Oilers See Return of Past Glory

It was the House of Pain and “Luv Ya Blue” revisited at the Astrodome.

Amid a sea of pompons and a boisterous crowd cheering harder for the home team than its opponents, the Oilers heated up an old AFC Central Division rivalry with a 23-13 victory Sunday over Pittsburgh.

The victory ended a five-game losing streak to the Steelers while attracting 50,122, surpassing the turnout for the previous two home games combined.

“It was like 1993 when we won 11 in a row,” cornerback Cris Dishman said. “You could hear every last one of them too.”

With the crowd screaming its approval, Chris Chandler completed a 34-yard touchdown pass to Willie Davis with 5:01 left to put the Oilers ahead, and Eddie George clinched it with a two-yard run with 3:05 remaining.

The attendance, spiced heavily with Steeler fans in black and gold jerseys, was the largest Oiler home crowd since they opened the 1995 season against the Steelers with 44,122 on hand. In their first two home games this season, the Oilers--headed for Tennessee, maybe as early as next season--drew 27,725 and 20,082.

Houston’s comeback ended the Steelers’ five-game winning streak and tied the Oilers and Steelers atop the AFC Central Division at 5-2.

“It was kind of like old times,” Oiler Coach Jeff Fisher said. “This was a big game for us. You can’t have a rivalry if you don’t hold your own so I think we have the makings of a great rivalry.”

The Steelers led for most of the fiercely played game, and Norm Johnson’s 29-yard field goal gave them a 13-9 lead with 11:39 to go.

But the Oilers finally gave a noisy crowd--something they’ve been missing since the team’s move to Nashville was announced last year--something to cheer.

The Oilers showed their appreciation by returning to the field after the game to celebrate.

“As long as we’ve played this game, you like to play in front of people,” Fisher said. “That’s why we asked them to go back out. We’ve got a good product and we wanted to show our appreciation.”