1977: Raiders Dominate Vikings in Super Bowl XI

Super Bowl XI on January 9, 1977 featured two teams that had a history of contending but coming up short in the postseason. The Oakland Raiders had been to the Super Bowl once before, as champions of the AFL following the 1967 season, and had made it to the playoffs in seven of the eight years following without winning a title. The Minnesota Vikings had also been in the postseason in seven of the previous eight campaigns, but had made it to the Super Bowl on three occasions - once having won the NFL title in 1969 and twice after the merger as representatives of the NFC. However, they had come up empty each time.

Oakland, coached by John Madden, easily won the AFC West for the fifth straight year with an NFL-best 13-1 record. QB Ken “The Snake” Stabler (pictured above) had an outstanding season, leading the league in passing (103.4 rating), touchdown passes (27), completion percentage (66.7), and yards per attempt (9.4). Deep-threat WR Cliff Branch caught 46 passes and ranked second in the league in yards (1111) and first in TD receptions (12). 33-year-old WR Fred Biletnikoff contributed 43 catches, while All-Pro TE Dave Casper led the team with 53 receptions, 10 of which were for scores. FB Mark van Eeghen ran for 1012 yards. Defensively, the team successfully converted to a 3-4 alignment and had a key acquisition in DE John Matuszak to go along with veteran linebackers Phil Villapiano and Ted Hendricks, CB Willie Brown, and safeties Jack Tatum and George Atkinson.

The Vikings were coached for the tenth season by Bud Grant and compiled an 11-2-1 tally to top the NFC Central. 36-year-old QB Fran Tarkenton put together a typically strong showing, throwing for an NFC-leading 2961 yards and 17 touchdowns while posting the league’s lowest interception percentage (1.9). He was helped by the performance of two new wide receivers, veteran Ahmad Rashad and rookie Sammy White. RB Chuck Foreman ran for 1155 yards and pulled in 55 passes for 567 more. The aging defense was still effective and contained such stalwarts as ends Carl Eller and Jim Marshall, DT Alan Page, MLB Jeff Siemon, and FS Paul Krause.

The Raiders defeated the Patriots in the Divisional round and Pittsburgh for the AFC title while Minnesota handily beat the Redskins and Rams, respectively, for the NFC Championship.

There were 100,421 fans present at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Oakland’s opening drive covered 55 yards to the Minnesota 11, but the Raiders came up empty when Errol Mann’s 29-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright and was no good.

With about five minutes left in the first period, Minnesota LB Fred McNeill blocked a punt by Ray Guy (the first time in Guy’s pro career that he had a kick blocked) and recovered the ball at the Oakland three yard line. Following a one-yard run by Foreman, RB Brent McClanahan fumbled when hit by LB Phil Villapiano and NT Dave Rowe; LB Willie Hall recovered for the Raiders.


The Vikings defense seemed to have Oakland contained, but on third-and-seven at the six yard line HB Clarence Davis (pictured at left) took off around left end on a 35-yard run. Stabler threw to HB Carl Garrett for 11 yards and then to Casper for 25. The possession culminated in a 24-yard field goal by Mann early in the second quarter. From a situation in which it appeared Minnesota would score the game’s first points, the advantage instead shifted to the Raiders.

The Vikings had to punt on their next possession, and Oakland took over at its 36. After a couple of short passes and runs by van Eeghen and Davis, Stabler threw to Casper for 19 yards. Garrett ran for 13 yards and Biletnikoff caught a pass at the one. Stabler then threw to a wide-open Casper in the end zone for a touchdown. Oakland was ahead by 10-0.

With seven minutes left in the half, the Vikings got the ball back but once more had to punt and DB Neil Colzie returned it 25 yards to the Minnesota 35. Two running plays gained 17 yards and then Stabler passed to Biletnikoff for 17, again to the one yard line. The Raiders kept it on the ground this time as RB Pete Banaszak plunged over right tackle for a touchdown. Mann missed the extra point attempt that nicked the right upright, but the score was 16-0 at halftime.

Oakland had clearly dominated, controlling the ball for 21 minutes during the first half and outgaining the Vikings by 288 yards to 86 while leading in first downs by 16 to 4. By contrast, Tarkenton completed just 5 of 12 passes for 59 yards.

Ten minutes into the third quarter, Mann kicked a 40-yard field goal to extend the Oakland lead to 19-0. It appeared that the Minnesota offense would remain stymied, especially when they had to punt following the next possession. However, Oakland’s Hendricks roughed punter Neil Clabo and the Vikings kept the ball. Reinvigorated, Minnesota finally began to move as Tarkenton completed passes of 15 yards to TE Stu Voigt, 21 yards to Rashad, 10 to Foreman, and eight to Sammy White for a touchdown. The Vikings were finally on the board with 47 seconds left in the third quarter.

On the next Minnesota possession, Tarkenton threw while being pressured by Hendricks and was intercepted by Willie Hall, who returned it 16 yards to the Oakland 46. Three plays later, Stabler threw to Biletnikoff, who caught the pass at the Minnesota 35 and took it all the way down to the two yard line for a 48-yard gain. On the next play, Banaszak ran for the two-yard TD. For all intents and purposes, at 26-7 midway through the fourth quarter, the game was over.

A desperation pass by Tarkenton was intercepted by CB Willie Brown, who returned it 75 yards for a touchdown and 32-7 lead (the erratic Mann missed another PAT). That was all for Tarkenton, who was replaced by Bob Lee. Lee led the Vikings on a meaningless 86-yard drive that ended with his 13-yard touchdown pass to Voigt and provided the final score of 32-14.

The Raiders rolled up 429 yards, setting a then-Super Bowl record, to 353 for Minnesota. They also outrushed the Vikings by a whopping 266 yards to 71, which was as much a tribute to OT Art Shell and G Gene Upshaw as it was to the running backs. Minnesota turned the ball over three times, to none suffered by the Raiders.


Clarence Davis rushed for 137 yards on 16 carries and Mark van Eeghen added 73 more yards on 18 attempts. Ken Stabler had a solid performance, completing 12 of 19 passes for 180 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Fred Biletnikoff (pictured at right) caught 4 passes for 79 yards and was voted the game’s MVP while Dave Casper was right behind with 4 receptions for 70 yards and a TD.

As for the Vikings, Fran Tarkenton was successful on just 17 of 35 passes for 205 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. In relief, Bob Lee completed 7 of 9 for 81 yards and a TD. Sammy White caught 5 passes for 77 yards with a score. Chuck Foreman had 5 receptions for 62 yards and led the club in rushing with 44 yards on 17 attempts.

“I had my own personal drive out there because of that stuff about us not winning the big ones,” said Oakland’s John Madden. “This was a pretty big one, wasn't it?”

“We have the best offensive line in the league,” said Ken Stabler. “When you have All-Pros like Upshaw and Shell, you use them. When you have the horses, you ride them.”

“They totally dominated us,” said a disappointed Fran Tarkenton. “They played extremely well, and we played badly. That was it.”

It was a fourth loss for the Vikings in the Super Bowl – and last under Bud Grant. They made it to the postseason four more times under the Hall of Fame coach, but didn’t advance beyond the conference title game. As for the Raiders, they just missed returning to the Super Bowl following the ’77 season with a loss to the division-rival Broncos in the AFC Championship game – they would next make it to the playoffs, and win another championship, in 1980 with Tom Flores at the helm.

1977: Raiders Overcome Colts in OT of AFC Divisional Playoff

The AFC Divisional playoff game on December 24, 1977 featured the Oakland Raiders, defending NFL champions, against the Baltimore Colts, three-time AFC East title-winners who had not been able to make it past the first round in the previous two postseasons.

The Raiders, coached by John Madden, finished second in the AFC West with an 11-3 record that, while it put them behind the upstart Denver Broncos, still qualified for the playoffs as a wild card entry. While there was a gnawing feeling that Oakland was beginning to slip, the club was still formidable. The offense was more run-oriented, and FB Mark van Eeghen placed at the top of the AFC with 1273 yards while the team as a whole also led the conference in ground-gaining. With QB Ken “The Snake” Stabler (pictured above), wide receivers Cliff Branch and Fred Biletnikoff, and TE Dave Casper, the Raiders could still pass effectively.

Baltimore, under Head Coach Ted Marchibroda, had won nine of the first ten games before a late three-game losing streak nearly cost the club the division title. But the Colts finished 10-4 (beating out Miami, also 10-4 and out of the playoffs, due to a better record in the conference) and featured an explosive offense directed by QB Bert Jones, who ranked second in the NFL with 2686 passing yards, and all-purpose HB Lydell Mitchell, who ran for 1159 yards and caught a league-leading 71 passes. The defense featured a good line that recorded 47 sacks and included DT Mike Barnes and DE John Dutton.

There was a sellout crowd of 59,925 fans at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium for the Christmas Eve contest. Both teams played cautiously in the first half. Oakland HB Clarence Davis ran for a 30-yard touchdown in the first quarter on the team’s fourth possession. Colts SS Bruce Laird tied the game in the second quarter with a 61-yard interception return. Just prior to the end of the half and following a Jones pass to WR Freddie Scott for 27 yards, Toni Linhart kicked a 36-yard field goal to give Baltimore a 10-7 advantage at the intermission.

The Raiders regained the lead on their first possession of the third quarter as Stabler, following a 40-yard pass play to Branch, followed up with an eight-yard touchdown throw to Casper to cap a five-play, 70-yard drive. But the Colts came right back as WR Marshall Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a TD and 17-14 lead for the home team.

Laird intercepted Stabler for the second time, but the Colts couldn’t mount anything and were forced to punt. Raiders LB Ted Hendricks blocked David Lee’s kick, which was recovered by LB Jeff Barnes, and Oakland turned it to immediate advantage as Stabler again threw to Casper for a touchdown, this time covering 10 yards. The score was 21-17 in favor of the Raiders after three quarters.


Early in the fourth quarter, the Colts drove 79 yards to the Oakland one, helped along by Jones passes of 20 yards to WR Glenn Doughty and 21 yards to Mitchell, plus a pass interference call on rookie CB Lester Hayes in the end zone. The Raiders defense stiffened and stopped three straight running attempts, but on fourth down RB Ron Lee finally plunged in for a touchdown (the first of the game by the Colts offense; pictured at left) and, with the successful PAT, Baltimore was back in front at 24-21.

Oakland came back again, starting with HB Carl Garrett’s 44-yard kickoff return to midfield. Stabler threw to van Eeghen for 23 yards and then a pass interference call in the end zone moved the ball to the one yard line. From there, RB Pete Banaszak plunged over for the TD. But less than two minutes later, the Colts again took the lead in the back-and-forth game as Jones threw passes of 16 yards to Lee and 30 to ex-Raiders TE Raymond Chester. Lee, following a 14-yard carry, ran 13 yards for his second touchdown of the game and a 31-28 score.

Coming down to the last two minutes in regulation, Stabler threw a pass that Casper had to adjust his route to get to and, making an outstanding basket catch, gained 42 yards to the Baltimore 14. Three running plays failed to net a first down, and with 29 seconds remaining Errol Mann booted a 22-yard field goal to tie the score at 31-31.

The game went into overtime, and neither team was able to score in the first OT period, although Mann attempted a 48-yard field goal that was blocked. Oakland’s defense reasserted itself and, in three possessions in overtime, the Colts never advanced beyond their own 40.

Finally, the Raiders put together a 58-yard drive in which they converted two third downs along the way. One of them came on a diving catch by Branch in a third-and-19 situation following a sack as Stabler completed five of six throws. Stabler, facing a second-and-seven situation, connected with Casper for the third time with a game-winning 10-yard touchdown pass at 43 seconds into the second period of sudden death. Oakland came out the winner by a score of 37-31. It was the third-longest game in NFL history up to that time.

The Raiders outgained the Colts, 491 yards to 301, but also turned the ball over four times, to none suffered by Baltimore. But while the Colts rushed for 187 yards (to 167 for Oakland), the Raiders defense held Baltimore’s potent passing attack to just 114 yards, sacking Bert Jones six times.


Ken Stabler completed 21 of 40 passes for 345 yards with three touchdowns against two interceptions (both by Bruce Laird). The 34-year-old veteran Fred Biletnikoff led the Raiders with 7 catches for 88 yards while Cliff Branch gained 113 yards on his 6 receptions. Of course, all four of Dave Casper’s catches were big ones, with the three TDs and the long reception that set up the game-tying field goal in the fourth quarter; he gained 70 yards (Casper pictured at right). Mark van Eeghen paced the running attack with 76 yards on 19 attempts.

Bert Jones (pictured at bottom) had a rough day against the rugged Raider defense as he completed just 12 of 26 passes for 164 yards with no touchdowns, although he also had none intercepted. Lydell Mitchell led the Colts with 67 rushing yards on 23 carries and also caught three passes for 39 yards. Freddie Scott gained 45 yards on his two receptions.

“My line gave me plenty of time," Jones said afterward. "But so often there was nobody to get the ball to. They covered us perfectly.”

“I don't know if it was the toughest game I've ever been in but it was a frustrating one,” Dave Casper summed up. “We'd go ahead and then they'd go ahead. It seemed like it would go on that way forever.”

As for playing for the touchdown in overtime rather than a field goal, John Madden said, “It was second down and I figured we'd go for the touchdown. If that failed, I was going to put Pete Banaszak in for the third down, and if we didn't score or get the first down on that, we'd kick a field goal.”

Oakland went on to lose the AFC Championship game to Denver by a 20-17 score. With significant injuries striking down Bert Jones, who had played so well during the three-year stretch from 1975-77, the Colts collapsed in 1978. The loss to the Raiders proved to be the franchise’s last postseason appearance in Baltimore – by the time the Colts next appeared in a playoff game ten years later, following the 1987 season, they were located in Indianapolis.

1972: Johnson & Little Lead Broncos to First Win Over Raiders in 10 Years

The Denver Broncos had posted losing records since the early days as an original American Football League franchise in 1960. Lou Saban, who led Buffalo to back-to-back AFL titles in 1964 and ’65, had been the latest coaching casualty after he arrived amid high hopes in 1967 - he left Denver with a 20-42-3 overall record and failed to make it through the ’71 season.

John Ralston, who had led Stanford to back-to-back Rose Bowl wins, took over the head coaching duties in 1972. While he had an outstanding running back on hand in Floyd Little, the NFL’s leading rusher in ’71, the situation at quarterback was far less settled. Holdover Steve Ramsey started the first five games, and the Broncos were 1-4.

For the Week 6 contest on October 22 against the Raiders at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Ralston decided to start Charley Johnson at quarterback. The 33-year-old Johnson (pictured above), in his 12th season out of New Mexico State, had once been a highly regarded signal caller. A smart (he had a doctorate in chemical engineering) and accurate passer, he had been considered a rising star with the St. Louis Cardinals in the mid-60s. But injuries and then a military commitment put him in competition with the younger Jim Hart, and Johnson was dealt to the Houston Oilers following the ’69 season.

Johnson spent two injury-plagued years in Houston before being dealt to the quarterback-desperate Broncos on the eve of the 1972 season. After some appearances in relief of Ramsey, he was getting a chance – and he made the most of it.

Oakland, under Head Coach John Madden, was as strong over the past few years as the Broncos had been weak, and entered the game with a 3-1-1 record. Moreover, the Raiders had not lost to the Broncos since 1962 – a string of 18 straight games (there was one tie, back in 1964).

Denver scored on its first possession as Johnson tossed a 21-yard touchdown pass to TE Billy Masters, who beat star safety George Atkinson. The play was set up by a 40-yard completion to Little out of the backfield.

Early in the second quarter, George Blanda got the Raiders on the board with a 32-yard field goal. Denver’s lead was now cut to 7-3, but Johnson again passed effectively to widen the margin. Following completions of 21 and 8 yards to WR Jerry Simmons, Johnson threw to Little, who had lined up in the slot and beat Oakland LB Phil Villapiano to score a 37-yard TD.

On the next Denver possession, the Broncos surprised the Raiders as Little took a handoff from Johnson and fired a pass to Simmons that resulted in a 35-yard TD. It was the first pass completion of Little’s pro career, in his sixth season.


As had been the case in most of Oakland’s games thus far, they had gotten off to a slow start. The situation appeared grave when QB Daryle Lamonica was forced to leave the game in the second quarter due to back spasms. Lamonica had just thrown a pass intended for rookie WR Cliff Branch that was broken up by CB Randy Montgomery when, on the next play, he was hit in the back by DE Lyle Alzado’s helmet. Backup George Blanda came in initially and delivered a first down, but then fumbled at the Denver 28 when hit by DT Paul Smith. Alzado recovered for Denver (Alzado pictured at left; he would go on to play for the Raiders ten years later).

Johnson completed three passes, including a 22-yard completion to ex-Raiders WR Rod Sherman, to set up a 44-yard field goal by Jim Turner on the last play of the half. The Broncos held a 24-3 lead at the intermission.

On the first play of the second half, Denver FB Bobby Anderson fumbled and LB Dan Conners recovered for Oakland at the Denver 20, setting up a 35-yard field goal by Blanda. The Raiders’ inexperienced third quarterback, Ken Stabler, had come into the game for Lamonica and showed over-anxiousness as he misfired on three passes.

However, Stabler began to find the range on his passes as the game progressed, although an apparent scoring pass to WR Fred Biletnikoff was nullified by a clipping call on Branch. But HB Charlie Smith ran 20 yards on a sweep to the Denver two and he scored three plays later to narrow the Broncos’ lead to 24-13.

Denver responded with a drive highlighted by Johnson connecting with Simmons for 28 yards on a third-and-15 play that culminated in an eight-yard Turner field goal early in the fourth quarter.

On Oakland’s next series, Stabler was sacked twice and the Raiders were penalized for holding twice as the young quarterback completed 8 of 10 passes and Oakland drove 67 yards. WR Mike Siani scored on a four-yard pass play in which he pulled the ball away from Montgomery in the left corner of the end zone.

However, Montgomery responded with an 88-yard kickoff return to the Oakland 15 yard line before being caught by Atkinson. Turner kicked a 27-yard field goal to extend Denver’s lead to 30-20 with 3:28 left to play.

The Raiders made it into scoring position once more, and Blanda kicked a 40-yard field goal with 1:36 remaining. They got one last chance, but in the final seconds, a pass to TE Raymond Chester on a fly pattern was deflected and he couldn’t pull it in. Denver came away with the 30-23 upset win.

There was a wild celebration in the Denver locker room afterward, in what Little referred to as the franchise’s “greatest victory ever.”

All the more astonishing, the Broncos managed only 13 yards rushing on 24 attempts, for an average of less than a yard per carry. But they made up for it with 396 passing yards as they gained 409 total yards to Oakland’s 316. It was a stunning performance against what was considered to be the best pass defense in the AFC. Charley Johnson completed 20 of 28 passes for 361 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions; Little, of course, added a 35-yard TD completion.


Jerry Simmons led the Denver receivers with 6 catches for 118 yards and a TD. Tight ends Billy Masters (6’5”, 240) and Riley Odoms (6’4”, 230) matched up well size-wise against safety George Atkinson (5’10”, 180) and were effective (Masters caught three passes for 66 yards and a touchdown and the rookie Odoms had two for 46 yards). Floyd Little (pictured at right) had three catches for 92 yards and a touchdown, although he missed the second half due to a foot injury and was held to just 15 yards rushing on nine carries.

Ken Stabler had a notable performance in relief of Daryle Lamonica, completing 13 of 22 passes for 165 yards with a TD and no interceptions and nearly pulling off a major comeback. Fred Biletnikoff and Raymond Chester both caught five passes apiece, with Biletnikoff gaining the most yards (74, to Chester’s 56). RB Marv Hubbard led the Raiders in rushing with 61 yards on 15 carries.

Coach Ralston said afterward, “Johnson’s accuracy was just incredible. Charley did a magnificent job of putting the ball on the money.”

Said Charley Johnson, “It was just one of those days when the timing between the
passer and the receivers was there.” He added, “I had real good vision - I could see all the
coverages. But there are days when you can't see anything.”

The loss to the Broncos was only a speed bump on the way to the AFC West title for Oakland. They recovered to win seven of their remaining eight games to finish at 10-3-1, but lost in the Divisional playoff in stunning fashion to the Pittsburgh Steelers as a result of RB Franco Harris and the “Immaculate Reception”. Denver ended up in third place in the division with yet another losing record, 5-9. But with Johnson at the helm, they would post winning records in each of the following two seasons.

Charley Johnson continued to play well in his comeback year, throwing for 1783 yards with 14 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He ranked third among the AFC’s passers (74.6 rating) as well as in completion percentage (55.5) and second in yards per attempt (7.5) and percentage of TD passes (5.9, tied with Joe Namath of the Jets).

Floyd Little ran for 859 yards on 216 carries (4.0 avg.) and nine touchdowns and caught 28 passes for 367 yards and four more TDs. He also completed another pass.

1977: Broncos Intercept Stabler 7 Times and End Raiders Winning Streak

In the seven seasons following the merger of the NFL and AFL in 1970, the Oakland Raiders had pretty much dominated the AFC West. Under Head Coach John Madden, they won the division title in six of those seven years through 1976, and finished a strong second in 1971. Most recently, in ’76, they had gone 13-1 on the way to winning the Super Bowl for the first time. Four weeks into the 1977 season, the Raiders were 4-0 and in the midst of a 17-game winning streak, counting the postseason.

The club they faced on October 16, 1977 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum was the Denver Broncos, also off to a 4-0 start. As successful as the Raiders had been for over a decade (going back to the late-60s American Football League), the Broncos were a team new to being a contender. After never posting a winning record in any AFL season, Denver finally went over .500 in 1973 and ’74 under Head Coach John Ralston, and was a franchise-best 9-5 in 1976.

Ralston, who had relinquished the post of general manager, was forced to resign as head coach by his successor, Fred Gehrke. It was a controversial move, following the improvement in record, but Ralston had bred a great deal of dissension among the players along the way. Hired to replace him was Red Miller, most recently the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots (Ralston had also taken criticism for running an uninspiring offense). The other major offseason move occurred when mediocre QB Steve Ramsey was dealt to the New York Giants for 34-year-old QB Craig Morton (pictured above). Morton, who had lost out in the competition for the starting job with Roger Staubach in Dallas at the beginning of the decade, had been a disappointment with the Giants but was nevertheless a big improvement over Ramsey.

The game against Oakland was a major test for the rising Broncos, and one they had been anticipating since long before the season began. However, the Raiders started off with a 70-yard scoring drive that culminated in a nine-yard touchdown pass from QB Ken Stabler to TE Dave Casper.

But on the second Oakland possession, a Stabler pass intended for WR Cliff Branch was tipped by the receiver to LB Joe Rizzo for an interception. From the Raiders’ 29 yard line, the Broncos drove to the tying score on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Morton to TE Riley Odoms.

Midway through the second quarter, Denver punter Bucky Dilts pinned the Raiders down with a kick to the one yard line. Oakland couldn’t advance and had to punt, giving the Broncos good field position at the Raiders’ 42. Seven plays later, HB Lonnie Perrin ran for a 16-yard touchdown to put the Broncos ahead, 14-7. Along the way, Morton connected with Odoms for a 14-yard gain on a third-and-nine play to keep the drive going.


Rizzo intercepted two more of Stabler’s passes and LB Randy Gradishar one. Following the Gradishar pickoff, and with about a minute to go in the half, the Broncos had the ball at the Oakland 32. Unable to gain ground, they lined up for a 42-yard field goal attempt, but faked the kick. Backup QB Norris Weese, the holder, first looked for Odoms but then fired to wide-open PK Jim Turner at the 16 who lumbered the rest of the way for a 25-yard touchdown. It was the only touchdown ever scored by the 36-year-old placekicker, in the 14th of an eventual 16 seasons with the Jets and Broncos (Turner pictured kicking at left). Denver took a 21-7 lead into halftime.

The Raiders put together a good drive in the third quarter, but on third-and-one at the Denver 45 LB Tom Jackson stuffed FB Mark van Eeghen for no gain and Oakland punted. On the next Oakland series, Stabler hit Branch for a 44-yard gain, but on the following play at the Denver 20, RB Pete Banaszak fumbled and Denver DE Lyle Alzado recovered to end the threat.

Again a Dilts punt pinned the Raiders deep in their own territory, at the four yard line, and CB Louis Wright intercepted a Stabler pass shortly thereafter and returned it for an 18-yard touchdown. Turner missed the extra point, but the Denver lead was now an insurmountable 27-7.

One last time the Raiders drove into Denver territory, but Banaszak was stopped decisively for no gain on a fourth-and-one play by Jackson and safety Bill Thompson.

Before it was over, Stabler threw his seventh interception of the game, to DE Paul Smith. The Broncos had the ball at the Oakland 16 but settled for a 32-yard field goal by Turner with just over seven minutes left to play. That provided the stunning final score of 30-7.

The Raiders outgained the Broncos, 326 yards to 200, and accumulated 21 first downs to Denver’s eight. However, Oakland also turned the ball over eight times, to none by the Broncos.

Craig Morton completed just 7 of 16 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown, with none intercepted; Norris Weese, of course, added the 25-yard TD pass on the fake field goal attempt. Only two Denver receivers caught as many as two passes, with the star tight end Riley Odoms (pictured below) gaining 24 yards with a TD on his pair (RB Rob Lytle caught two passes for 18 yards; WR Jack Dolbin had one 34-yard reception and was the leader in receiving yardage for the club). Staying conservative offensively, the Broncos ran 37 times for 102 yards and Lonnie Perrin was the leading rusher with 37 yards on 10 attempts, including a TD.


Ken Stabler was forced to go to the air often and completed 20 of 40 passes for 274 yards with one touchdown and the seven interceptions. Ten of Stabler’s passes hit receivers in the hands and bounced away, accounting for three of the pickoffs. The lefthander had thrown just five interceptions in all of the preceding games.

Dave Casper caught six passes for 58 yards and the lone TD, while Cliff Branch gained 92 yards on his four receptions. Mark van Eeghen was the leading rusher with 61 yards on 20 carries.

Denver’s “Orange Crush” defense had largely controlled the game (as would be the case throughout most of the season). Joe Rizzo accounted for three of the interceptions of Stabler. They also sacked Stabler four times (Morton was sacked five times).

Said Denver’s Randy Gradishar afterward “We’ve been playing together a long time now and we’re getting good coverage and good pressure. Stabler’s not used to getting pressure. Sometimes he’ll just throw the ball out there and hope somebody comes up with it. Today wasn’t his day.”

“There’ll be another day,” said Oakland’s All-Pro guard Gene Upshaw after the game, “and we don’t have to wait a month. It’s just in two weeks.”

Oakland did indeed beat the Broncos in Denver two weeks later, but the Broncos didn’t lose again until the season finale. They finished atop the AFC West with a 12-2 record while the Raiders came in second at 11-3 and qualified for a wild card spot. The teams met one more time, in the AFC Championship game, and Denver won at home, 20-17. However, the Broncos’ dream season turned into a nightmare in the Super Bowl loss to Dallas.

As the game against the Broncos exemplified, Ken Stabler had a down season (by his previous standards), but was still among the league leaders in touchdown passes (20 – matching his interception total), completion percentage (57.5), and percentage of TD passes (6.8) and was selected for the Pro Bowl for the fourth (and last) time. Craig Morton, operating in a conservative offense, didn’t have overwhelming numbers but provided steady leadership, minimized mistakes (his 3.1 interception percentage was second lowest in the conference), and came away with an AFC title.