Insulted Raiders Routed Chiefs, 41-6, in 1968 Playoffs

As our series on the illustrious history of the Las Vegas Raiders continues, we travel back to 1968, for a major win against the arch-rival Kansas City Chiefs.

The Oakland-Los Angeles-Las Vegas Raiders have played some of their most memorable games against American Football Conference West rival Kansas City Chiefs, and even though KC has dominated in recent seasons and holds a 70-52-2 lead in the series, the Silver and Black did pull off a 40-22 upset in 2020.

The Raiders lost five of their first six games against the Chiefs after the American Football League was founded in 1960, but then the Silver and Black started to turn things around when Al Davis came to Oakland as coach and general manager in 1963, when the Raiders swept both games.

However, one of the most incredible games in the series came in the 1968 AFC Divisional Playoff game at the Oakland Coliseum.

Hall of Fame guard and captain Gene Upshaw of the Raiders went to midfield before the game for the coin flip and the great Chiefs linebacker Willie Lanier won the toss.

Lanier said the Chiefs would defend the South goal line, meaning the Raiders would receive the kickoff at the start of both halves. Kansas City obviously believed its powerful defense could shut down the Raiders.

“You what?” Upshaw asked incredulously and when Lanier repeated it, Upshaw responded: “You’ll regret this,” and he yelled the same thing to Chiefs Coach Hand Stram over on the Kansas City sideline.

When Upshaw returned to the Oakland sideline, he told his teammates: “Buckle up your chinstraps. We’ve just been insulted.”

The Chiefs, who averaged 32.4 points per game and allowed only 16.6, and the Raiders both entered the game with 12-2 records and tied for the American Football Conference’s Western Division title.

The rivals split their regular-season games, with the Chiefs winning, 24-10, at Kansas City Memorial Stadium on Oct. 20, before the Raiders claimed a 38-21 victory on Nov. 3 at the Oakland Coliseum.

Having been insulted, as Upshaw said, the Silver and Black dominated this one from start to finish in a rousing 41-6 victory on Dec. 22 before 53,605 ecstatic fans.

And the Raiders took Upshaw’s words to heart right from the start.

Quarterback Daryle Lamonica, the famed “Mad Bomber,” threw touchdown passes of 24 and 44 yards to Hall of Fame wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff, and 23 yards to wide receiver Warren Wells in the first quarter as the Raiders raced out to a 21-0 lead.

The Chiefs got on the scoreboard in the second quarter with 10- and eight-yard field goals by Jan Jan Stenerud, but the Raiders made it 28-6 at halftime on Lamonica’s 54-yard scoring pass to Biletnikoff.

Lamonica, who completed 19-of-39 passes for 347 yards and five touchdowns in the game, threw a 35-yard scoring pass to Wells in the fourth quarter and George Blanda wrapped up the scoring with field goals of 41 and 40 yards.

Quarterback Lenny Dawson tried to get the Chiefs back into the game and completed 17-of-36 passes for 253 yards, but the Raiders intercepted four of his passes in addition to limiting running back Robert Holmes to 46 yards on 13 carries and recovering the ball when he fumbled.

“Our guys were fired up for the game even before the coin toss,” Raiders Hall of Fame Coach John Madden said. “But after the Chiefs did that, it took them to another level and after taking the early lead, we just never let up.”

Unfortunately, Oakland lost the next week in the AFC Championship Game to quarterback Joe Namath and the New York Jets, 27-23, at Shea Stadium and the Jets went on to beat the Baltimore Colts, 16-7, in Super Bowl III.

The Raiders would have to wait until Super Bowl XI after the 1976 season to win pro football’s biggest prize, 32-14, over the Minnesota Vikings after beating the Chiefs twice during the regular season.

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