1991: Eagles Dominate on Defense to Stifle Oilers in “House of Pain Game”

The NFL Monday night game on December 2, 1991 featured the team with the best defense in the league, the Philadelphia Eagles, visiting the club with the second-most-productive offense, the Houston Oilers.

Philadelphia was coached by Rich Kotite, who had replaced Buddy Ryan, the architect of the defense, the previous offseason, and the unit was now under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Bud Carson. The line, anchored by DE Reggie White and including DE Clyde Simmons and DT Jerome Brown, was the key to the defense’s success, but there was plenty of talent at linebacker and in the defensive backfield as well. The offense was far less impressive, however, in particular after losing star QB Randall Cunningham to a season-ending knee injury in the first game of the season. Backup QB Jim McMahon was talented but brittle, and when he was forced to the sidelines, the team floundered with the likes of Brad Goebel and Pat Ryan in his place. But after dropping to 3-5, the Eagles caught fire and won four straight games to come into the contest in Houston with a 7-5 record and a shot at the playoffs.

The high-flying Oilers, coached by Jack Pardee, were 9-3 and adept at rolling up offensive yards, especially at home in the Astrodome, which was thus dubbed “the House of Pain”. QB Warren Moon was a prolific passer in the team’s run-and-shoot attack and had a capable receiving corps. Philadelphia’s approach to stopping the offense was to use a 4-2-5 defense, dropping a linebacker and adding an extra defensive back on most downs.

There were 62,141 fans in attendance for the nationally televised game at the Astrodome. The Oilers had the first possession and, on the second play, turned the ball over when Warren Moon fumbled and LB Byron Evans recovered at the Houston 33. However, the Eagles were unable to capitalize as Jim McMahon threw two incomplete passes and, in between, was sacked by DE William Fuller for a loss of 11 yards. Forced to punt, they buried the Oilers deep in their own territory.

The teams exchanged punts before Houston, starting from its 20, drove into Philadelphia territory, helped along by a pass from Moon to WR Ernest Givins that gained 20 yards. However, WR Haywood Jeffires fumbled when hit hard by SS Andre Waters following a catch for a short gain. LB Seth Joyner (pictured at top) recovered and returned it to the Philadelphia 48.

The teams again traded punts, with neither offense able to move effectively. As the scoreless game headed into the second quarter, McMahon completed three passes, the longest to WR Roy Green for a pickup of 22 yards, to reach the Houston 31. But FS Bo Orlando intercepted the next throw to end the threat. Philadelphia’s aggressive defense continued to thwart Houston’s passing attack, forcing a punt and, when the Oilers, benefiting from improved field position on the exchange of kicks, reached the Philadelphia 36, the Eagles forced another turnover. Joyner jarred the ball loose from RB Allen Pinkett and DE Clyde Simmons recovered.

The exchange of punts continued until the Oilers, taking possession with 57 seconds remaining in the first half, advanced 33 yards in seven plays. Moon completed passes to Pinkett for 13 yards and Givins for 15 to set up a 42-yard field goal by Al Del Greco on the last play before halftime. Houston led by 3-0 at the intermission.

McMahon was knocked out of the game with an elbow injury during the first series of the third quarter and Jeff Kemp (pictured at left), who was claimed off waivers from Seattle in mid-October, came on at quarterback for the Eagles. Philadelphia had to punt but got the ball back on the next play when Joyner recovered a Moon fumble at the Houston eight. The visitors couldn’t reach the end zone in three plays, but they did tie the score when Roger Ruzek kicked a 23-yard field goal.

The Oilers went three-and-out on their next series, unable to gain any ground at all from their 12 yard line. The resulting punt gave Philadelphia possession at the Houston 48. RB James Joseph ran for 24 yards on first down and, after a short running play, Kemp connected with TE Keith Jackson for a 21-yard touchdown. Ruzek added the extra point and the Eagles were ahead by 10-3.

In response, the Oilers advanced 41 yards in seven plays as Moon ran for six yards and completed two passes, to WR Leonard Harris for eight yards and Jeffires for 22. The drive stalled at the Philadelphia 29 and Del Greco connected for another field goal, this time from 47 yards.

The teams traded punts once more as the game entered the fourth quarter. The Eagles then put together a long possession of 50 yards in 16 plays, converting four third downs along the way and eating up over ten minutes. Kemp completed five short passes and Ruzek finished off the series with a 29-yard field goal that extended Philadelphia’s lead to seven points.

With the clock down to 3:52 in regulation, Moon went to the air on every play but WR Drew Hill fumbled when hit by CB Otis Smith, who recovered at the Philadelphia 41. Another punt was followed by one last shot for the Oilers. Starting from his 23, Moon threw to Harris for 24 yards and had back-to-back 15-yard completions to Givins and Jeffires. But the game ended for Houston at the Philadelphia 23, where three straight passes fell incomplete. The Eagles won the hard-fought contest by a final score of 13-6.

The Oilers, who failed to score a touchdown for the first time in nearly two years, had the edge in total yards (247 to 240), which was well below their season average thus far of 392.9 yards, and in first downs (15 to 14). But Houston also turned the ball over five times, all on fumbles, to one suffered by the Eagles. Philadelphia recorded four sacks, to three for the Oilers. Further emphasizing the defensive nature of the contest, the Eagles punted nine times while Houston kicked it away on six occasions.

Seth Joyner, who had been battling the flu prior to the game, was the biggest star on defense. He recovered two fumbles, forced two more, and recorded two sacks in addition to eight solo tackles. Jim McMahon completed 12 of 20 passes for 84 yards with one interception and, in relief, Jeff Kemp also threw for 84 yards, completing 10 of 17 throws with a touchdown and none picked off. James Joseph rushed for 56 yards on 12 carries and Keith Byars, in addition to contributing 29 yards on 9 rushing attempts, led the Eagles with 7 pass receptions, although for just 19 yards. Calvin Williams had 5 receptions for 32 yards and Roy Green gained 44 yards on his three catches.

For the Oilers, Warren Moon was successful on 24 of 46 throws for 262 yards with no interceptions but also no TDs. Haywood Jeffires caught 8 passes for 82 yards and Ernest Givins gained 89 yards on 6 receptions. The team accumulated just 21 yards on the ground, and Allen Pinkett led with 10 yards on 6 carries.

The contest came to be called “the House of Pain Game” for Philadelphia’s hard-hitting defensive dominance, thus turning around the original meaning of the phrase, which was further accented by Ernest Givins suffering a broken nose and Drew Hill leaving with a concussion. As Jerome Brown said afterward, “They brought the house and we brought the pain.”

“We felt they would complete balls, and when they did complete them we wanted to hit them hard and make them pay,” said Coach Kotite of his team’s approach to dealing with Houston’s passing offense. “We played hard NFL football tonight.”

“They did a great job, no question,” summed up Warren Moon in reference to Philadelphia’s defense. “They put a lot of pressure on me and forced me to do things too fast. They punished our little guys. They are everything they’re written up to be.”

The Eagles made it six consecutive wins the following week against the Giants, but a loss to Dallas in the next contest effectively eliminated them from the postseason. They ended up with a 10-6 record, placing third in the NFC East. Houston cruised to the AFC Central title at 11-5, marking their fifth straight year of making it to the playoffs, but after defeating the Jets in the Wild Card round, they lost to Denver at the Divisional level.

While Philadelphia fell short due to the lack of offense, the defense achieved the rare feat of ranking number one not only overall, but against both the pass and the run individually. The unit also led the NFL in turnovers forced (48, tied with New Orleans), fumble recoveries (22), and sacks (55). Seth Joyner, who performed so well against Houston, was named to the Pro Bowl, as was CB Eric Allen. Reggie White, Clyde Simmons, and Jerome Brown were consensus first-team All-NFL selections in addition to being selected for the Pro Bowl. (Pictured below, L to R, are Simmons, Allen, Brown, Joyner, and White)

1989: Defense Keys Buffalo Win Over Oilers

The AFC Divisional Playoff game on January 1, 1989 featured the conference’s best defensive team, the Buffalo Bills, against a club with the second-ranked offense in the NFL, the Houston Oilers. While the Bills had a bye the previous week, Houston had narrowly defeated the Cleveland Browns by a 24-23 score to advance.

The resurgent Bills, coached by Marv Levy, were in the postseason for the first time since 1981 in topping the AFC East with a 12-4 record. The aggressive defense, in particular the front seven that included ends Bruce Smith (pictured above) and Art Still, NT Fred Smerlas, and linebackers Cornelius Bennett and Shane Conlan was a big part of that success (although Conlan was out with a foot injury against the Oilers). The offense was conservative and led by capable QB Jim Kelly, who was joined as a Pro Bowl selection by WR Andre Reed. Rookie RB Thurman Thomas brought immediate improvement to the ground game.

Houston reached the postseason for the second straight season under Head Coach Jerry Glanville. The exciting run-and-shoot offense featured Warren Moon at quarterback, who missed five games due to a shoulder injury but still was chosen for the Pro Bowl, and a fine group of wide receivers led by Drew Hill, Haywood Jeffires, and Ernest Givins. The Oilers could run the ball effectively with running backs Mike Rozier and Allen Pinkett plus FB Alonzo Highsmith. The defense was aggressive – and prone to late hits and penalties – but also tended to give up points.   

There were 79,532 fans at Rich Stadium on an unusually mild winter’s day in upstate New York. Following a short possession and punt by the Oilers, Buffalo drove to the Houston 18. A bad snap on a third-and-10 play set the Bills back to the 32 and Scott Norwood was short on a 50-yard field goal attempt.

Houston was again unable to move on offense and the Bills, taking over at their 26, drove all the way to the Houston three yard line, with the big play a 40-yard run by Thurman Thomas (pictured at left). But the attempt to convert a fourth-and-one situation failed when Kelly’s pass was incomplete.

The Oilers responded with a series that carried into the second quarter and reached the Buffalo 34. However, Moon was sacked for a 13-yard loss by Bruce Smith on a third down play and the ensuing punt was blocked by safety Leonard Smith, thus giving the Bills the ball at the Houston 46. Buffalo finally capitalized as Kelly threw to WR Trumaine Johnson for 18 yards and again for another nine yards before Thomas carried to the three. Two plays later RB Robb Riddick dove into the end zone from a yard out and, with the successful PAT, the Bills were ahead by 7-0.

The Oilers came back with an 11-play, 71-yard drive. Moon threw to Drew Hill for 21 yards and Alonzo Highsmith ran for 31 yards on a draw play. The possession stalled at the Buffalo 18 and Tony Zendejas kicked a 35-yard field goal.

Following a short series by the Bills, Houston again drove into Buffalo territory. Moon connected with Haywood Jeffires for 27 yards and then threw to Ernest Givins to reach the Buffalo 25. But the Oilers came up empty when Bruce Smith blocked a 38-yard field goal attempt by Zendejas. The score remained 7-3 at the half.

Early in the third quarter DB Tracey Eaton intercepted a Kelly pass to give the Oilers possession at the Buffalo 47. With Highsmith and Mike Rozier running the ball and an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Bills helping the series along, Houston again missed an opportunity when an errant pitchout inside the five yard line lost 12 yards and then Zendejas was wide to the left on a 31-yard field goal try.

The teams traded punts as neither offense was able to sustain a drive until late in the third quarter when the Bills went 59 yards in six plays. Kelly threw to WR Chris Burkett for 26 yards and, three plays later, he scrambled for ten yards on a third down play that had a facemask penalty tacked on to advance the ball to the Houston 11. From there, Thomas ran for a touchdown and a 14-3 lead.

Before the third quarter was over, Kelly passed to Andre Reed for a 55-yard gain to the Houston two. However, the Bills couldn’t punch the ball in from there and on the first play of the final period Riddick was stopped for no gain on fourth down.

The Oilers gained no benefit from the goal line stand as a Moon pass was intercepted by FS Mark Kelso two plays later. Norwood booted a 27-yard field goal to extend Buffalo’s lead to two touchdowns.

The Oilers turned the ball over again on their next series as Jeffires fumbled after catching a pass and CB Derrick Burroughs recovered at the Houston 23. The Bills failed to expand their margin when Norwood’s 36-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright and was no good.

Desperately needing to get points on the board, the Oilers went 80 yards in nine plays. Moon completed four passes, including one to WR Leonard Harris that gained 29 yards, and a pass interference penalty on Burroughs put the ball on the Buffalo one from where Rozier carried for a touchdown. The successful extra point pulled the Oilers to seven points behind with just over five minutes to play.

The Oilers never got another chance on offense, however. The Bills managed to run over three minutes off the clock in their ensuing possession and, when they punted from the Houston 45, special teams star WR Steve Tasker caused Curtis Duncan to fumble and LB Ray Bentley recovered. The Bills were able to run out the clock to win by a score of 17-10.

In a game in which both teams squandered numerous scoring opportunities, Buffalo led in total yards (372 to 351) while the Oilers accumulated the most first downs (20 to 18). Houston turned the ball over three times as the Bills, who turned it over once, made the bigger plays on defense.

Jim Kelly went to the air more than usual, completing 19 of 33 passes for 244 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Thurman Thomas only carried 7 times but gained 75 yards and scored a TD. Andre Reed topped the receivers with 6 catches for 91 yards.

For the Oilers, Warren Moon was successful on 17 of 33 throws for 240 yards, also with no TDs and one picked off. Haywood Jeffires had 5 pass receptions for 78 yards and Drew Hill contributed four catches for 62 yards. Alonzo Highsmith gained 57 yards on just 5 carries while Mike Rozier had 44 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts.

Regarding the game-clinching forced fumble on the punt return at the end, Steve Tasker (pictured at right) explained “He (Curtis Duncan) had a little trouble keeping his feet. I snuck up behind him and was able to strip the ball.”

“They’re a fine defensive football team,” summed up Jerry Glanville. “Rather than us doing something wrong, give them credit for doing something well.”

Buffalo’s run ended the following week against Cincinnati in the AFC Championship game. They again won the AFC East in 1989, albeit with a lesser (9-7) record and with more difficulties along the way. Houston also went 9-7 in ’89 to once more qualify for the postseason as a Wild Card team and again fell short in the playoffs by losing in the first round.

1991: Moon Passes for 423 Yards to Rally Oilers Past Jets

The Houston Oilers were well established by 1991 as the NFL’s most prolific passing team. Under second-year Head Coach Jack Pardee, they operated a run-and-shoot offense that had 34-year-old QB Warren Moon (pictured at right) throwing early and often to a talented stable of wide receivers that included Drew Hill, Haywood Jeffires, Ernest Givins, and Curtis Duncan. They were off to a 4-1 start as they took on the New York Jets on October 13.

The Jets, coached by Bruce Coslet, were 3-3 after having won their previous two games following three straight losses. QB Ken O’Brien, in his eighth season, was a steady if not spectacular performer and he had two good targets in wide receivers Al Toon and Rob Moore. RB Brad Baxter had outperformed the team’s 1990 first round draft choice, Blair Thomas.

There were 70,758 fans in attendance on a cloudy day at Giants Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands. They saw the Jets take the opening kickoff and roll 80 yards in 10 plays. O’Brien completed four passes, including one for a 34-yard gain to Baxter to the Houston three yard line. From there, Baxter ran up the middle for the final three yards and a touchdown.

The Oilers went three-and-out on their initial possession and the Jets came back to score again. O’Brien started the drive off with an 18-yard completion to Toon and later threw to WR Chris Burkett for 23 yards to the Houston seven. New York wasn’t able to punch in for another TD, but the 59-yard possession ended with Pat Leahy kicking a 21-yard field goal to make it 10-0.

In the second quarter, Houston finally got something going on offense. The Oilers converted a fourth-and-one play at the New York 31 with a Moon pass to Haywood Jeffires (pictured below) for nine yards. Throwing on every play, Moon finished off the 10-play, 54-yard series with a three-yard TD pass to a diving Curtis Duncan in the end zone. Ian Howfield missed the extra point attempt, however, and the score remained 10-6 in favor of the Jets.

Following a New York punt, the Oilers took over at their 17 and Moon immediately threw to Jeffires for 35 yards. The drive went 83 yards in 10 plays with Moon converting two third downs with a 21-yard completion to Jeffires on third-and-five at the New York 43 and a 14-yard pass to Drew Hill in a third-and-six situation that made it first-and-goal at the four. RB Lorenzo White finished off the possession by taking a pitchout for a one-yard touchdown. This time the point after was successful and Houston was in front at 13-10.

New York had to punt again following its next series but Moon was intercepted by DB Lonnie Young to give the Jets a last shot with 21 seconds before the half and the ball at the Houston 47. Two O’Brien completions got the ball to the 34, but Leahy’s 52-yard field goal attempt sailed wide to the right and the Oilers maintained the three-point lead at the intermission.

Starting at their own six yard line after a short kickoff return to start the second half, the Oilers moved the ball effectively with Moon hitting on passes of 16 yards to Hill, 13 yards to Jeffires, and 9 more to Jeffires again to start the drive. But after reaching the New York 44, Moon was intercepted by CB Mike Brim, who returned it 13 yards to not only stop Houston’s drive but also give the Jets good field position. New York made the most of it, moving methodically down the field in 14 plays that ended with Leahy booting a 31-yard field goal to tie the score.

Moon had the Oilers driving again as the third quarter came to an end, but the drive stalled at the New York 32 and the attempt to convert a fourth-and-seven situation ended with an incomplete pass intended for WR Ernest Givins that was broken up by Lonnie Young.

The Jets went three-and-out on their next possession and Houston again came out throwing with Moon going to Jeffires for gains of 14 and 35 yards to the New York 27. An apparent touchdown run by White was nullified by a holding penalty, but the Oilers scored on Howfield field goal of 23 yards to move back in front at 16-13.

New York was unable to move the ball on its next series, even after retaining possession when a punt hit Houston DB Marcus Robertson on the arm and was recovered by Burkett for the Jets. Still, a second Louie Aguiar punt went out of bounds at the Houston six, and with just under six minutes remaining there was still time for the Jets – if they could get the ball back.

White ran for a two-yard loss on Houston’s first play, but then Moon threw to Duncan for nine yards and, in a big third-and-three situation, hit Duncan again for 23 more yards. White ran for 11 yards and then Moon passed for eight before handing off to White three more times for short gains while the Jets used their first two timeouts. But on third-and-four, Moon threw to Hill on a crossing pattern and the wide receiver went all the way for a 37-yard touchdown.

It was the clincher for Houston – the Jets drove to a last-play touchdown as O’Brien passed to Burkett from 18 yards out, but time ran out on New York. The Oilers came away with a 23-20 win.

Houston significantly outgained the Jets (436 yards to 279) and had the edge in first downs (25 to 21). Neither team ran the ball effectively, with New York gaining 43 yards on 21 attempts and the Oilers compiling just 27 on 15 carries. The Oilers sacked O’Brien four times while Moon was sacked once by the Jets. Houston also turned the ball over three times while New York suffered just one turnover.

Warren Moon went to the air 50 times and had 35 completions for 423 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Haywood Jeffires led the receivers with 13 catches for 186 yards while Curtis Duncan added 8 receptions for 67 yards and a TD and Drew Hill (pictured below) pulled in 6 passes for 80 yards and a score. Lorenzo White led what there was of a running attack with 24 yards on 11 attempts that included a TD.

For the Jets, Ken O’Brien completed 24 of 42 passes for 269 yards with a TD and one intercepted. Chris Burkett caught 6 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown and Al Toon also had 6 receptions, for 51 yards. Brad Baxter had 31 yards and a touchdown on 10 rushing attempts.

“This should show people we are for real,” say Haywood Jeffires. “Now we can go to Miami and come up with back-to-back wins on the road. I think we will and people will consider us a Super Bowl contender.”

Houston did indeed win the next week against the Dolphins and made it to 7-1 before losing again. The Oilers did lose three of their last five games, but after having been a Wild Card team the previous four years, they won the AFC Central with an 11-5 record. In the postseason, they once again beat the Jets to get through the Wild Card round but lost a close contest at Denver in the Divisional round to once again come up short of a trip to the Super Bowl. New York was 8-8 on the year but still managed to finish second in the AFC East and qualify for a Wild Card spot.

Filling the air with passes on a regular basis, Warren Moon led the NFL in attempts (655), completions (404), yards (4690), but also interceptions (21). Still, his passer rating of 81.7 ranked only tenth and he was fifth in touchdown passes with 23. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fourth straight year.

Haywood Jeffires led the league with 100 pass receptions and ranked fourth with 1181 yards. He was a consensus first-team All-Pro and also was chosen for the Pro Bowl for the first of an eventual three consecutive times. Drew Hill ranked third by catching 90 passes and seventh in yards with 1109.