2) 2001 AFC Divisional Playoff: New England 16—Oakland 13 (OT)
You’d expect a 10-point 4th quarter lead in a winter storm to be safe, especially when the team with the lead is stocked with experienced veterans while the losing team is led by a first-year quarterback, a 6th round draft pick who’d never played in the postseason before. But when that QB’s named Tom Brady, those expectations couldn’t be more wrong. Brady hadn’t done anything in the first half, going 6-of-13 for 74 yards. But on the Patriots’ second possession of the 4th quarter, he began his legend, completing 9 passes in a row to drive his team to the Raiders’ six-yard-line. He ran for a TD to finish off the drive. 13-10. Later in the quarter, with less than 3 minutes to go, the Raiders had a 2nd-and-3. If two runs could net a measly 3 yards, they would be able to run out the clock. But this is the Raiders we’re talking about. They failed. They punted, leaving Brady all of two minutes and six seconds to work with. A few plays later, Brady dropped back, pumped faked and found Charles Woodson in his grill. Woodson administered a vicious (illegal) slap to the QB’s head that jarred the ball loose. Fumble! Raider Linebacker Greg Biekert recovers. No flags. The game and Brady’s Cinderella season are done. Or were they? The officials signal the play is being reviewed. Huh? Brady’s arm clearly wasn’t going forward at the time he was hit. No way the officials can overturn the…WHAAAATTTT?! Incomplete pass? Patriots’ ball? Can it be, Raider fans ask? Oh, it be. Credit or blame Rule 3, Section 21, Article 2, Note 2 of the Official Rules of the NFL, or what is now known as “The Tuck Rule”.
I quote: “When a Team A player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his hand starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body”.
Brady pump faked, then got hit and lost the ball as he was bringing it back, i.e. attempting to tuck it, towards his body. The Raider players and coaches whined like babies (as you’d expect), but the refs got it right. Undone by the adversity of one correct call going against them, Oakland fell apart, allowing Brady to drive his team down into FG range. Still, a 45-yarder is no gimmee at any time. Now add a snowy field, poor footing and blizzard-like conditions not to mention the pressure of knowng your team's season is over if you miss. You're practically asking your kicker to make the greatest kick in NFL history. Even for a great kicker like Adam Vinatieri that's asking a...It's Good!!! Through the teeth of the storm Vinatieri split the uprights. New England won the overtime coin toss and Brady methodically marched them down the field. Eight passes, eight completions for Brady including a six-yarder to David Patten on 4th-and-4 from the Oakland 28. Vinatieri finshed off the Raiders with a 23-yard game winner. After the game, Woodson said about the Tuck Rule call: "That's (crap). I feel like it was a (crap) call…I feel like it should have been overturned.” Waaahhh. Waaaahhh. The refs made the right call and Woodson was lucky they missed his illegal head slap on Brady. The Pats moved on to win their first ever Super Bowl victory.
The Oakland Raiders' Top 10 Toughest Losses of All-Time:
Tenth Toughest Loss
Ninth Toughest Loss
Eighth Toughest Loss
Seventh Toughest Loss
Sixth Toughest Loss
Fifth Toughest Loss
Fourth Toughest Loss
Third Toughest Loss
Second Toughest Loss
Toughest Loss
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Super Bowl XXXVII
3) Super Bowl XXXVII: Tampa Bay 48—Oakland 21
With the league’s #1 offense led by league MVP Rich Gannon and a roster loaded with experienced veterans, the Raiders were the consensus favorites to with their fourth Super Bowl. Bitter playoff defeats ended the Raiders’ two previous seasons and the team knew this was probably their last chance for the title given age and looming salary cap considerations. At the end of the previous season, the Raiders allowed their coach, Jon “Chucky” Gruden, to leave for Tampa Bay in exchange for an unprecedented amount of high draft picks and 8 million bucks. A controversial move to be sure but Al Davis looked like a genius as his team advanced to the Super Bowl with new coach Bill Callahan. Unfortunately, the Raiders’ opponent would be the one team that knew their every weakness: the Jon Gruden-coached Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During the game a microphone caught a Bucs linebacker expressing amazement at how everything the Raiders offense ran was a play the Bucs had practiced against during the week. As for Mr. MVP, Rich Gannon played like the journeyman QB he was thought to be prior to his Raider stint. No, that’s being too generous. Gannon carved a special place for himself in the annals of suck (a preview of his broadcasting career). After a slow start, the Bucs cruised to a 20-3 halftime lead, all but ending the game (no team in a Super Bowl has ever come back from that kind of deficit). The Raiders' humiliation continued into the second half as a Gannon INT returned for a touchdown turned the game into a 34-3 laugher. However, a Jerry Porter TD, a blocked punt returned for a TD, and then a bomb to Jerry Rice with 6:41 left closed the gap to 34-21 and gave Raider fans the briefest illusion of hope. But Gannon’s 4th INT, and 2d returned for a TD, shattered that illusion and emphatically ended the dreams of Raider Nation for good. Raider-haters everywhere, most notably Jon Gruden, laughed hysterically as Gannon threw a 5th INT (also returned for a TD—what a surprise) in the final seconds, the final exclamation point on the Bucs victory. Craig Morton, John Elway, Drew Bledsoe, and Kerry Collins especially shared in the good times as Gannon’s last INT erased their 4-interception Super Bowl efforts from the record books. Many speculated that the loss, with Gruden hoisting the Vince Lombardi trophy, would kill off Al Davis yet he remains among the living as of this writing.
The Oakland Raiders' Top 10 Toughest Losses of All-Time:
Tenth Toughest Loss
Ninth Toughest Loss
Eighth Toughest Loss
Seventh Toughest Loss
Sixth Toughest Loss
Fifth Toughest Loss
Fourth Toughest Loss
Third Toughest Loss
Second Toughest Loss
Toughest Loss
With the league’s #1 offense led by league MVP Rich Gannon and a roster loaded with experienced veterans, the Raiders were the consensus favorites to with their fourth Super Bowl. Bitter playoff defeats ended the Raiders’ two previous seasons and the team knew this was probably their last chance for the title given age and looming salary cap considerations. At the end of the previous season, the Raiders allowed their coach, Jon “Chucky” Gruden, to leave for Tampa Bay in exchange for an unprecedented amount of high draft picks and 8 million bucks. A controversial move to be sure but Al Davis looked like a genius as his team advanced to the Super Bowl with new coach Bill Callahan. Unfortunately, the Raiders’ opponent would be the one team that knew their every weakness: the Jon Gruden-coached Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During the game a microphone caught a Bucs linebacker expressing amazement at how everything the Raiders offense ran was a play the Bucs had practiced against during the week. As for Mr. MVP, Rich Gannon played like the journeyman QB he was thought to be prior to his Raider stint. No, that’s being too generous. Gannon carved a special place for himself in the annals of suck (a preview of his broadcasting career). After a slow start, the Bucs cruised to a 20-3 halftime lead, all but ending the game (no team in a Super Bowl has ever come back from that kind of deficit). The Raiders' humiliation continued into the second half as a Gannon INT returned for a touchdown turned the game into a 34-3 laugher. However, a Jerry Porter TD, a blocked punt returned for a TD, and then a bomb to Jerry Rice with 6:41 left closed the gap to 34-21 and gave Raider fans the briefest illusion of hope. But Gannon’s 4th INT, and 2d returned for a TD, shattered that illusion and emphatically ended the dreams of Raider Nation for good. Raider-haters everywhere, most notably Jon Gruden, laughed hysterically as Gannon threw a 5th INT (also returned for a TD—what a surprise) in the final seconds, the final exclamation point on the Bucs victory. Craig Morton, John Elway, Drew Bledsoe, and Kerry Collins especially shared in the good times as Gannon’s last INT erased their 4-interception Super Bowl efforts from the record books. Many speculated that the loss, with Gruden hoisting the Vince Lombardi trophy, would kill off Al Davis yet he remains among the living as of this writing.
The Oakland Raiders' Top 10 Toughest Losses of All-Time:
Tenth Toughest Loss
Ninth Toughest Loss
Eighth Toughest Loss
Seventh Toughest Loss
Sixth Toughest Loss
Fifth Toughest Loss
Fourth Toughest Loss
Third Toughest Loss
Second Toughest Loss
Toughest Loss
Monday, May 28, 2007
1975 AFC Championship Game
4) 1975 AFC Championship Game: Pittsburgh 16—Oakland 10
Ice Bowl II. In the 1970’s, the Steelers/Raiders rivalry was exactly what the Patriots/Colts rivalry is today: the two best teams in the league, battling it out every year for conference supremacy and a shot at the Super Bowl, mixed in with a healthy dose of hate. The 1975 AFC Championship Game would be the 4th consecutive year Pittsburgh and Oakland had met in the playoffs. The Steelers entered as defending Super Bowl champions. The Raiders? Well, the Raiders entered the game as the champions of choke, weighted down by eight long years of frustration. They’d made the playoffs in 7 of the last 8 years, including 6 AFL/AFC championship games, but they had only one Super Bowl appearance and no rings to show for all their “Commitment to Excellence” (gag). Would 1975 be any different? 20 m.p.h hour winds, snow flurries, 16-degree temperatures, and two brutal defenses all but guaranteed a low-scoring game featuring a lot of turnovers and that’s exactly what we got. After three quarters, a Steelers field goal remained the only points scored. But the 4th quarter saw a point explosion: three TD’s in 6 minutes. First, Franco Harris ran 25 yards for a score. Then, Ken Stabler drove his team 60 yards for the Raiders’ first TD. When Oakland got the ball back again, they fumbled, their third of the game, and Jack Lambert recovered at the Oakland 25 to set up the Steelers' final score, a 20-yard pass from Bradshaw to John Stallworth. At 16-7, the Steelers appeared to have the game locked up, attempting to run out the clock on their next possession. But Franco fumbled and the Raiders quickly drove to the Steelers’ 24 with 17 seconds left. Needing two scores to win, Coach John Madden sent in old man Blanda to kick a long FG. It’s good! Now Oakland must recover an onside kick to stay alive. They do! Is it possible? No! With seven seconds left, Ken Stabler takes the snap and hits Cliff Branch for 37 yards to the Steelers’ 15-yard-line but it’s all for naught. The game clock expires before Branch can get out of bounds. One more crushing season-ender for the Raiders. The Steelers win again despite eight turnovers (to Oakland’s five) and the Raiders become the first and so far only team to lose three consecutive AFC Championship games.
The Oakland Raiders' Top 10 Toughest Losses of All-Time:
Tenth Toughest Loss
Ninth Toughest Loss
Eighth Toughest Loss
Seventh Toughest Loss
Sixth Toughest Loss
Fifth Toughest Loss
Fourth Toughest Loss
Third Toughest Loss
Second Toughest Loss
Toughest Loss
Ice Bowl II. In the 1970’s, the Steelers/Raiders rivalry was exactly what the Patriots/Colts rivalry is today: the two best teams in the league, battling it out every year for conference supremacy and a shot at the Super Bowl, mixed in with a healthy dose of hate. The 1975 AFC Championship Game would be the 4th consecutive year Pittsburgh and Oakland had met in the playoffs. The Steelers entered as defending Super Bowl champions. The Raiders? Well, the Raiders entered the game as the champions of choke, weighted down by eight long years of frustration. They’d made the playoffs in 7 of the last 8 years, including 6 AFL/AFC championship games, but they had only one Super Bowl appearance and no rings to show for all their “Commitment to Excellence” (gag). Would 1975 be any different? 20 m.p.h hour winds, snow flurries, 16-degree temperatures, and two brutal defenses all but guaranteed a low-scoring game featuring a lot of turnovers and that’s exactly what we got. After three quarters, a Steelers field goal remained the only points scored. But the 4th quarter saw a point explosion: three TD’s in 6 minutes. First, Franco Harris ran 25 yards for a score. Then, Ken Stabler drove his team 60 yards for the Raiders’ first TD. When Oakland got the ball back again, they fumbled, their third of the game, and Jack Lambert recovered at the Oakland 25 to set up the Steelers' final score, a 20-yard pass from Bradshaw to John Stallworth. At 16-7, the Steelers appeared to have the game locked up, attempting to run out the clock on their next possession. But Franco fumbled and the Raiders quickly drove to the Steelers’ 24 with 17 seconds left. Needing two scores to win, Coach John Madden sent in old man Blanda to kick a long FG. It’s good! Now Oakland must recover an onside kick to stay alive. They do! Is it possible? No! With seven seconds left, Ken Stabler takes the snap and hits Cliff Branch for 37 yards to the Steelers’ 15-yard-line but it’s all for naught. The game clock expires before Branch can get out of bounds. One more crushing season-ender for the Raiders. The Steelers win again despite eight turnovers (to Oakland’s five) and the Raiders become the first and so far only team to lose three consecutive AFC Championship games.
The Oakland Raiders' Top 10 Toughest Losses of All-Time:
Tenth Toughest Loss
Ninth Toughest Loss
Eighth Toughest Loss
Seventh Toughest Loss
Sixth Toughest Loss
Fifth Toughest Loss
Fourth Toughest Loss
Third Toughest Loss
Second Toughest Loss
Toughest Loss
Sunday, May 27, 2007
1968 AFL Championship Game
5) 1968 AFL Title Game: New York Jets 27—Oakland 23
Six weeks earlier, the Raiders triumphed in the classic “Heidi Bowl” game. Now the Jets and Raiders would play a rematch in the AFL championship game, the biggest game in the young career of football’s most famous and highly paid player: Joe Willie Namath. The crushing pressure on Namath had really gotten to him by the eve of the game. So how did he deal with it? How else? He went to his bar, “grabbed a girl and a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red and went to the Summit Hotel and stayed in the bed the whole night with the girl and the bottle.” The next morning, about five hours before game time, an off-duty police officer stood at a crosswalk and saw Broadway Joe with a girl on one arm and whiskey bottle in his free hand. Namath looked tired, messy and drunk. The cop knew what he had to do--he “raced to the closest sportsbook he could find and bet everything on the Raiders.” And how’d that work out for him? Well, in a seesaw game Joe Willie played through his hangover and tossed three touchdowns, the final one coming when he hit Don Maynard for a 6-yard touchdown with 7:47. Jets up 27-23. Still, plenty of time remained for a Raiders comeback and Daryle Lamonica, who threw for 401 yards on the day, used that time to drive his team to the New York 12 with just over two minutes remaining. Now it was time for a special play, a play the Raiders had worked on all week for just this type of situation: a quick screen to Charlie Smith. Lamonica blew it though; he floated the ball over Smith's head for an incompletion. Or rather, Lamonica threw what appeared to be an incompletion. In fact it was a lateral, not a pass, meaning the play was still alive. Unfortunately, the only people on the field who realized this wore Kelly green not silver and black. The Raiders stood there flatfooted while Jets linebacker Ralph Baker scooped up the ball and clinched the game for the Jets. The next week, the Jets, not the Raiders, made football history by shocking the Colts and winning the AFL’s first Super Bowl.
All the above quotes came from this "Modern Drunkard Magazine Online article about Namath that I couldn’t possibly recommend more!
The Oakland Raiders' Top 10 Toughest Losses of All-Time:
Tenth Toughest Loss
Ninth Toughest Loss
Eighth Toughest Loss
Seventh Toughest Loss
Sixth Toughest Loss
Fifth Toughest Loss
Fourth Toughest Loss
Third Toughest Loss
Second Toughest Loss
Toughest Loss
Six weeks earlier, the Raiders triumphed in the classic “Heidi Bowl” game. Now the Jets and Raiders would play a rematch in the AFL championship game, the biggest game in the young career of football’s most famous and highly paid player: Joe Willie Namath. The crushing pressure on Namath had really gotten to him by the eve of the game. So how did he deal with it? How else? He went to his bar, “grabbed a girl and a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red and went to the Summit Hotel and stayed in the bed the whole night with the girl and the bottle.” The next morning, about five hours before game time, an off-duty police officer stood at a crosswalk and saw Broadway Joe with a girl on one arm and whiskey bottle in his free hand. Namath looked tired, messy and drunk. The cop knew what he had to do--he “raced to the closest sportsbook he could find and bet everything on the Raiders.” And how’d that work out for him? Well, in a seesaw game Joe Willie played through his hangover and tossed three touchdowns, the final one coming when he hit Don Maynard for a 6-yard touchdown with 7:47. Jets up 27-23. Still, plenty of time remained for a Raiders comeback and Daryle Lamonica, who threw for 401 yards on the day, used that time to drive his team to the New York 12 with just over two minutes remaining. Now it was time for a special play, a play the Raiders had worked on all week for just this type of situation: a quick screen to Charlie Smith. Lamonica blew it though; he floated the ball over Smith's head for an incompletion. Or rather, Lamonica threw what appeared to be an incompletion. In fact it was a lateral, not a pass, meaning the play was still alive. Unfortunately, the only people on the field who realized this wore Kelly green not silver and black. The Raiders stood there flatfooted while Jets linebacker Ralph Baker scooped up the ball and clinched the game for the Jets. The next week, the Jets, not the Raiders, made football history by shocking the Colts and winning the AFL’s first Super Bowl.
All the above quotes came from this "Modern Drunkard Magazine Online article about Namath that I couldn’t possibly recommend more!
The Oakland Raiders' Top 10 Toughest Losses of All-Time:
Tenth Toughest Loss
Ninth Toughest Loss
Eighth Toughest Loss
Seventh Toughest Loss
Sixth Toughest Loss
Fifth Toughest Loss
Fourth Toughest Loss
Third Toughest Loss
Second Toughest Loss
Toughest Loss
Saturday, May 26, 2007
2000 AFC Championship Game
6) 2000 AFC Championship Game: Baltimore 16—Oakland 3
In the second quarter of a scoreless matchup, the Ravens found themselves in some serious trouble. Backed up on their own four-yard-line with crazy foul-mouthed Raider fans screaming all around them, Baltimore’s punchless offense faced a 3d-and-18. The game had turned into a field position battle and all the Ravens had to work with was Trent Dilfer at quarterback. So surely the Raiders defense would play it safe here, force a punt, and take over in good field position right? Wrong! Raiders coach Jon Gruden gambled, ordered a blitz, and thus Trent Dilfer’s short slant pass to Shannon Sharpe turned into a 96-yard touchdown pass, longest pass play in postseason history! Dilfer later admitted he actually threw the ball to the wrong place but Sharpe adjusted, beat Marquez Pope inside, and took it to the house for the game’s first and only touchdown. In typical classy fashion Raider fans tossed beer and ice at Sharpe as he celebrated his score. Sharpe was more than happy to rub Raider Nation’s face in it saying: "I got so sick of hearing about `The Black Hole.' So when we score that touchdown, I just took a shovel and covered up the hole." Sharpe’s TD was all Baltimore needed. A few minutes later, Tony Siragusa knocked Raider QB Rich Gannon to the ground and then bellyflopped his fat ass onto Gannon’s shoulder. Consistent with Newton’s Second Law, the Goose’s blubber accelerating onto Gannon’s glenohumeral joint produced what Mr. T would simply call "Pain. Gannon tried to return to the game but he couldn’t throw and since his backup was the immortal Bobby Hoying, the game was ovah! The NFC champion that year, the New York Giants, was one of the weaker teams to ever make a Super Bowl. Thanks to Gruden's failed gamble and Goose’s gargantuan girth, the Ravens, not the Raiders, moved on to crush the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.
The Oakland Raiders' Top 10 Toughest Losses of All-Time:
Tenth Toughest Loss
Ninth Toughest Loss
Eighth Toughest Loss
Seventh Toughest Loss
Sixth Toughest Loss
Fifth Toughest Loss
Fourth Toughest Loss
Third Toughest Loss
Second Toughest Loss
Toughest Loss
In the second quarter of a scoreless matchup, the Ravens found themselves in some serious trouble. Backed up on their own four-yard-line with crazy foul-mouthed Raider fans screaming all around them, Baltimore’s punchless offense faced a 3d-and-18. The game had turned into a field position battle and all the Ravens had to work with was Trent Dilfer at quarterback. So surely the Raiders defense would play it safe here, force a punt, and take over in good field position right? Wrong! Raiders coach Jon Gruden gambled, ordered a blitz, and thus Trent Dilfer’s short slant pass to Shannon Sharpe turned into a 96-yard touchdown pass, longest pass play in postseason history! Dilfer later admitted he actually threw the ball to the wrong place but Sharpe adjusted, beat Marquez Pope inside, and took it to the house for the game’s first and only touchdown. In typical classy fashion Raider fans tossed beer and ice at Sharpe as he celebrated his score. Sharpe was more than happy to rub Raider Nation’s face in it saying: "I got so sick of hearing about `The Black Hole.' So when we score that touchdown, I just took a shovel and covered up the hole." Sharpe’s TD was all Baltimore needed. A few minutes later, Tony Siragusa knocked Raider QB Rich Gannon to the ground and then bellyflopped his fat ass onto Gannon’s shoulder. Consistent with Newton’s Second Law, the Goose’s blubber accelerating onto Gannon’s glenohumeral joint produced what Mr. T would simply call "Pain. Gannon tried to return to the game but he couldn’t throw and since his backup was the immortal Bobby Hoying, the game was ovah! The NFC champion that year, the New York Giants, was one of the weaker teams to ever make a Super Bowl. Thanks to Gruden's failed gamble and Goose’s gargantuan girth, the Ravens, not the Raiders, moved on to crush the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.
The Oakland Raiders' Top 10 Toughest Losses of All-Time:
Tenth Toughest Loss
Ninth Toughest Loss
Eighth Toughest Loss
Seventh Toughest Loss
Sixth Toughest Loss
Fifth Toughest Loss
Fourth Toughest Loss
Third Toughest Loss
Second Toughest Loss
Toughest Loss
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Super Bowl II/1977 AFC Championship Game
8) Super Bowl II: Green Bay 33—Oakland 14
After waxing the Chiefs in Super Bowl I, the Green Bay Packers were heavily favored to do the same to the Raiders in Super Bowl II. The Pack had just won their fifth NFL championship in 7 years and they wanted to send Vince Lombardi out a winner one more time in the Super Bowl. Their roster featured 9 future Hall of Famers. On the other hand, the Raiders had some reason for hope. The Packers dynasty was old and just about out of gas. At 9-4-1, they were far from the commanding team of the past and only arctic field conditions allowed them to get by the up-and-coming Cowboys in the NFL title game. Meanwhile, the Raiders had their way with the AFL in 1968: a 13-1 record, an average margin of victory of almost 17 points per game, and a 40-7 demolition of the Oilers in the AFL Championship Game. Oakland had 5 future Hall of Famers of their own, all in their prime (except George Blanda) plus a bunch of other star players including their new QB Daryle Lamonica, the AFL Player of the Year. Unfortunately, hope turned into hopelessness in the Super Bowl. Green Bay methodically took the Raiders apart, the deathblow coming in the 4th quarter when CB Herb Adderly sealed the deal by intercepting a Lamonica pass and returning it 60 yards for a touchdown. If you look at the game stats, Green Bay and Oakland were pretty close in total yards and first downs but Oakland turned it over three times to Green Bay’s none and Daryle Lamonica was no Bart Starr. Another great season wasted.
7) 1977 AFC Championship Game: Denver 20—Oakland 17
The Oakland Raiders: 18 playoff games in 10 years. The Denver Broncos: one playoff game ever and that one had come just the week before. Yes, the defending Super Bowl champions faced off against a true Cinderella team with no postseason experience. The Orange Crush had just one advantage, the home field. Would it matter? Oakland dominated the first half, running 41 plays to Denver’s 19. Dominated everywhere that is but the scoreboard, Denver led 7-3 at the half thanks to a 74-yard pass from Craig Morton to Haven Moses. The score stayed that way until midway through the 3rd quarter. The Raiders fumbled at their own 17, Denver recovered and drove to the Raiders 2-yard-line. Bronco fullback Rob Lytle took a handoff and dove over the pile towards the goal line. Jack Tatum, doing what Jack Tatum did best, blasted Lytle in midair and jarred the ball loose. In the game’s critical moment, DT Mike McCoy scooped it up and ran the other way. With nothing but grass and a stunned Mile High crowd in front of him, McCoy was on his way to score the huge momentum–changing TD the Raiders had to have. But wait! An official blew his whistle. The play was dead. Why? The refs ruled Lytle was down before the fumble. All replays showed that was total bullshit but there was no replay rule at the time. Denver ball and throw in a penalty on the Raiders on top of that for arguing the blown call. Denver scored on the next play. 14-3. Home cooking? Al Davis certainly thought so. But the Raiders did mount a 4th quarter comeback. Ken Stabler hit Dave Casper with a 12-yarder to make it 14-10. Then disaster. A Stabler pick set up an easy Broncos score. But another Stabler to Casper hookup made it 20-17 with three minutes left. Could Oakland’s defense stop Denver to give the Snake a shot at a last-minute comeback? Let’s let Raiders DE Pat Toomay describe what happened next:
So a bad call and Tooz’ partying cost the Raiders a chance for back-to-back Super Bowls. It turned out that Vodka and valium were not in fact the Breakfast of Champions.
The Oakland Raiders' Top 10 Toughest Losses of All-Time:
Tenth Toughest Loss
Ninth Toughest Loss
Eighth Toughest Loss
Seventh Toughest Loss
Sixth Toughest Loss
Fifth Toughest Loss
Fourth Toughest Loss
Third Toughest Loss
Second Toughest Loss
Toughest Loss
After waxing the Chiefs in Super Bowl I, the Green Bay Packers were heavily favored to do the same to the Raiders in Super Bowl II. The Pack had just won their fifth NFL championship in 7 years and they wanted to send Vince Lombardi out a winner one more time in the Super Bowl. Their roster featured 9 future Hall of Famers. On the other hand, the Raiders had some reason for hope. The Packers dynasty was old and just about out of gas. At 9-4-1, they were far from the commanding team of the past and only arctic field conditions allowed them to get by the up-and-coming Cowboys in the NFL title game. Meanwhile, the Raiders had their way with the AFL in 1968: a 13-1 record, an average margin of victory of almost 17 points per game, and a 40-7 demolition of the Oilers in the AFL Championship Game. Oakland had 5 future Hall of Famers of their own, all in their prime (except George Blanda) plus a bunch of other star players including their new QB Daryle Lamonica, the AFL Player of the Year. Unfortunately, hope turned into hopelessness in the Super Bowl. Green Bay methodically took the Raiders apart, the deathblow coming in the 4th quarter when CB Herb Adderly sealed the deal by intercepting a Lamonica pass and returning it 60 yards for a touchdown. If you look at the game stats, Green Bay and Oakland were pretty close in total yards and first downs but Oakland turned it over three times to Green Bay’s none and Daryle Lamonica was no Bart Starr. Another great season wasted.
7) 1977 AFC Championship Game: Denver 20—Oakland 17
The Oakland Raiders: 18 playoff games in 10 years. The Denver Broncos: one playoff game ever and that one had come just the week before. Yes, the defending Super Bowl champions faced off against a true Cinderella team with no postseason experience. The Orange Crush had just one advantage, the home field. Would it matter? Oakland dominated the first half, running 41 plays to Denver’s 19. Dominated everywhere that is but the scoreboard, Denver led 7-3 at the half thanks to a 74-yard pass from Craig Morton to Haven Moses. The score stayed that way until midway through the 3rd quarter. The Raiders fumbled at their own 17, Denver recovered and drove to the Raiders 2-yard-line. Bronco fullback Rob Lytle took a handoff and dove over the pile towards the goal line. Jack Tatum, doing what Jack Tatum did best, blasted Lytle in midair and jarred the ball loose. In the game’s critical moment, DT Mike McCoy scooped it up and ran the other way. With nothing but grass and a stunned Mile High crowd in front of him, McCoy was on his way to score the huge momentum–changing TD the Raiders had to have. But wait! An official blew his whistle. The play was dead. Why? The refs ruled Lytle was down before the fumble. All replays showed that was total bullshit but there was no replay rule at the time. Denver ball and throw in a penalty on the Raiders on top of that for arguing the blown call. Denver scored on the next play. 14-3. Home cooking? Al Davis certainly thought so. But the Raiders did mount a 4th quarter comeback. Ken Stabler hit Dave Casper with a 12-yarder to make it 14-10. Then disaster. A Stabler pick set up an easy Broncos score. But another Stabler to Casper hookup made it 20-17 with three minutes left. Could Oakland’s defense stop Denver to give the Snake a shot at a last-minute comeback? Let’s let Raiders DE Pat Toomay describe what happened next:
Momentum had shifted. You could feel it. Another Raider miracle finish was more than in the cards -- all we had to do was stop them. But we couldn't do it. Repeatedly, the Broncos gobbled up yardage by running off-tackle, straight at [John Matuzak]. Barely able to breathe in Denver's rarefied air, Tooz was more than sluggish. He seemed a count behind in every move. He could barely get out of his stance, much less shed a block. It was painful to watch him. Later, it came out that a hotel employee had tipped the Broncos about Tooz's all night pregame "party." Evidently, the Broncos were exploiting that information now. As the Denver drive continued, our players started getting on Tooz to try to wake him up, but to no avail. Finally, during one timeout, our captain begged our coordinator to get Tooz out. The coordinator, while more than sympathetic, shook his head and nodded toward the press box where Al Davis was sitting. "It ain't gonna happen," he said. And it didn't. Denver ran out the clock. We straggled into the locker room.
So a bad call and Tooz’ partying cost the Raiders a chance for back-to-back Super Bowls. It turned out that Vodka and valium were not in fact the Breakfast of Champions.
The Oakland Raiders' Top 10 Toughest Losses of All-Time:
Tenth Toughest Loss
Ninth Toughest Loss
Eighth Toughest Loss
Seventh Toughest Loss
Sixth Toughest Loss
Fifth Toughest Loss
Fourth Toughest Loss
Third Toughest Loss
Second Toughest Loss
Toughest Loss
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
The Oakland Raiders' Top 10 Toughest Losses
I Hate The Oakland Raiders
It’s true. I hate them. For years my favorite team, the Miami Dolphins, got their brains regularly beat in by the Raiders, even when the Dolphins were really really good. At one point, the Raiders led the all-time series 14-3-1. I still vividly remember the worst loss of them all, the 1974 divisional playoff game when the Raiders came from behind on a sick flukey last-second Stabler TD pass to beat Miami 28-26 and end the Dolphin Dynasty for good. I still remember how pissed off I was in 1976 when a phantom pass-interference call gave a seemingly beaten Raiders team an undeserved second chance in a playoff game against the Patriots. Of course Oakland took advantage of it and went on to win their first Super Bowl that year. Injustice! They were lucky, they kicked Miami’s ass all the time, and they had that annoying “Bad Boy” image personified by their safeties: cheap-shot artists George Atkinson and Jack “They Call Me Assassin” Tatum. Basically, they were a bunch of dirty cheating bastards and I hated them.
Actually, at this point “hated” is probably the more appropriate word than “hate”. I just can’t muster up the kind of hatred for the Raiders that once came so naturally. Since their enjoyable humiliation in Super Bowl XXXVII they’ve been so pathetic that all I feel is pity. Man they suck. Best of all, Miami’s beaten Oakland 8 of the last 9 times so all Dolphin fans now look forward to playing the Raiduhs. Art Shell was the only coach who could make Dave Wannstedt look like a genius. And what NFL fan doesn't love those repeated shots of befuddled Raiders’ owner Al Davis in the booth in his tracksuit at every game? Priceless. However, in honor of my once white-hot hatred for the Oakland Raiders, I will present my Top 10 list of the Raiders all-time most heartbreaking defeats. Here’s numbers 9 and 10 to start off with. Enjoy. (Years listed refer to the particular NFL season not necessarily the year in which the actual game was played).
10) 1985 Divisional Playoff: New England 27-Los Angeles Raiders 20
The Raiders finished the 1985 regular season with the AFC’s best record. The team was loaded with stars: MVP Marcus Allen, experienced All-Pros like Howie Long, Mike Haynes, and Todd Christiansen, and they were heavily favored to beat the wild-card New England Patriots. The Pats jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, set up by backup safety Jim Bowman’s recovery of a fumbled Raider punt return. The Raiders then took control and scored the next 17 points. The Patriots rallied and eventually tied the game at 20 with a 3rd quarter field goal. Then, on a kickoff return, Mosi Tatupu blasted the Raiders’ Sam Seale, Seale fumbled, and the ball rolled toward the end zone where the man of the hour, Jim Bowman, fell on it for what proved to be the winning touchdown. Six turnovers by the Raiders cost them the game and their last best chance at a Super Bowl for over a decade. After the game, Patriots GM Pat Sullivan said: "Let me tell you something…We're just getting back for Jack Tatum and all the other crap that this football team has put on our football team for 12 years. This is the greatest moment in our lives." You tell 'em Pat! The best part of this game for me was that one of my college roommates was a huge Raider fan. After the Raiders’ last drive ended and defeat was assured, he threw his shoe through the sliding glass door of his apartment. He must have sensed that the door had just slammed shut on the Raiders era. That's a shame.
9) 1969 AFL Championship Game: Kansas City 17-Oakland Raiders 7
The Raiders had every reason to believe they’d win the last AFL game ever played and move on to the Super Bowl. Oakland went 12-1-1, won their third straight division title, beat the Houston Oilers 56-7 in the first round of the playoffs, and not only had the Raiders swept the regular season series with the Chiefs, they’d crushed the Chiefs 41-6 in last year’s playoffs. The Raiders were so ultra-confident that the players brought their luggage to the game in preparation for a post-game trip to New Orleans, site of Super Bowl IV. It looked a wise move early when they jumped out to a 7-0 lead but in the 2d quarter, after 7 straight incompletions, Chiefs QB Len Dawson hit Frank Pitts for 41 yards to set up the tying TD. In the 3rd quarter KC found themselves with a 3rd-and-14 at their own 2-yard line. A 35-yard pass to Otis Taylor kept the drive alive and the Chiefs eventually drove the rest of the way to take their first lead of the day. The Chiefs tried to give the game away in the 4th quarter by turning it over three times inside their own 30 but Raider QB Daryle Lamonica returned the favor each time with an interception. Kansas City won 17-7 and the Raiders had to leave their own stadium with the now-useless luggage they’d packed for the Big Easy. It’s amazing what I found out in researching this post. The Raiders put up an incredible 37-4-1 regular season mark from 1967 to 1969, but they couldn’t win a single Super Bowl.
The Oakland Raiders' Top 10 Toughest Losses of All-Time:
Tenth Toughest Loss
Ninth Toughest Loss
Eighth Toughest Loss
Seventh Toughest Loss
Sixth Toughest Loss
Fifth Toughest Loss
Fourth Toughest Loss
Third Toughest Loss
Second Toughest Loss
Toughest Loss
It’s true. I hate them. For years my favorite team, the Miami Dolphins, got their brains regularly beat in by the Raiders, even when the Dolphins were really really good. At one point, the Raiders led the all-time series 14-3-1. I still vividly remember the worst loss of them all, the 1974 divisional playoff game when the Raiders came from behind on a sick flukey last-second Stabler TD pass to beat Miami 28-26 and end the Dolphin Dynasty for good. I still remember how pissed off I was in 1976 when a phantom pass-interference call gave a seemingly beaten Raiders team an undeserved second chance in a playoff game against the Patriots. Of course Oakland took advantage of it and went on to win their first Super Bowl that year. Injustice! They were lucky, they kicked Miami’s ass all the time, and they had that annoying “Bad Boy” image personified by their safeties: cheap-shot artists George Atkinson and Jack “They Call Me Assassin” Tatum. Basically, they were a bunch of dirty cheating bastards and I hated them.
Actually, at this point “hated” is probably the more appropriate word than “hate”. I just can’t muster up the kind of hatred for the Raiders that once came so naturally. Since their enjoyable humiliation in Super Bowl XXXVII they’ve been so pathetic that all I feel is pity. Man they suck. Best of all, Miami’s beaten Oakland 8 of the last 9 times so all Dolphin fans now look forward to playing the Raiduhs. Art Shell was the only coach who could make Dave Wannstedt look like a genius. And what NFL fan doesn't love those repeated shots of befuddled Raiders’ owner Al Davis in the booth in his tracksuit at every game? Priceless. However, in honor of my once white-hot hatred for the Oakland Raiders, I will present my Top 10 list of the Raiders all-time most heartbreaking defeats. Here’s numbers 9 and 10 to start off with. Enjoy. (Years listed refer to the particular NFL season not necessarily the year in which the actual game was played).
10) 1985 Divisional Playoff: New England 27-Los Angeles Raiders 20
The Raiders finished the 1985 regular season with the AFC’s best record. The team was loaded with stars: MVP Marcus Allen, experienced All-Pros like Howie Long, Mike Haynes, and Todd Christiansen, and they were heavily favored to beat the wild-card New England Patriots. The Pats jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, set up by backup safety Jim Bowman’s recovery of a fumbled Raider punt return. The Raiders then took control and scored the next 17 points. The Patriots rallied and eventually tied the game at 20 with a 3rd quarter field goal. Then, on a kickoff return, Mosi Tatupu blasted the Raiders’ Sam Seale, Seale fumbled, and the ball rolled toward the end zone where the man of the hour, Jim Bowman, fell on it for what proved to be the winning touchdown. Six turnovers by the Raiders cost them the game and their last best chance at a Super Bowl for over a decade. After the game, Patriots GM Pat Sullivan said: "Let me tell you something…We're just getting back for Jack Tatum and all the other crap that this football team has put on our football team for 12 years. This is the greatest moment in our lives." You tell 'em Pat! The best part of this game for me was that one of my college roommates was a huge Raider fan. After the Raiders’ last drive ended and defeat was assured, he threw his shoe through the sliding glass door of his apartment. He must have sensed that the door had just slammed shut on the Raiders era. That's a shame.
9) 1969 AFL Championship Game: Kansas City 17-Oakland Raiders 7
The Raiders had every reason to believe they’d win the last AFL game ever played and move on to the Super Bowl. Oakland went 12-1-1, won their third straight division title, beat the Houston Oilers 56-7 in the first round of the playoffs, and not only had the Raiders swept the regular season series with the Chiefs, they’d crushed the Chiefs 41-6 in last year’s playoffs. The Raiders were so ultra-confident that the players brought their luggage to the game in preparation for a post-game trip to New Orleans, site of Super Bowl IV. It looked a wise move early when they jumped out to a 7-0 lead but in the 2d quarter, after 7 straight incompletions, Chiefs QB Len Dawson hit Frank Pitts for 41 yards to set up the tying TD. In the 3rd quarter KC found themselves with a 3rd-and-14 at their own 2-yard line. A 35-yard pass to Otis Taylor kept the drive alive and the Chiefs eventually drove the rest of the way to take their first lead of the day. The Chiefs tried to give the game away in the 4th quarter by turning it over three times inside their own 30 but Raider QB Daryle Lamonica returned the favor each time with an interception. Kansas City won 17-7 and the Raiders had to leave their own stadium with the now-useless luggage they’d packed for the Big Easy. It’s amazing what I found out in researching this post. The Raiders put up an incredible 37-4-1 regular season mark from 1967 to 1969, but they couldn’t win a single Super Bowl.
The Oakland Raiders' Top 10 Toughest Losses of All-Time:
Tenth Toughest Loss
Ninth Toughest Loss
Eighth Toughest Loss
Seventh Toughest Loss
Sixth Toughest Loss
Fifth Toughest Loss
Fourth Toughest Loss
Third Toughest Loss
Second Toughest Loss
Toughest Loss
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