Oakland Raiders: 30 Iconic Moments In Franchise History

Sep 28, 2014; London, UNITED KINGDOM; General view of the line of scrimmage at midfield on the NFL shield as Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) takes the snap against the Oakland Raiders in the NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. The Dolphins defeated the Raiders 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

28. December 12, 1970 – The First Post-Merger Playoff Win

It was a rainy, sloppy day in the Bay Area – but not even the rain could dampen the spirits of Raiders fans who flocked to see their beloved team in the playoffs in the newly constructed NFL.

The Raiders won the new AFC West division with a record of 8-4-2 and the Miami Dolphins, though having a better record of 10-4, finished behind the Baltimore Colts in their division and were forced on the road for this divisional round matchup.

In a low scoring first half of the game, the Dolphins drew first blood, cashing in on a Raiders turnover to go up 7-0. After trading punts, the Daryle Lamonica led a drive that started on his 38-yard line and culminated in a 22-yard touchdown toss to Fred Biletnikoff to tie things up.

On the opening drive of the second half, the Raiders sat at Miami’s two and were poised to take their first lead of the game. Unfortunately, running back Charlie Smith coughed up his second fumble of the game and the Raiders were denied.

It’s a good thing the Raiders had a good defense that could make plays.

On the ensuing drive, cornerback Willie Brown picked off Bob Griese and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown and a 14-7 Raiders lead. The Dolphins missed a field goal on their next possession, but the Raiders offense started to click, and they punched it in for a 21-7 lead.

The Dolphins though, proved resilient and came back down the field to cut the lead to 21-14. The Raiders recovered the onside kick and ran the clock down as far as they could before punting it away and leaving it in the hands of their defense. Miami turned the ball over on downs and the Raiders moved on in the postseason tournament.

Next: January 2, 2000