Today in Patriots History
Nov 28, 1992: NE 29, Houston 21
Grogan returns, replacing Cavanaugh
Archie Manning sacked six times
Sunday, November 28, 1982 at 1:00
Week 12, Game 4 at Schaefer Stadium
New England Patriots 29, Houston Oilers 21
Head Coaches: Ron Meyer, Ed Biles
QBs: Steve Grogan, Archie Manning
Odds: New England 2½-point home favorites
TV: NBC; Jay Randolph, Bob Griese
Cloudy, overcast, 39º; humidity 39%, wind 5-14 mph, wind chill 20º
34,053 tickets distributed; 451 no-shows; in-stadium attendance 33,602
Patriots improve to 2-2, 4th in AFC East, tied for 7th in AFC
Oilers drop to 1-3, fourth in AFC Central
No, week 12/game 4 is not a misprint. Due to the player's strike that started after week two, this was only the fourth game of what turned out to be a nine-game regular season. From there eight teams in each conference made the playoffs, with sixteen teams playing in the wild card round (four games on Saturday, four on Sunday).
In his first start in over a year, Steve Grogan threw touchdown passes of 24 and 62 yards to Stanley Morgan to give the Patriots a 14-7 lead, and interim kicker Danny Miller connected on two short field goals to make the score 20-7 at the half. After a Rich Camarillo 55-yard punt bounced into the end zone, on the next play George Crump pressured Archie Manning near the back of the end zone, resulting in intentional grounding and a 20-yard sack for a safety at the start of the fourth quarter. Ricky Smith had a 19-yard return on the ensuing free kick, giving the Pats the ball on the Houston 43 to start the next possession. Tony Collins ran up the middle for a gain of 10, Grogan hit Morgan for 18, and then he dumped a screen pass to Collins, who made a leaping grab and ran it down the sideline for a 14-yard TD, and an insurmountable 29-7 lead. Manning was able to complete a pair of fourth down passes for touchdowns late to make the final score respectable, but the Pats recovered two onside kicks to run out the clock.
Grogan was 10-16 for 195 yards, with three touchdowns and no picks. The near-perfect 144.5 passer rating was the third highest of his 153-game career. Tony Collins rushed for 161 yards, the second most of his career, averaging five yards per carry, while Stanley Morgan had five receptions on six targets for 122 yards (24.4 ypc) and two touchdowns. The defense constantly pressured the elder Manning, intercepting Archie once (Roland James) and sacking him six times, including Crump's safety. Kenneth Sims had two sacks, as did Julius Adams, who also had a forced fumble and fumble recovery.
This was the Patriots second home game of the season, and first since the stike ended. In the time between the Patriots installed a new video screen. This game was the unveiling of the $3.7 million Diamond Vision scoreboard, which at that time was the world's largest television screen. Ironically that price tag was more than 50% of what it cost to build Schaefer Stadium eleven years earlier.
George Crump's pressure led to a sfaety via intentional grounding in the end zone
Kenneth Sims set the tone early with a 10-yard first quarter sack on Manning
1:34 Highlight Video
Steve Grogan 1982 Patriots vs Houston Oilers
Don Blackmon fumble recovery
Patriots 29, Oilers 21
Steve Grogan, making his first start in more than a year, passed for three touchdowns, and the New England defense sacked Archie Manning six times. New England is now 2-1, and Houston dropped to 1-3.
Grogan, replacing Matt Cavanaugh, hit Stanley Morgan on scoring tosses covering 63 and 24 yards in the first period, then connected with Tony Collins on a 14-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
Collins, a second-year pro from East Carolina, enjoyed his finest game, carrying 32 times for 161 yards. Dan Miller, a rookie signed as a free agent four days ago, kicked two field goals.
Manning threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, after New England had built a 29-7 lead. He passed 14 yards to Dave Casper and 8 yards to Mike Renfro.
Box Score, Halftime & Full Game Summary, Team & Individual Stats, Drive Charts and Full Play-by-Play:
Media Archive Suite
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Houston Oilers 21 at New England Patriots 29 on November 28th, 1982 - Full team and player stats and box score
www.pro-football-reference.com
The most complete, accurate and reliable reference source for November 28, 1982 - Houston Oilers at New England Patriots boxscore and game statistics.
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Patriots Starting Offense:
86 WR Stanley Morgan
76 LT Brian Holloway
75 LG Bob Cryder
58 C Pete Brock
61 RG Ron Wooten
74 RT Shelby Jordan
80 TE Don Hasselbeck
81 WR Preston Brown
14 QB Steve Grogan
33 RB Tony Collins
39 FB Sam Cunningham
Patriots Starting Defense:
77 LDE Kenneth Sims
72 NT Lester Williams
85 RDE Julius Adams
50 LOLB Larry McGrew
57 LILB Steve Nelson
53 RILB Clayton Weishuhn
55 ROLB Don Blackmon
40 LCB Mike Haynes
38 SS Roland James
25 FS Rick Sanford
26 RCB Ray Clayborn
Patriots Special Teams:
2 K Danny Miller
3 P Rich Camarillo
27 KR Ricky Smith
27 PR Ricky Smith
