# 1976 Oakland Raiders season

The 1976 Oakland Raiders season was the team's 17th season, and 7th in the National Football League (NFL).
After having appeared in the three previous AFC Championship Games – and having lost all three—the 1976 Raiders finally won the conference championship, and went on to win their first Super Bowl.
After posting a 13–1 regular season record and winning their sixth AFC West championship in seven seasons, and their fifth consecutive one, the Raiders won against both the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers to achieve the team's second Super Bowl berth. Then, on January 9, 1977, at the Rose Bowl, the Raiders won Super Bowl XI by rolling over the Minnesota Vikings 32–14. With this victory, the Raiders achieved a 16–1 (.941) overall record. They were the best team in the NFL in 1976.
In 2012, the 1976 Oakland Raiders were named the greatest team of all time by NFL.com's "Bracketology"; a 15-day, six-round fan vote tournament that featured the 64 greatest teams from the Super Bowl era. Oakland beat the 2000 Baltimore Ravens in the final round by a .8% margin. The NFL on its 100th anniversary named the 1976 Raiders #8 on the 100 greatest teams of all time.

## Offseason

1976 Raiders draft selections :
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | College |
| 2 | 34 | Charles Philyaw | DE | Texas Southern |
| 2 | 50 | Jeb Blount | QB | Tulsa |
| 3 | 84 | Rik Bonness | LB | Nebraska |
| 4 | 110 | Herb McMath | DE | Morningside |
| 5 | 146 | Fred Steinfort | K | Boston College |
| 7 | 204 | Clarence Chapman | WR | Eastern Michigan |
| 8 | 220 | Jerome Dove | DB | Colorado State |
| 8 | 231 | Terry Kunz | HB | Colorado |
| 10 | 286 | Dwight Lewis | DB | Purdue |
| 11 | 313 | Rick Jennings | HB | Maryland |
| 12 | 343 | Cedric Brown | S | Kent State |
| 13 | 367 | Craig Crnick | DE | Idaho |
| 13 | 370 | Mark Young | G | Washington State |
| 14 | 397 | Calvin Young | HB | Fresno State |
| 15 | 427 | Carl Hargrave | DB | Upper Iowa |
| 16 | 454 | Doug Hogan | DB | Southern California |
| 17 | 478 | Buddy Tate | DB | Tulsa |
| 17 | 481 | Nate Beasley | HB | Delaware |

## Roster

Defense :
* FS
* Jack Tatum
| WLB | ILB | ILB | SLB |
| Ted Hendricks | Monte Johnson | Willie Hall | ⋅ |
* SS
* 43 George Atkinson
* CB
* Skip Thomas
| DE | NT | DE |
| Otis Sistrunk | Dave Rowe | John Matuszak |
| ⋅ | ⋅ | Charles Philyaw |
* CB
* Willie Brown
Offense :
* WR
* Fred Biletnikoff
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| Art Shell | Gene Upshaw | Dave Dalby | George Buehler | John Vella |
* TE
* Dave Casper
* WR
* Cliff Branch
* QB
* Ken Stabler
* RB
* Clarence Davis
* FB
* Mark van Eeghen
* Special teams
* PK Errol Mann
* PK Fred Steinfort (1st 7 games)
* P Ray Guy
* KR Carl Garrett
* PR Neal Colzie

## Season summary

The Road to their first World Championship began on opening day, as they hosted the two-time reigning world champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Oakland trailed 28–14 with just over five minutes to play, yet orchestrated what many to this day refer to as their Comeback Classic of 1976. They won 31–28 on a 21-yard Fred Steinfort field goal with 18 seconds left.
What followed was a mammoth five-game road trip, featuring wins over each of the Raiders' three divisional foes. It also included Oakland's lone loss on the year, a 48–17 shocker at New England. However, this would just be a preview of things to come between the Raiders and the Patriots.
Oakland's first six wins were by a total of 28 points. Coupled with the loss, the Raiders actually were outscored 151–148 despite a 6–1 record. But they became virtually unbeatable after the defeat. Upon returning home, they cruised to big victories, like a 49–16 stomping of the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and had nail biters like the 28–27 victory against a competitive Chicago Bear team at Soldier Field. They closed out the season with a 24–0 shutout of the San Diego Chargers in Oakland, and ended allowing only 16 points total to division foes Denver, Kansas City and San Diego at home (Tampa Bay was also in the AFC West, finishing 0–14).
The Raiders ended the 1976 season with 64.3% of their passes completed; Ken Stabler completed 66.7% of his passes. Fullback Mark van Eeghen passed the 1,000-yard mark at 1,012 yards. Tight end Dave Casper led the team in receptions with 53, while side receiver Cliff Branch led in reception yards (1,111), touchdowns (12), and yards per reception for receivers who caught more than one pass (24.2).

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | July 31 | Dallas Cowboys | W 17–14 | 1–0 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 52,391 | Recap |
| 2 | August 7 | vs. St. Louis Cardinals | W 20–9 | 2–0 | Sun Devil Stadium (Tempe, Arizona) | 33,216 | Recap |
| 3 | August 13 | at New York Jets | W 41–17 | 3–0 | Yankee Stadium | 10,726 | Recap |
| 4 | August 21 | Los Angeles Rams | L 14–23 | 3–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 52,615 | Recap |
| 5 | August 29 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 14–9 | 4–1 | Candlestick Park | 52,704 | Recap |
| 6 | September 4 | Seattle Seahawks | W 45–28 | 5–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 51,487 | Recap |

## Regular season

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 12 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 31–28 | 1–0 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 51,371 | Recap |
| 2 | September 20 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 24–21 | 2–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | 60,884 | Recap |
| 3 | September 26 | at Houston Oilers | W 14–13 | 3–0 | Astrodome | 42,338 | Recap |
| 4 | October 3 | at New England Patriots | L 17–48 | 3–1 | Schaefer Stadium | 61,068 | Recap |
| 5 | October 10 | at San Diego Chargers | W 27–17 | 4–1 | San Diego Stadium | 50,523 | Recap |
| 6 | October 17 | at Denver Broncos | W 17–10 | 5–1 | Mile High Stadium | 63,431 | Recap |
| 7 | October 24 | Green Bay Packers | W 18–14 | 6–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 52,232 | Recap |
| 8 | October 31 | Denver Broncos | W 19–6 | 7–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 52,169 | Recap |
| 9 | November 7 | at Chicago Bears | W 28–27 | 8–1 | Soldier Field | 53,585 | Recap |
| 10 | November 14 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 21–10 | 9–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 48,259 | Recap |
| 11 | November 21 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 26–7 | 10–1 | Veterans Stadium | 65,990 | Recap |
| 12 | November 28 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 49–16 | 11–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 49,590 | Recap |
| 13 | December 6 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 35–20 | 12–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 52,430 | Recap |
| 14 | December 12 | San Diego Chargers | W 24–0 | 13–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 50,102 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. ||||||||

### Game notes
#### Week 1: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Steelers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
| • Raiders | 0 | 7 | 0 | 24 | 31 |

#### Week 2: at Kansas City Chiefs

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Raiders | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |

#### Week 3: at Houston Oilers

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Raiders | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Oilers | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 |

#### Week 4: at New England Patriots

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| • Patriots | 7 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 48 |

#### Week 5: at San Diego Chargers

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Raiders | 7 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 27 |
| Chargers | 7 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 17 |

#### Week 6: at Denver Broncos

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Raiders | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
| Broncos | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |

#### Week 7: vs. Green Bay Packers

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Packers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| • Raiders | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 18 |

#### Week 8: vs. Denver Broncos

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| • Raiders | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 19 |

#### Week 9 at Chicago Bears

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Bears | 7 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 27 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
* Date: November 7, 1976
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny, 36 °F (2 °C)
* Game attendance: 53,585
* Referee: Chuck Heberling
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
CHI – Walter Payton 5-yard run (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 7–0.
Second quarter
OAK – Dave Casper 17-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick). Tie 7–7.
OAK – Cliff Branch 75-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick). Raiders 14–7.
Third quarter
OAK – Clarence Davis 2-yard run (Errol Mann kick). Raiders 21–7.
CHI – James Scott 36-yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick). Raiders 21–14.
CHI – Walter Payton 12-yard run (kick failed). Raiders 21–20.
CHI – Walter Payton 2-yard run (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 27–21.
Fourth quarter
OAK – Cliff Branch 49-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick). Raiders 28–27.
Top passers
OAK – Ken Stabler – 11/17, 234 yards, 3 TD
CHI – Bob Avellini – 10/18, 204 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
OAK – Mark van Eeghen – 12 rushes, 62 yards
CHI – Walter Payton – 36 rushes, 97 yards, 3 TD
Top receivers
OAK – Cliff Branch – 5 receptions, 163 yards, 2 TD
CHI – James Scott – 3 receptions, 76 yards, TD :
Oakland escaped Chicago with a victory after a 31-yard field goal attempt by Bob Thomas with 15 seconds left got caught in a gust of wind and hit the upright.

#### Week 10: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chiefs | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| • Raiders | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |

#### Week 11: at Philadelphia Eagles

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Raiders | 12 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 26 |
| Eagles | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |

#### Week 12: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buccaneers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
| • Raiders | 7 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 49 |

#### Week 13: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 6 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
| • Raiders | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
With the Raiders' victory, the Steelers tied the Bengals for first in the AFC Central. Pittsburgh would win the division on a tiebreaker.

#### Week 14: vs. San Diego Chargers

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Raiders | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |

### Standings

AFC West :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Oakland Raiders$^{(1)}$ | 13 | 1 | 0 | .929 | 7–0 | 10–1 | 350 | 237 | W10 |
| Denver Broncos | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 5–2 | 7–5 | 315 | 206 | W2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2–5 | 4–8 | 248 | 285 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 2–5 | 4–8 | 290 | 376 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0 | 14 | 0 | .000 | 0–4 | 0–13 | 125 | 412 | L14 |

## Playoffs

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance |
| Divisional | December 18 | New England Patriots | W 24–21 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 53,045 |
| AFC Championship | December 26 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 24–7 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 53,739 |
| Super Bowl XI | January 9, 1977 | Minnesota Vikings | W 32–14 | Rose Bowl | 100,421 |
    Source:

### AFC Divisional: vs. New England Patriots

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Patriots | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| • Raiders | 3 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 24 |

### AFC Championship: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Steelers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| • Raiders | 3 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 24 |

### Super Bowl XI: vs. Minnesota Vikings

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders | 0 | 16 | 3 | 13 | 32 |
| Vikings | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
at Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
* Date: January 9
* Game time: 12:50 pm. PST
* Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C), wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h), relative humidity 59%
* Referee: Jim Tunney
* TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy, Don Meredith
* Pro-Football-Reference.com

## Awards and honors

* Ken Stabler, Bert Bell Award