The Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders have been part of one of the NFL’s top rivalries. On Sunday, the Broncos will play the Raiders as the Oakland Raiders for the final time.
The Raiders will be leaving for Las Vegas next season and while they also played in Los Angeles from 1982-1994, Oakland is the city they have spent the majority of their time in.
So with that in mind, I looked back at every game the Broncos and Raiders ever played against each other while the team was known as the Oakland Raiders.
The Broncos had great come-from-behind wins over the Raiders in 1995 and 1996. They found a way to win against them when they were heavily favored and playing for home-field advantage in 2001 and then there was the game in 2007 where Mike Shanahan started something that has come to be known as “icing the kicker.”
The Broncos won each of those games, but there is still one game against the Raiders that stands out above all. It took place on January 1, 1978.
This game took place in the playoffs and it wasn’t just any playoff game. This one was for the AFC Championship. It marks the only time these teams ever played in the AFC title game.
The Broncos were 14-2 that season but to get to the Super Bowl, they would have to beat the Raiders, who were the defending champions.
The Raiders scored the first points in the game on a field goal, but the Broncos would take the lead on a 74-yard touchdown pass from Craig Morton to Haven Moses, who had a great game. Moses five passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns in the game and was the biggest factor in the Broncos taking a 14-3 lead into the final quarter.
But that’s when the Raiders made their run.
Tight end Dave Casper caught two fourth-quarter touchdowns and the Broncos’ lead was cut to 20-17 with less than four minutes to play. But the Broncos were able to execute a perfect four-minute drive to run the clock out and secure the win, sending the team to their first-ever trip to the Super Bowl.
The team’s “Orange Crush” defense deserves a lot of credit for the win as well. The Broncos forced three turnovers in the game.
This is easily the Broncos’ biggest win ever over the Raiders, Oakland or not. Though the rivalry will continue on, the Raiders’ time in Oakland will come to an end on Sunday.
Hopefully, the Broncos can hand them another defeat.
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