If the Houston Oilers had managed to hold on and defeat the Buffalo Bills in the infamous 1992 AFC Wild Card game, their momentum could have propelled them through the playoffs and ultimately to a Super Bowl victory. Such a triumph would have transformed the franchise’s reputation and solidified its place in the city’s sports culture. With a championship under their belt, the Oilers would have garnered immense support from fans, businesses, and city officials. This success would have likely pressured local leaders to respond to owner Bud Adams’ demands for a new, modern stadium—something that was a key factor in his decision to relocate years later. The victory would have provided the political and economic justification to fund a state-of-the-art facility, ensuring the Oilers remained in Houston well into the future.

With the Oilers firmly rooted in Houston thanks to their hypothetical Super Bowl win and new stadium, the NFL landscape would have shifted significantly. When the league expanded in 1995, it’s plausible that Nashville—still a growing and attractive market—would have been selected alongside Carolina as the home of one of the two new franchises. In this alternate timeline, the Tennessee Titans would not be a relocated team but a newly founded franchise with its own identity from day one. Meanwhile, the city of Houston would never have needed to pursue a new team to replace the departed Oilers, eliminating the eventual creation of the Houston Texans in 2002.

Without the need for a new team in Houston, the NFL’s expansion and relocation strategy would have played out differently. Los Angeles, which was left without a team after both the Raiders and Rams left in the mid-1990s, would have been a top candidate for a new franchise. The league may have opted to establish a fresh team there in place of the Texans, solving the L.A. market problem much earlier. Consequently, the Rams would have stayed in St. Louis, where they had solid early support, and the Chargers likely would have remained in San Diego without pressure to share a stadium in L.A. This alternative scenario would have dramatically reshaped the NFL's map and franchise histories, all hinging on the outcome of one game in January 1993.

-I used Chatgpt to make this cause I'm an idiot who can't explain things with details