1968 Oakland Raiders season
AFL team season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1968 Oakland Raiders season was the Raiders' ninth season in both Oakland and the American Football League. It saw the team try to improve upon its 13–1 record from 1967. They ultimately finished one game short of matching that year's result; their 12–2 finish still ensured that they would lead the league in wins for a second consecutive year. Led by third-year head coach John Rauch, they tied with Kansas City for the division title,[1][2] which was settled by an unscheduled tiebreaker playoff, won 41–6 by the Raiders in Oakland.[3]
| 1968 Oakland Raiders season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | F. Wayne Valley |
| General manager | Al Davis |
| Head coach | John Rauch |
| Home stadium | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–2 |
| Division place | 1st AFL Western |
| Playoffs | Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Chiefs) 41–6 Lost AFL Championship (at Jets) 23–27 |
The season featured a growing rivalry between the Raiders and the New York Jets, led by fourth-year superstar quarterback Joe Namath. The teams met twice in 1968: the first was on November 17 in Oakland, which saw the Raiders complete a stunning fourth-quarter comeback over the Jets, scoring two touchdowns in nine seconds.[4] Known today as the Heidi Game,[5] it remains one of the most famous in AFL/NFL history. They paired up six weeks later in the AFL Championship Game in New York, where Namath's Jets emerged victorious in a 27–23 upset on December 29.[6] Two weeks later, the Jets upset the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.
The 1968 season is also notable for a few changes to the team including the additions of George Atkinson, Art Shell, and Ken Stabler. All three won a championship with the Raiders eight years later in Super Bowl XI. Additionally, Shell in 1989, and Stabler in 2016, were both inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Offseason
NFL/AFL draft
| 1968 Oakland Raiders draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 52 | Ken Stabler * † | QB | Alabama | |
| 3 | 80 | Art Shell * † | T | Maryland Eastern Shore | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Personnel
Staff / Coaches
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
- Source:[7]
Roster
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bye | ||||||
| 2 | September 15 | at Buffalo Bills | W 48–6 | 1–0 | War Memorial Stadium | 43,057 | Recap |
| 3 | September 21 | at Miami Dolphins | W 47–21 | 2–0 | Miami Orange Bowl | 30,021 | Recap |
| 4 | September 29 | at Houston Oilers | W 24–15 | 3–0 | Houston Astrodome | 46,098 | Recap |
| 5 | October 6 | Boston Patriots | W 41–10 | 4–0 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 44,253 | Recap |
| 6 | October 13 | San Diego Chargers | L 14–23 | 4–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 53,257 | Recap |
| 7 | October 20 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 10–24 | 4–2 | Municipal Stadium | 50,015 | Recap |
| 8 | October 27 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 31–10 | 5–2 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 37,083 | Recap |
| 9 | November 3 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 38–21 | 6–2 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 53,357 | Recap |
| 10 | November 10 | at Denver Broncos | W 43–7 | 7–2 | Mile High Stadium | 50,002 | Recap |
| 11 | November 17 | New York Jets | W 43–32 | 8–2 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 53,118 | Recap |
| 12 | November 24 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 34–0 | 9–2 | Nippert Stadium | 27,116 | Recap |
| 13 | November 28 | Buffalo Bills | W 13–10 | 10–2 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 39,883 | Recap |
| 14 | December 8 | Denver Broncos | W 33–27 | 11–2 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 47,754 | Recap |
| 15 | December 15 | at San Diego Chargers | W 34–27 | 12–2 | San Diego Stadium | 40,698 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
- Saturday night (September 21), Thursday (November 28: Thanksgiving)
Postseason
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | December 22 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 41–6 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 53,357 | Recap |
| AFL Championship | December 29 | at New York Jets | L 23–27 | Shea Stadium | 62,627 | Recap |
Standings
| AFL Western Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Oakland Raiders | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 6–2 | 453 | 233 | W8 | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 7–1 | 371 | 170 | W5 | |
| San Diego Chargers | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 5–3 | 382 | 310 | L2 | |
| Denver Broncos | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 1–7 | 275 | 404 | L3 | |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 1–7 | 215 | 329 | L3 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.
Game summaries
Week 11 vs. Jets
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 6 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 32 |
| Raiders | 7 | 7 | 8 | 21 | 43 |
at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum • Oakland, California
- Date: November 17
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
- Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C) • Wind —
- Game attendance: 53,318
- Referee: Bob Finley
- TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Kyle Rote
- Pro-Football-Reference.com, Pro Football Hall of Fame
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Week 12 vs. Bills
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Raiders | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 13 |
at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum • Oakland, California
- Date: November 28, Thanksgiving Day
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
- Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C) • Wind 5 mph (8 km/h)
- Game attendance: 39,883
- TV: NBC
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||