1974 Oakland Raiders season: Difference between revisions

The '''[[1974 NFL season|1974]] [[Oakland Raiders]] season''' was the team's 15th season in [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] and fifth in the [[National Football League]]. The team would postposted a superb 12–2 record; the campaign's two losses would bewere by a total of four points. The Raiders' record (the team's best since [[1969 Oakland Raiders season|1969]]) would ensureensured 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 [[1974 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins]], by a score of 28–26, in the playoffs' Divisional round. Quarterback [[KennyKen Stabler]] (in his first full season as a starter) 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 [[1974 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]]. While the Raiders led 10–3 at the end of the third quarter, a defensive meltdown would allowallowed the Steelers to score 21 points in the final frame.

The 2006 edition of ''[[Football Outsiders|Pro Football Prospectus]]''<ref>''Pro Football Prospectus 2006'' ({{ISBN|0761142177}}), p.73-75</ref> 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 (American football)|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 [[1973 MiamiPittsburgh DolphinsSteelers season|Immaculate Reception]] game. The [[1973 Oakland Raiders season|1973 Raiders]] ended [[1973 Miami Dolphins season|Miami's]] 18-game winning streak during the regular season but lost to the Dolphins in the [[1973-74 NFL playoffs|AFC Championship game]]. In 1974, the Raiders seemed to finally have all the pieces."