs. Denver Broncos">1979 Denver Broncos season">Denver Broncos
The Oilers managed to shut down the Broncos offense for most of the game en route to a 13–7 win.
AFC Divisional Playoff at San Diego Chargers">1979 San Diego Chargers season">San Diego Chargers
The Oilers offense, playing without starting quarterback Dan Pastorini, receiver Ken Burrough, and running back Earl Campbell, could only generate 259 yard compared to San Diego's 385. But they still won the game, largely due to the effort of rookie safety Vernon Perry, who set a playoff record with 4 interceptions as the Oilers defeated the Chargers, 17–14. In his first career playoff game, Chargers future Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts threw for 333 yards, but was intercepted 5 times.
AFC Championship Game at Pittsburgh Steelers">1979 Pittsburgh Steelers season">Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers held the Oilers to only 24 rushing yards, but were also aided by a controversial non-touchdown call on Mike Renfro to come away with a 27–13 win.
