Oakland Raiders: 30 Iconic Moments In Franchise History

Oct 4, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos president and general manager John Elway before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

19. September 26, 1988 – More Monday Night Madness

"“I’ve never been involved in a loss like this. I’ve never blown a 24-point lead in my life. It’s worse than the Stanford-Cal game.”"

Any game that leaves Denver icon, John Elway, shaking his head and saying that has to be considered a great game.

Such was the case on a Monday night in 1988 when the Raiders were in Mile High Stadium taking on their arch rival Denver Broncos.

It was a game that didn’t start well for the Raiders at all. New starting quarterback Jay Schroeder, recently acquired in a trade for offensive lineman Jim Lachey, finished the first half of the game a dismal 2-8 for 26 yards. Meanwhile, Elway and the Broncos were busy lighting it up. The Broncos were staked to a 24-0 lead and had outgained the Raiders in total yardage by a margin of 254-39.

The second half of the game though, was a whole different story. Suddenly, the Raider offense began to click while the defense woke up and began to stymie the Broncos. A 4 yard run late in the fourth quarter tied the score at 24, but Elway led the Broncos right back down the field and Denver kicked a field goal to go back up 27-24.

But the Raiders weren’t done. Schroeder led the Raiders back down the field, with Chris Bahr kicking the tying field goal with just eight seconds remaining, sending the game into overtime.

An Elway interception – his fourth of the game – led to the Raiders kicking a 35-yard field goal, giving the Raiders a win in what had been a wild, wild game.

Next: January 4, 1981