1978 Oakland Raiders season
The 1978 Oakland Raiders season was the team's 19th season. During a pre-season game, Jack Tatum paralyzed New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley from the chest down while making a hit.
1978 would prove to be an up and down year for the silver and black. The Raiders were plagued by one of Kenny Stabler's worst seasons, tossing 16 TD's, while throwing 30 interceptions. The running game also fall off from seasons past. Even the great wide receiver Cliff Branch, only caught one TD. The season started off with a 14 to 6 loss in Denver. The Raiders would rally to a 5 - 3 start, then climbed to 8 - 4. After a last minute loss to the Seattle Seahawks 17 - 16, a team beat the Raiders twice in the same season for the first time since 1965. Then the Broncos completed their sweep of the Raiders with a 21 - 6 victory in Oakland, followed by a 23 - 6 defeat in Miami. A meaningless 27 - 20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings kept the Raiders consecutive seasons with a winning record streak alive.
Offseason
NFL Draft
Main article:
1978 NFL Draft
| Round |
Pick |
Player |
Position |
School/Club Team |
|---|
|
Regular season
Schedule
| Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Attendance |
| 1 |
September 3, 1978 |
at Denver Broncos |
L 14–6 |
75,092 |
| 2 |
September 10, 1978 |
at San Diego Chargers |
W 21–20 |
51,653 |
| 3 |
September 17, 1978 |
at Green Bay Packers |
W 28–3 |
55,903 |
| 4 |
September 24, 1978 |
New England Patriots |
L 21–14 |
52,904 |
| 5 |
October 1, 1978 |
at Chicago Bears |
W 25–19 |
52,848 |
| 6 |
October 8, 1978 |
Houston Oilers |
W 21–17 |
52,550 |
| 7 |
October 15, 1978 |
Kansas City Chiefs |
W 28–6 |
50,759 |
| 8 |
October 22, 1978 |
at Seattle Seahawks |
L 27–7 |
62,529 |
| 9 |
October 29, 1978 |
San Diego Chargers |
L 27–23 |
52,612 |
| 10 |
November 5, 1978 |
at Kansas City Chiefs |
W 20–10 |
75,418 |
| 11 |
November 13, 1978 |
at Cincinnati Bengals |
W 34–21 |
51,374 |
| 12 |
November 19, 1978 |
Detroit Lions |
W 29–17 |
44,517 |
| 13 |
November 26, 1978 |
Seattle Seahawks |
L 17–16 |
52,978 |
| 14 |
December 3, 1978 |
Denver Broncos |
L 21–6 |
53,932 |
| 15 |
December 10, 1978 |
at Miami Dolphins |
L 23–6 |
73,003 |
| 16 |
December 17, 1978 |
Minnesota Vikings |
W 27–20 |
44,643 |
Game summaries
Week 2
| |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|
| • Raiders |
0 |
7 | 0 | 14 |
21 |
| Chargers |
0 |
13 | 0 | 7 |
20 |
|
|
| Scoring summary |
|---|
|
| Q2 |
| SD | Curran 14 yard pass from Fouts (Benirschke kick) | SD 7–0 |
|
| Q2 |
| OAK | Casper 6 yard pass from Stabler (Mann kick) | Tie 7–7 |
|
| Q2 |
| SD | Bauer 1 yard run (kick failed) | SD 13–7 |
|
| Q4 |
| SD | Bauer 2 yard run (Benirschke kick) | SD 20–7 |
|
| Q4 |
| OAK | Bradshaw 44 yard pass from Stabler (Mann kick) | SD 20–14 |
|
| Q4 |
:00 | OAK | Casper recovered fumble in end zone (Mann kick) | OAK 21–20 |
|
The Holy Roller
[1]
Week 3
| |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|
| • Raiders |
0 |
14 | 0 | 14 |
28 |
| Packers |
0 |
3 | 0 | 0 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
[2]
Standings
Roster
1978 Oakland Raiders Team Starters
Offense
12 Ken Stabler QB
22 Arthur Whittington RB/KR
30 Mark van Eeghen FB
21 Cliff Branch WR
81 Morris Bradshaw WR
87 Dave Casper TE
78 Art Shell LT
63 Gene Upshaw LG
50 Dave Dalby C
65 Mickey Marvin RG
70 Henry Lawrence RT
Defense
72 John Matuszak LDE
60 Otis Sistrunk NT
73 Dave Browning RDE
83 Ted Hendricks LB
58 Monte Johnson LB
39 Willie Hall LB
41 Phil Villapiano LB
37 Lester Hayes LCB
42 Monte Jackson RCB
47 Charlie Phillips SS
32 Jack Tatum FS
Kicking Team
14 Errol Mann K
8 Ray Guy P
20 Neal Colzie PR
References
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| | | | Franchise | |
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| | Stadiums | |
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| | Personnel | |
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| | Culture | |
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| | Lore | |
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| | Rivalries | |
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| | Media | |
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| | Playoff appearances (21) | |
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| | Division championships (16) | |
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| | Wild cards (5) | |
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| | Conference championships (4) | |
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| | Super Bowl appearances (5) | |
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| | League championships (4) | |
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| | Current league affiliations | |
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| | Former league affiliation | |
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| | Seasons (55) | |
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