1974 Oakland Raiders season

1974 Oakland Raiders season
Head coach	John Madden
General manager	Al Davis
Owner	Al Davis
Home field	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
Results
Record	12–2
Division place	1st AFC West
Playoff finish	Lost Conference Championship

The 1974 Oakland Raiders season was the team's 15th season in Oakland and fifth in the National Football League. The team would post a superb 12–2 record; the campaign's two losses would be by a total of four points. The Raiders' record (the team's best since 1969) would ensure their fourth AFC West title in five years.

For the second straight campaign, the Raiders exacted revenge upon the team that had eliminated them in the prior year's playoffs. This time, Oakland toppled the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins, by a score of 28–26, in the playoffs' Divisional round. Quarterback Kenny Stabler threw a last-minute winning touchdown pass to running back Clarence Davis in what has come to be known as the "Sea of Hands" game.

For the second straight season, however, the Raiders lost in the AFC Championship Game. They were upset, 24–13, by the eventual champion Pittsburgh Steelers. While the Raiders led 10–3 at the end of the third quarter, a defensive meltdown would allow the Steelers to score 21 points in the final frame.

The 2006 edition of Pro Football Prospectus^[1] listed the 1974 Raiders as one of their "Heartbreak Seasons", in which teams "dominated the entire regular season only to falter in the playoffs, unable to close the deal." Pro Football Prospectus states, The John Madden Raiders were a consistently good regular season team, but the playoffs were a different story. The 1972 season came to an end with the painful Immaculate Reception game. The 1973 Raiders ended Miami's 18-game winning streak during the regular season but lost to the Dolphins in the AFC Championship game. In 1974, the Raiders seemed to finally have all the pieces."

Despite the disappointment at the end of the 1974 season, Pro Football Prospectus continues, "[t]he Raiders persevered, keeping the team's core together the next several seasons. In 1975, they again fell to the Steelers in the AFC title game, but caught a break in the 1976 AFC Championship, when they cruised to a 24–7 victory over Pittsburgh, who were without running backs Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier. Finally, in the Super Bowl, they did not waste their opportunity, crushing the Vikings 32–14 behind Ken Stabler and Clarence Davis."

Offseason

NFL Draft

Main article: 1974 NFL Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	School/Club Team

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 16, 1974	at Buffalo Bills	L 21–20	80,020
2	September 22, 1974	Kansas City Chiefs	W 27–7	48,108
3	September 29, 1974	at Pittsburgh Steelers	W 17–0	48,304
4	October 6, 1974	at Cleveland Browns	W 40–24	65,247
5	October 13, 1974	at San Diego Chargers	W 14–10	40,539
6	October 20, 1974	Cincinnati Bengals	W 30–27	54,020
7	October 27, 1974	at San Francisco 49ers	W 35–24	58,284
8	November 3, 1974	at Denver Broncos	W 28–17	45,946
9	November 10, 1974	Detroit Lions	W 35–13	51,973
10	November 17, 1974	San Diego Chargers	W 17–10	50,178
11	November 24, 1974	Denver Broncos	L 20–17	51,224
12	December 1, 1974	New England Patriots	W 41–26	50,120
13	December 8, 1974	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 7–6	60,577
14	December 14, 1974	Dallas Cowboys	W 27–23	45,840

Game summaries

Week 1

	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	0	3	7	10	20
Bills	0	7	0	14	21

Week 2

	1	2	3	4	Total
Chiefs	0	0	7	0	7
• Raiders	7	13	0	7	27

Date: September 22
Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
Game start: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: 60°F • Wind 9

Scoring summary

1	OAK	Dave Casper 5 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)	Raiders 7–0

2	OAK	Mike Siani 9 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)	Raiders 14–0

2	OAK	Pete Banaszak 20 yard run (kick failed)	Raiders 20–0

3	KC	Wilbur Young 50 yard interception return (Jan Stenerud kick)	Raiders 20–7

4	OAK	Dave Casper 2 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)	Raiders 27–7

^[2]

Week 3

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Raiders	7	10	0	0	17
Steelers	0	0	0	0	0

Date: September 29
Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game start: 4:00 p.m.
Game weather: 63°F • Wind 15

Scoring summary

1	OAK	Ken Stabler 1 yard run (George Blanda kick)	Raiders 7–0

2	OAK	Cliff Branch 19 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)	Raiders 14–0

2	OAK	George Blanda 35 yard field goal	Raiders 17–0

^[3]

Week 14

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	9	0	7	7	23
• Raiders	3	14	7	3	27

Date: December 14
Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
Game start: 6:00 p.m.
Game weather: 53°F • Wind 7

Scoring summary

1	DAL	Drew Pearson recovers fumble in end zone (Efren Herrera kick)	Cowboys 7–0

1	OAK	George Blanda 31 yard field goal	Cowboys 7–3

1	DAL	Safety, center snap fumbled out of end zone	Cowboys 9–3

2	OAK	Fred Biletnikoff 9 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)	Raiders 10–9

2	OAK	Charlie Smith 14 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)	Raiders 17–9

3	OAK	Cliff Branch 28 yard pass from George Blanda (George Blanda kick)	Raiders 24–9

3	DAL	Doug Dennison 1 yard run (Efren Herrera kick)	Raiders 24–16

4	OAK	George Blanda 34 yard field goal	Raiders 27–16

4	DAL	Doug Dennison 2 yard run (Efren Herrera kick)	Raiders 27–23

^[4]

Standings

AFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Oakland Raiders	12	2	0	.857	5–1	9–2	355	228	W3
Denver Broncos	7	6	1	.536	3–3	5–4–1	302	294	L1
Kansas City Chiefs	5	9	0	.357	2–4	4–7	212	285	L2
San Diego Chargers	5	9	0	.357	2–4	4–7	233	293	W2

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
Divisional	December 21, 1974	Miami Dolphins	W 28–26	52,817
Conference Championship	December 29, 1974	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 24–13	53,515

Game summaries

Divisional: vs. Miami Dolphins

	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	7	3	6	10	26
• Raiders	0	7	7	14	28

Date: December 21
Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
Game start: 1:00 p.m. PST
Game weather: 49°F, wind 8 mph

Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Scoring summary

1	Dolphins	Nat Moore 89 yard kickoff return (Garo Yepremian kick)	Dolphins 7–0

2	Raiders	Charlie Smith 31 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)	Tie 7–7

2	Dolphins	Garo Yepremian 33 yard field goal	Dolphins 10–7

3	Raiders	Fred Biletnikoff 13 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)	Raiders 14–10

3	Dolphins	Paul Warfield 16 yard pass from Bob Griese (kick failed)	Dolphins 16–14

4	Dolphins	Garo Yepremian 46 yard field goal	Dolphins 19–14

4	Raiders	Cliff Branch 72 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)	Raiders 21–19

4	Dolphins	Benny Malone 23 yard run (Garo Yepremian kick)	Dolphins 26–21

4	Raiders	Clarence Davis 8 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)	Raiders 28–26

References

↑ Pro Football Prospectus 2006 (ISBN 0761142177), p.73-75
↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com
↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com
↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com

Oakland Raiders

Founded in 1960 Played in Los Angeles (1982–1994) Based in Oakland, California Headquartered in Alameda, California

Franchise	History in Los Angeles Seasons Players First-round draft picks Starting quarterbacks Head coaches

Stadiums	Kezar Stadium Candlestick Park Frank Youell Field Oakland Alameda Coliseum Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Las Vegas Raiders Stadium (proposed)

Key personnel	Owner/CEO: Mark Davis General manager: Reggie McKenzie Head coach: Jack Del Rio

Culture	Oakland Raiderettes Raider Nation The Autumn Wind

Lore	Heidi Game Immaculate Reception The Sea of Hands Ghost to the Post Holy Roller Red Right 88 Tuck Rule Game

Rivalries	Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs San Diego Chargers Pittsburgh Steelers

Media	Television: Comcast SportsNet California Comcast SportsNet Bay Area KTVU Radio: KGMZ KITS Other: Compass Media Networks The Raider Cast Personalities: Bill King Greg Papa J. T. the Brick

Playoff appearances (21)	1967 1968 1969 1970 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1980 1982 1983 1984 1985 1990 1991 1993 2000 2001 2002

Division championships (15)	1967 1968 1969 1970 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1983 1985 1990 2000 2001 2002

Conference championships (4)	1976 1980 1983 2002

League championships (3^†)	1976 (XI) 1980 (XV) 1983 (XVIII) ^† does not include 1967 AFL championship

Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1970–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: West Division

Former league affiliation	League: American Football League (1960–1969)

Seasons (55)	1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Championship seasons in bold

Los Angeles / Oakland Raiders seasons

Oakland 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 Los Angeles 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 Oakland 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Bold indicates AFL Championship or Super Bowl victory Italics indicates AFL Championship or Super Bowl appearance

1974 NFL season

East	Central	West	East	Central	West
Baltimore	Cincinnati	Denver	Dallas	Chicago	Atlanta
Buffalo	Cleveland	Kansas City	NY Giants	Detroit	Los Angeles
Miami	Houston	Oakland	Philadelphia	Green Bay	New Orleans
New England	Pittsburgh	San Diego	St. Louis	Minnesota	San Francisco
NY Jets			Washington

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