Raiders most surprising seasons by decade, 1960-2010s
The 1993 Los Angeles Raiders
Heading into the 1993 NFL season, the Los Angeles Raiders knew they needed some kind of spark at quarterback. The previous year, the team went 7-9 with a combination of Jay Schroeder and Todd Marinovich under center, so it made sense that they would go out and sign Jeff Hostetler away from the New York Giants.
Hoss had led the Giants to a Super Bowl victory as Phil Simms’ backup, and he arrived in Los Angeles in a big way in 1993. The veteran became only the third quarterback in team history to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season, getting the job done through the air, and on the ground, where he racked up five rushing touchdowns.
After winning ten games in the regular season, and clinching a playoff berth, the Raiders saw Hostetler out-duel future Hall of Famer John Elway in the Wild Card round. While the Raiders lost the following week, it was one of the more surprising seasons in team history, as the Silver and Black put together incredible comeback victories throughout the campaign.
The run to the playoffs was a special one, and the franchise would not make another playoff appearance the rest of the decade. Hostetler proved to be quite the pickup from the Giants, and proved to be exactly the kind of leader that this team, and franchise needed at the time.