The 1980 Oakland Raiders were a special team, becoming the first Wild Card team to win the Super Bowl, beating Philadelphia 27-10.
The Las Vegas Raiders will be watching the Super Wild Card Weekend just like the rest of us, as they faltered towards the end of the season and finished outside of the top-7 teams in the AFC. The 2020 Raiders had their moments, including getting out to a 6-3 record, and many felt they would be playing this weekend.
However, that was not the case, so as we enter Wild Card Weekend, let us look at the first Wild Card team to win the Super Bowl, the 1980 Oakland Raiders.
1979 season
The 1979 season was Tom Flores’ first as the Raiders head coach, and he took over a team that had missed the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. The 1978 Raiders were the final team coached by legendary head coach John Madden, finished with a 9-7 record, and Madden retired.
In 1979, Flores matched Madden’s record from the year before but came close to making the playoffs, as they lost at home to Seattle with a chance to get to the postseason. While the 1979 season ended with the Raiders missing the playoffs, they would be back in a big way the following year.