1968 Oakland Raiders season

1968 Oakland Raiders season
Head coach	John Rauch
Owner	F. Wayne Valley
Home field	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Results
Record	12–2–0
Division place	1st AFL Western
Playoff finish	Lost AFL Championship

The 1968 Oakland Raiders season was the team's 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. They were led by third-year coach John Rauch.

The season would feature a growing rivalry between the Raiders and the New York Jets (the latter led by superstar quarterback Joe Namath). The two teams would meet twice in 1968. The first meeting, a regular-season contest, saw the Raiders complete a stunning fourth-quarter comeback over the Jets. The contest, known today as the Heidi Game, remains one of the most famous in AFL/NFL history. The two teams would also meet in the 1968 AFL Championship Game; Namath's Jets would emerge victorious in a 27–23 upset. The Jets would ultimately defeat 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 players would eventually win a championship with the Raiders in 1976. Additionally, Shell was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 15, 1968	at Buffalo Bills	W 48–6	43,057
2	September 21, 1968	at Miami Dolphins	W 47–21	30,021
3	September 29, 1968	at Houston Oilers	W 24–15	46,098
4	October 6, 1968	Boston Patriots	W 41–10	44,253
5	October 13, 1968	San Diego Chargers	L 23–14	53,257
6	October 20, 1968	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 24–10	50,015
7	October 27, 1968	Cincinnati Bengals	W 31–10	37,083
8	November 3, 1968	Kansas City Chiefs	W 38–21	53,357
9	November 10, 1968	at Denver Broncos	W 43–7	50,002
10	November 17, 1968	New York Jets	W 43–32	53,118
11	November 24, 1968	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 34–0	27,116
12	November 28, 1968	Buffalo Bills	W 13–10	39,883
13	December 8, 1968	Denver Broncos	W 33–27	47,754
14	December 15, 1968	at San Diego Chargers	W 34–27	40,698

Postseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
Playoff	December 22, 1968	Kansas City Chiefs	W 41–6	53,357
AFL Championship	December 29, 1968	at New York Jets	L 27–23	62,627

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	255	404	L3
Cincinnati Bengals	3	11	0	.214	1–7	215	329	L3

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Game summaries

Week 10

1 2 3 4 Total Jets 6 6 7 13 32 • Raiders 7 7 8 21 43 Date: November 17 Location: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Scoring summary 1 Jets Jim Turner 44 yard field goal Jets 3–0 1 Jets Jim Turner 18 yard field goal Jets 6–0 1 Raiders Warren Wells 9 yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick) Raiders 7–6 2 Raiders Billy Cannon 48 yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick) Raiders 14–6 2 Jets Joe Namath 1 yard run (pass failed) Raiders 14–12 3 Jets Bill Mathis 4 yard run (Jim Turner kick) Jets 19–14 3 Raiders Charlie Smith 3 yard run (pass good) Raiders 22–19 4 Jets Don Maynard 50 yard pass from Joe Namath (Jim Turner kick) Jets 26–22 4 Jets Jim Turner 12 yard field goal Jets 29–22 4 Raiders Fred Biletnikoff 22 yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick) Tie 29–29 4 Jets Jim Turner 26 yard field goal Jets 32–29 4 Raiders Charlie Smith 43 yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick) Raiders 36–32 4 Raiders Preston Ridlehuber 2 yard fumble return (George Blanda kick) Raiders 43–32

"The Heidi Game"

Week 12

1 2 3 4 Total Bills 0 3 0 7 10 • Raiders 0 3 10 0 13 Date: November 28 Location: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California Game weather: 54°F; wind 5

Scoring summary 2 OAK George Blanda 39 yard field goal OAK 3–0 2 BUF Bruce Alford 26 yard field goal Tie 3–3 3 OAK George Blanda 33 yard field goal OAK 6–3 3 OAK George Atkinson 33 yard interception return (George Blanda kick) OAK 13–3 4 BUF Max Anderson 5 yard run (Bruce Alford kick) OAK 13–10

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Thanksgiving Day

Staff

HC: John Rauch

Ast: John Polonchek (RB), Ollie Spencer (OL), Tom Dahms (DL), John Madden (LB), Charlie Sumner (DB), Marv Marinovich (Str)

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References

1. Pro-Football-Reference.com
2. Raiders coaches – Silver and Black Report