10 best seasons in Raiders franchise history
By John Buhler
2. 1983: 12-4 (Won Super Bowl XVIII over Washington Redskins)
1983 would be the best season in Los Angeles for the Raiders. It also is an ever-present reminder of the Raiders’ last Super Bowl Championship. The Raiders would go 12-4 during the regular season, just a year after the strike-shortened 1982 campaign.
Los Angeles would send eight players to the Pro Bowl and have five players named to the All-Pro team. Second-year running back and 1981 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen would have his best pro season in his Hall of Fame career by winning NFL MVP.
The Raiders would win the AFC West and cake walked through the AFC Playoffs. They clobbered the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round, 38-10. Los Angeles would defeat the former division rival Seattle Seahawks in the 1983 AFC Championship Game, 30-14.
Meeting the Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII would be the defending Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins. This was no strike year, as Los Angeles demolished the Redskins to the tune of 38-9 to capture its third and most recent Lombardi Trophy. The 1983 Raiders were one of the most dominant teams in the 1980s. Still, this isn’t the best team in Raiders franchise history.