16. 1971 AFC CHAMPION MIAMI DOLPHINS at 16. 1993 HOUSTON OILERS
16. 1993 HOUSTON OILERS
Record: 12-4
Pythag: 12-4
Off: 4th
Def: 4th
1st AFC Central
lost Div Rnd Chiefs 28-20
HC Jack Pardee OC Kevin Gilbride DC Buddy Ryan
Astrodome
Tom Franklin
Offense
QB Warren Moon 37
RB Gary Brown 24
WR Curtis Duncan 28
WR Ernest Givens 29
WR Haywood Jeffires 29
WR Webster Slaughter 29
LT Brad Hopkins 23 R
LG Mike Munchak 33
C Bruce Matthews 32
RG Doug Dawson 32
RT Doug Williams 27
Defense
LDE William Fuller
LDT Ray Childress 31
RDT Glenn Montgomery 26
RDE Sean Jones 31
LLB Eddie Robinson 23
MLB Al Smith 29
RLB Wilber Marshall 31
LCB Cris Dishman 28
RCB Steve Jackson 24
SS Bubba McDowell 27
FS Marcus Robertson 24 All Pro
K Al Del Greco 31
P Greg Montgomery 29 All Pro
KR John Henry Mills 24
PR Willie Drewrey 30
We turn to Region 11 where the 1993 Houston Oilers host the play in game. There isn't a Houston team currently moving on - there is a Titans squad safely in the next rnd. This is the run&shoot offense, Buddy Ryan defense Oilers, both ranked 4th in the NFL -- 37 year old Warren Moon had 22 scores and 21 picks. 24 year old Gary Brown started just half the season and rushed for a thousand yards. The defense gets to the QB -- the front 4 combined for 38 sacks: 31 year old William Fuller, 31 year old Ray Childress, 31 year old Sean Jones and 26 year old Glenn Montgomery. 24 year old Marcus Robertson was an All Pro with 7 picks, the punter Greg Montgomery also was an All Pro.
16. 1971 AFC CHAMPION MIAMI DOLPHINS
Record: 10-3-1
Pythag: 11-3
Off: 4th
Def: 3rd
1st AFC East
d. Chiefs Div Rnd 27-24
d. Colts AFC Title 21-0
lost Super Bowl Cowboys 24-3
HC Don Shula OC Howard Schnellenberger DC Bill Arnsparger
Offense
QB Bob Griese 26 All Pro
RB Jim Kiick 25
RB Larry Csonka All Pro 25
WR Howard Twilley 28
WR Paul Warfield 29 All Pro
TE Marv Fleming 29
LT Doug Crusan 25
LG Bob Kuechenberg 24
C Bob DeMarco 33
RG Larry Little 26
RT Norm Evans 29
Defense
LDE Jim Riley 26
LDT Manny Fernandez 25
RDT Bob Heinz 24
RDE Bill Stanfill 24
LLB Doug Swift 23
MLB Nick Buoniconti 31
RLB Mike Kolen 23
LCB Tim Foley 23
RCB Curtis Johnson 23
SS Dick Anderson 25
FS Jake Scott 26
K Garo Yepremian 27
P Larry Seiple 26
KR Mercury Morris 24
PR Jake Scott 26
The '75 Dolphins, '82 Dolphins, '84 Dolphins, '73 Dolphins have all moved on - it'll take winning both this game and then knocking off the top seed in the region, the '92 Cowboys to advance their 5th team forward and tie the half dozen other franchises who have hit that number. 4th in offense, 3rd in defense. Jake Scott's 26, had 7 picks. Bob Griese is a 26 year old All Pro, 19 scores and 9 picks. Larry Csonka's a 25 year old All Pro, rushed for over a thousand yards in 14 games. Paul Warfield's a 29 year old All Pro, he scored 11 times; 26 year old Larry Little also was an All Pro. The Dolphins are about to go undefeated, about to win back to back Super Bowls - this is the season prior - a 16 hasn't beaten a 1, but you have to think if they can get by the Oilers in the Play in Game, they have a punchers chance. Let's go to Houston for the kick.
1st Qtr
Miami starts at the 29.
3 and out.
Oilers at the 31.
1/10 - Lorenzo White opens with a 9 yard gain.
2/1 - Warren Moon's first pass is to White, he picks up 14.
1/10 - Moon to Gary Brown, another pass out of the backfield, 11 yards. Oilers at the 35.
1/10 - Moon finds Webster Slaughter - 14 yards, Oilers at the 21.
1/10 - 8 more for White
2/2 - Moon to Slaughter and the Oilers have a first and goal at the 4.
1/goal - Bill Stanfill sacks Moon
2/goal - Give to White....Lorenzo White is gonna rumble Into the End Zone -- TOUCHDOWN OILERS - Houston takes their first drive 69 nice yards, all the way into the endzone - Oilers go up a score.
Dolphins at the 15.
3 and out.
Oilers start at their own 35.
1/10 - 11 yards for Gary Brown
1/10 - Moon to Curtis Duncan, 13 yards and the Oilers are alrerady at the Dolphin 41.
The drive ends - Oilers punt - ball goes deep into the Dolphin end, they will start from the 6.
1/10 - Larry Csonka gets a yard.
2/9 - Bob Griese has yet to complete a pass - Oilers brining a ton of pressure -- it comes here - Griese looking over the middle -- Picked Off - Picked Off -- Marcus Robertson is Going to Roll Into the Endzone -- TOUCHDOWN OILERS - Griese's first completion is to the other team and Marcus Robertson has a pick 6. It's 14-0.
Dolphins at the 31.
1/10 - Csonka gets 2.
2/8 - Incomplete
3/8 - Miami finally gets a first down - Griese to Jim Kiick, 9 yards.
The next 2 plays net 8 yards and the qtr ends.
2nd Qtr: Oilers 14 Dolphins 0
All Houston so far; Miami has a third and 2 at midfield.
They don't get it - Houston will start at the 9.
1/10 - Brown gets 7
2/3 - 10 more for Brown
1/10 - 2 for White
2/8 - Incomplete
3/8 - Moon - Slaughter - 19 yards to the 42.
1/10 - Moon is sacked, Manny Fernandez gets him
2/14 - Brown draw for 3, 3rd down will be an incomplete pass -- but a defensive holding call is the automatic first down. Oilers at the 48.
1/10 - 8 for Brown, Oilers again into Miami territory.
2/2 - Moon pulls it down, gets 5.
That's as far as it goes - Al Del Greco FG makes it 17-0. Halfway through the 2nd, all Oilers.
Miami at the 28.
They get a first down on a desparate Griese scramble for 14 - but again, they need to kick.
Oilers at the 23.
1/10 - 16 more for Gary Brown.
1/10 - 5 more for White
2/5 - Moon to White, just shy of the first down.
3/1 - Moon - Slaughter -- 16 yards to the Miami 36, we hit the 2 minute warning and the Oilers have a first down.
It stops here -- another Del Greco kick at the 1 minute mark makes it 20-0.
Dolphins at the 25.
1/10 - Incomplete
2/10 - Griese 6 yards to Kiick, he's out of bounds
1/10 - Griese to Warfield, he's got the first down, Miami stops the clock at their own 40, 34 seconds left in the half.
1/10 - Griese finds Warfield -- 19 yards right down the heart of the defense, now 21 seconds left and Miami is at the Oiler 41. 2nd timeout.
2/10 - Griese, in trouble -- keeps it alive -- throws to Fleming - it's a 6 yard gain, Miami has to use it's final timeout with 9 seconds left. Dolphins at the 35.
3/4 - Griese -- Looking End Zone -- Griese -- Going Deep --- Incomplete - still one second left in the half.
Yepremian hits the long 52 yard FG - and at the half it is 20-3.
3rd Qtr: Oilers 20 Dolphins 3
The Houston Oilers are woodshedding the Dolphins on both sides of the ball.
Oilers at the 13.
3 and out.
Miami at the Houston 47.
3 and out. Oilers at the 20.
2 first downs on the drive, couple of 10 yard passes to Haywood Jeffires the big play, butt he drive ends - Dolphins start at the 15.
1/10 - Reverse -- Morris -- to Warfield -- Warfield gets the edge -- And Paul Warfield turns on the afterburners -- Paul Warfield is gonna go all the way down to the Houston 11 before he's tracked down by Cris Dishman - that's a 74 yard run for Warfield, Miami gets a big play.
1/10 - Griese -- over the middle - Howard Twilley -- he going to go --- Into the End Zone -- TOUCHDOWN DOLPHINS - that's the big play for Miami, the 74 yard run, quick TD score - and now the deficit is cut to 20-10.
Houston starts at the 35.
1/10 - White loses 1
2/11 - Moon, scrambling, gets a couple
3/9 - Moon to Jeffires, 16 yards, Oilers first down at the Miami 48.
1/10 - 3 for White
2/7 - Brown is stacked up
3/7 - Moon again to Jeffires - 13 yards to the 32 yard line.
1/10 - 14 more yards for Lorenzo White - Houston gives up that TD and drives right down to the Dolphin 18 yard line.
The next 2 plays net 5 yards as the qtr ends.
4th Qtr: Oilers 20 Dolphins 10
-Houston's had their run of the game, but Miami hit a home run on a big reverse; Oilers have a third down and 5 at the Miami 13.
Miami holds -- Del Greco kick and it's 23-10. Miami is still alive.
Dolphins at the 24.
Dolphins get one first down - 29 yard run by Csonka.
That's it -- Oilers get the ball back, up 13 at their own 14 --
Oilers have a 13 point lead we are nearly halfway done with the 4th, what makes sense is Houston runs the ball -- but they playfake - and Moon goes deep ---
And it's intercepted by Dick Anderson -- Dick Anderson takes it back to the Oiler 11 yard line -- live by the sword, die by the sword -- Miami now has the ball at the Oiler 11 yard line.
1/10 - Griese -- End Zone -- Warfield -- TOUCHDOWN DOLPHINS -- huge swing, Miami gets a pick and in one play turns it into a score - and now with a little more than 7 minutes left in the game, Miami only trails 23-17.
Oilers at the 22. Can Miami get a quick stop?
1/10 - Moon to Ernest Givens, 5 yards.
2/5 - Incomplete. 3rd down. Big, big play.
3/5 - It's a give to Brown...he gets to the sticks. Measurement.
First down.
Little more than 6 to go. Clock and chains move.
1/10 - 2 for Brown.
2/8 - 4 for White. Another 3rd down.
3/4 - Houston stays on the ground -- Lorenzo White -- and he busts it, 22 yards, big, big, big play - Houston to the Miami 40 yard line with a little more than 4 minutes to go.
1/10 - Play action -- Moon to Slaughter, 9 yards
2/1 - Another play action -- Moon to Givens 11 yards- Houston stays off the ground but picks up another first down, Oilers are at the Miami 20 yard line, Miami has stopped the clock with a little more than 3 minutes to go. Big, big drive- Houston all the way to the 20.
1/10 - Brown gets 1. Timeout.
2/9 - Brown stopped at the line. Oilers use their final timeout, 3 minutes left. Big play here.
3/9 - Moon - Duncan -- That's gonna be a first down - Duncan is driven out of bounds at the 6 yard line -- now it's first and goal - Houston up 6 and Miami's out of timeouts.
1/goal - Brown gets 4
2/goal - Brown is into the endzone -- TOUCHDOWN OILERS --- and when Lorenzo White adds the 2 point conversion it's now 31-17 and that should be the dagger.
It is - Griese is sacked 3 times in the next four downs, it's Houston's only sacks of the day, William Fuller, Ray Childress, Sean Jones - and Miami doesn't get a first down - back to Houston, victory formation -- and the Oilers take the Play in Game.
Final: Oilers 31 Dolphins 17
Miami crawled back into the game -- but Moon drove Houston down for a late score that salted away the game. We will get the All Texas 16 v 1 matchup when the Oilers face the '92 Cowboys.
Moon: 20 for 29, 215 yds INT
Griese: 9 for 16, 81 yds, 2 TD/INT
Brown: 16 carries, 73 yds TD
Csonka: 11 carries, 48 yds
Slaughter: 6 catches, 72 yards
Warfield: 3 catches, 39 yards, 1 carry, 74 yards, 1 TD
Robertson: INT/TD
Player of the Game: Marcus Robertson
Houston moves into the field -- they head to Dallas to meet the 11th overall seed in the tournament, the 1992 Super Bowl Champion Cowboys.
