HOUSTON — He was one of the greatest running backs in the history of pro football. But he was also anything but great against the Houston Oilers.
It’s September 19, 1976, and Houston defeats the Buffalo Bills and their star running back O.J. Simpson, 13-3.
For a few seconds, forget everything you know right now about O.J. Simpson. Back then, ‘The Juice’ was simply the best back in the National Football League.
The Houston defense, though, holds Simpson to 38 yards on 16 carries in a 13-3 win. Simpson averages a measly 2.3 yards per touch.
Then again, the Oilers always put the squeeze on O.J.
Their first game in 1969? Simpson gained only 27 yards rushing on 13 carries, a 2.08 average. The last game in 1978, Simpson picked up a mere 7 yards on 7 attempts.
In fact, O.J. Simpson, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, averaged just 36 yards in six tries versus the Oilers; his worst output against any team (minimum five games played).
Houston’s secret?
“It’s containment that does it,” linebacker Gregg Bingham mentioned after the 1976 victory, according to the Houston Chronicle. “The first guy who gets to O.J. straightens him up and the next one punishes him.”
And it worked. O.J. ended his career with oh-fer: Zero wins and 6 losses against Houston.
Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson never beats the Oilers, a strange but true Houston sports story.