Revisiting the 1980 Oakland Raiders entering Wild Card Weekend
By Brad Weiss
Raiders playoff run to the Super Bowl
The Raiders kicked off their playoff run in the Wild Card round against an old friend, as Stabler and his Oilers awaited the Silver and Black. While the Oilers offense actually had more yards than the Raiders, it was the turnovers that did them in, as Oakland beat their former quarterback, 27-7.
That set up one of the biggest games in team history, as the Raiders had to go on the road to take on the Cleveland Browns. With the game seemingly in hand for the Browns, down two points late, but deep in Raiders territory, Cleveland decided to go for the touchdown, a play that would end in horror for the Browns.
Brian Sipe tried to force one into Ozzie Newsome with the Browns on the Raiders’ 13-yard line, but “Red Right 88” was intercepted by Mike Davis, who made a tremendous play on the ball. Cleveland was forced to try for the touchdown due to how bad their kicker was that day, but in the end, it was Oakland heading to the AFC title game.
In the AFC title game, Oakland would face a division rival in the San Diego Chargers. Plunkett and the Raiders got out to an early lead, as he found Chester Raymond and Kenny King for touchdown passes, and ran one in himself. A van Eeghen rush gave the Silver and Black a 28-7 lead, one they would not relinquish.
The Chargers battled back, and it was a seven-point game in the fourth, but the Raiders came out on top, 34-27.
Super Bowl XV saw Plunkett dominate the Philadelphia Eagles defense, as he threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns, and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. King was a hero again, setting a Super Bowl record with his 80-yard touchdown catch and run.
The game was never really close, and in the end, the organization collected their second Super Bowl title and the first for a Wild Card team.
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Maybe a Wild Card team can work their way to the Super Bowl again this season, but for the 1980 Raiders, their run was not only improbable but brought so many all-time moments in team history. As Raiders fans, we have to sit and watch 12 teams take the field this weekend, hoping that next year, the Silver and Black can finally punch their ticket back to the playoffs.