1990 Los Angeles Raiders season The 1990 Los Angeles Raiders season was the club ' s 31st season in the National Football League ( NFL ) . Led by Coach of the Year Art Shell , the club appeared in its first AFC Championship Game since the 1983 season , but lost a lopsided affair to the Buffalo Bills , 51 – 3 . Playoffs . AFC Divisional Playoff . The Raiders recorded 235 rushing yards ( with 140 of them coming from running back Marcus Allen ) , while holding the Bengals to just 182 total yards and sacking Boomer Esiason four times ( three by lineman Greg Townsend ) , but still had to score 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory . The Bengals scored first during the second period with kicker Jim Breech ' s 27 - yard field goal . But Los Angeles quarterback Jay Schroeder threw a 13 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mervyn Fernandez to give the Raiders a 7 – 3 lead before halftime . Los Angeles kicker Jeff Jaeger made a 49 - field goal in the third quarter , but Cincinnati tied the game early in the fourth period with running back Stanford Jennings ' 8 - yard touchdown reception from Esiason . However , a 41 - yard touchdown pass from Schroeder to tight end Ethan Horton and Jaeger ' s 25 - yard field goal clinched the victory . This was Raiders running back Bo Jackson ' s final NFL game , having injured his left hip during the third quarter while being tackled from behind by Bengals linebacker Kevin Walker . The injury was later revealed to have caused a degenerative bone condition in Jackson ' s hip called avascular necrosis . Before being knocked out of the game , he rushed 6 times for 77 yards . Some Bengals fans theorize that this injury to one of the greatest athletes ever placed a curse on the Bengals franchise ( sometimes called " the curse of Bo Jackson " ) , and that this curse is partially responsible for the Bengals ' notorious failure to field a competitive football team for most of the next decade and half . This game is also notable for being Marcus Allen ' s last 100 - plus yard rushing performance with the Raiders , as well as the last postseason game the Bengals would play in until the 2005 season . AFC Championship Game . Raiders head coach Art Shell became the first African - American coach to take his team to a conference championship game , but the results were not in his favor . The Bills shredded the Raiders , limiting quarterback Jay Schroeder to 13 of 31 completions for 150 yards and intercepting him 5 times , while also holding running back Marcus Allen to just 26 yards on 10 carries . On offense , the Bills amassed 502 total yards , including 202 yards on the ground . Running back Thurman Thomas rushed for 138 and a touchdown while also catching 5 passes for 61 yards , while running back Kenneth Davis tied an AFC playoff record with 3 rushing touchdowns . Buffalo also set an NFL playoff record by scoring 41 points in the first half . Bills quarterback Jim Kelly threw for 300 yards and two touchdown passes to wide receiver James Lofton , who finished the game with 5 receptions for 113 yards . Thomas recorded a 12 - yard touchdown run , while Davis scored from 1 yard , 3 yards , and 1 yard out . Linebacker Darryl Talley returned one of his two interceptions 27 yards for a touchdown . On Buffalo ' s opening drive , Kelly completed six consecutive passes , the last one a 13 - yard touchdown throw to Lofton after he recovered a fumbled snap in shotgun formation . The Raiders responded with a 41 - yard field goal from Jeff Jaeger , but Buffalo stormed back with another touchdown just four plays after the ensuing kickoff , set up by Kelly ' s 41 - yard completion to Lofton . After a punt , Los Angeles defensive back Gary Lewis intercepted a pass from Kelly . But two plays later , Talley intercepted a pass from Schroeder and returned it for a touchdown . The Raiders were forced to punt on their next possession , and Buffalo stormed down the field again , scoring with a 1 - yard touchdown run by Davis on fourth down and goal . An interception by Nate Odomes set up Davis ' second touchdown less than a minute later , and before the half ended , Lofton caught his second touchdown pass to give the Bills a 41 – 3 first half lead . Buffalo increased their lead to 48 – 3 with Davis ' third touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter . Later on , Scott Norwood closed out the scoring with a 39 - yard field goal . Buffalo recorded a total of six interceptions , the third highest total ever in a single NFL game . Defensive back Mark Kelso recorded his fourth career postseason interception in the game , a Bills ' record . Awards and records . Art Shell , NFL Coach of the Year Bo Jackson , Pro Bowl Greg Townsend , Pro Bowl Marcus Allen , 13 total touchdowns , 12 rushing and 1 receiving