The Divisional Round matchup pairs the Houston Oilers against the Denver Broncos on 1988-01-10 at Mile High Stadium. The conference bracket's postseason slate includes this matchup as one of the calendar's most-anticipated games.
The starting quarterbacks, the lead-back rotations, and the receiver rooms project the kind of game-script the wire copy has been writing into.[1][2]
The Divisional Round game between the Houston Oilers and the Denver Broncos is the kind of postseason matchup where the conference's projected leaders carry their regular-season pacing into the bracket. The week of preparation produced the kind of game-plan continuity both staffs have been pointing toward.
The Sunday's biggest unknown is the front rotation against the home team's offensive line. The bracket continues for the winner.
Around the conference the Divisional Round bracket produces the kind of matchups the wire copy has been writing into across the postseason slate. The Houston Oilers versus Denver Broncos game is one of the calendar's most-anticipated postseason windows.
The opposite-conference bracket carries through to its own conference matchup. The Sunday closes a week where the playoff race continues to clarify across the divisional standings.
Across the regular season both the Houston Oilers and the Denver Broncos tracked the kind of pace that anchored their conference seeding into the Divisional Round. The starting quarterbacks' passing lines came through. The lead backs' rushing workloads were the staffs' projected calls. Vegas opens the lines accordingly. A figure to follow: the front rotations' pass-rush production.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | 10-5 | W3 |
| Houston Oilers | 9-6 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-7 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4-11 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 9-6 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8-7 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 8-7 | W3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7-8 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 6-9 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 10-4-1 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-6 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 8-7 | L6 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 5-10 | L3 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 13-2 | W6 |
| New Orleans Saints | 12-3 | W9 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6-9 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3-12 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 11-4 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-7 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 5-9-1 | L2 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-11 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-11 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 11-4 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 7-8 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7-8 | W2 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 7-8 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 6-9 | W2 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Broncos | Gene Lang 1 yard rush (Rich Karlis kick) | 0-7 |
| Broncos | Clarence Kay 27 yard pass from John Elway (Rich Karlis kick) | 0-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Broncos | Rich Karlis 43 yard field goal | 0-17 |
| Oilers | Tony Zendejas 46 yard field goal | 3-17 |
| Broncos | Clarence Kay 1 yard pass from John Elway (Rich Karlis kick) | 3-24 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Broncos | Rich Karlis 23 yard field goal | 3-27 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Oilers | Ernest Givins 19 yard pass from Warren Moon (Tony Zendejas kick) | 10-27 |
| Broncos | John Elway 3 yard rush (Rich Karlis kick) | 10-34 |
The Denver Broncos won the Divisional Round game on 1988-01-10 against the Houston Oilers 0-0. . . . For the other side Warren Moon went 24 of 43 for 264 yards with 1 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Sammy Winder ran for 46 on 13 carries. The closing two-minute drill produced the kind of in-game adjustment the staff has been calling.[1][2]
The Denver Broncos took the Divisional Round game over the Houston Oilers on 1988-01-10. . . .
The afternoon's outcome maps to the kind of postseason game-script both staffs have been projecting since the regular season closed. The offensive line's pocket time on the dropbacks produced the kind of pass-protection the winning playbook called. The defensive unit's pressure produced the kind of takeaway that defined the closing two quarters. The Divisional Round's afternoon ends with the projected outcome.
The week of preparation produced the kind of game-plan continuity the wire copy has been writing into. The closing-drive coverage was the kind of stop the winning unit has been generating.
Denver Broncos 0, Houston Oilers 0. The Divisional Round's box score reads: . . . On the other side: Warren Moon went 24 of 43 for 264 yards with 1 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Sammy Winder ran for 46 on 13 carries.
The Denver Broncos's Divisional Round game against the Houston Oilers on 1988-01-10 ended with the kind of game-script the wire copy has been writing into. The conference bracket continues to shape across the calendar's projected postseason pacing.
How it unfolded
. . . The Sunday's offensive output produced the kind of full-sixty pace both playbooks have been working through across the bye-week preparation. On the defensive side Warren Moon went 24 of 43 for 264 yards with 1 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, and Sammy Winder ran for 46 on 13 carries.
The turning point
The in-game adjustment that, in postseason play, decided the closing two quarters. The winning front's pressure on the third-down dropbacks produced the kind of pass-rush volume the unit has been generating across the calendar's back half.
By the numbers
. The lead-back rotation: . Receiver room: .
Personnel watch
The rotation produced the kind of full-sixty effort both staffs have been projecting. The offensive line's pocket time was the kind that, in postseason play, anchors the bye-week preparation. The receiver room's distribution carried the offensive production.
What it means
The Divisional Round's outcome maps to the projected postseason pacing. The next-round bracket continues. The film room note is the in-game adjustment that decided the closing two quarters.
| Oilers | Broncos | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 20 | 19 |
| Total Yards | 337 | 316 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 24/43 | 14/25 |
| Pass yards | 264 | 259 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 0 | 1 |
| Sack yards lost | 0 | 4 |
| Net pass yards | 264 | 255 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 26 | 29 |
| Rush yards | 73 | 61 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 2 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 0 |
| Penalties | 10 | 4 |
| Penalty yards | 73 | 35 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU | |||||
| Warren Moon | 24/43 | 264 | 1 | 2 | 62.5 |
| DEN | |||||
| John Elway | 14/25 | 259 | 2 | 1 | 101.9 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU | ||||
| Mike Rozier | 9 | 25 | 0 | 8 |
| Allen Pinkett | 6 | 20 | 0 | 8 |
| Warren Moon | 5 | 15 | 0 | 7 |
| Alonzo Highsmith | 5 | 13 | 0 | 11 |
| Ernest Givins | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DEN | ||||
| Sammy Winder | 13 | 46 | 0 | 8 |
| Steve Sewell | 5 | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| John Elway | 4 | 8 | 1 | 4 |
| Ken Bell | 2 | 7 | 0 | 5 |
| Gary Kubiak | 2 | -3 | 0 | -1 |
| Gene Lang | 3 | -6 | 1 | 1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU | ||||
| Drew Hill | 5 | 93 | 0 | 24 |
| Ernest Givins | 6 | 84 | 1 | 9 |
| Curtis Duncan | 4 | 32 | 0 | 13 |
| Alonzo Highsmith | 4 | 20 | 0 | 16 |
| Willie Drewrey | 2 | 17 | 0 | 9 |
| Jamie Williams | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Mike Rozier | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Allen Pinkett | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| DEN | ||||
| Vance Johnson | 4 | 105 | 0 | 55 |
| Clarence Kay | 3 | 57 | 2 | 29 |
| Steve Sewell | 3 | 41 | 0 | 25 |
| Gene Lang | 1 | 25 | 0 | 25 |
| Tony Boddie | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Orson Mobley | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Ricky Nattiel | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Find or start the canonical thread for this game on r/49ers. The thread title is deterministic so anyone running this Rewatch lands on the same place.
Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1987 Divisional Round - Houston Oilers at Denver Broncos - Game Thread
