Raiders vs Vikings History Lesson: Super Bowl XI

As the Las Vegas Raiders (5-7) prepare to host the Minnesota Vikings (6-6) this weekend, we travel back to one of their most meaningful games today in Super Bowl XI.

The Oakland-Los Angeles-Las Vegas Raiders and the Minnesota Vikings have not played that often over the years, even though they were both founded before the 1960 season.

That’s because the Raiders and Vikings were initially in different leagues and then in opposite conferences once the American Football League-National Football League merger was completed in 1970.

The Raiders lead the all-time series, 10-6, and have outscored the Vikings, 381-328, in those games.

There is one meeting that longtime members of Raider Nation will never forget, and that came in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan 9, 1977.

The Vikings were favored by a touchdown in that game, but one Raiders player said while asking not to be named in the days leading up to the game: “After looking at game film, we know we’re gonna win.”

Even Coach John Madden, who usually didn’t talk too much about that either before or after games, said in the locker room after the Raiders dominated the Vikings, 32-14: “We knew early in the week that we were going to win the game, and easily.”

The Raiders had been overlooked even though they played in five consecutive American Football Conference Championship Games, because they couldn’t surpass the two-time Super champions Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins.

Those great teams overshadowed the Raiders until 1976, when the Silver and Black went 13-1 during the regular season while losing only to the New England Patriots, 48-17, before reversing that result in the first round of the playoffs, 24-21, on quarterback Kenny “Snake” Stabler’s one-yard touchdown run in the final minute at the Oakland Coliseum.

Then, the Raiders finally got past the Steelers, 24-7, in the AFC Championship game at the Coliseum when Stabler threw touchdown passes to tight end Warren Bankston and running back Pete Banaszak. 

In addition, the defense shut down Terry Bradshaw and the Pittsburgh offense.

Raiders vs Vikings History Lesson: Super Bowl XI / © Tony Tomsic | 1977 Jan 9

Many people thought the Vikings would roll past the Raiders with quarterback Fran Tarkenton, running back Chuck Foreman and wide receiver Sammy White, but the Silver and Black had other ideas.

The Raiders lost defensive linemen Art Thoms, Horace Jones and Tony Cline to injuries that season, so they signed 6-7 280-pound Dave Rowe and made him the nose tackle in a 3-4 defense and also added linebacker, Willie Hall.

Both made huge plays in the Super Bowl.

Rowe helped the Raiders hold Foreman to 44 yards rushing, while Hall made six tackles, recovered a fumble on the Oakland six-yard-line early in the game, and later intercepted a pass by Tarkenton in the third quarter to help the Raiders build a 26-7 lead.

“After the injuries on our defensive line, Dave Rowe made our defense complete again,” Madden said.

Stabler had much bigger statistical games, but in the Super Bowl, he completed 12-of-19 passes for 182 yards and threw a one-yard pass to tight end Dave Casper for the first touchdown. 

More importantly, Snake called an almost perfect game, much of it at the line of scrimmage.

With the Vikings double covering speedy wide receiver Cliff Branch, Stabler hit fellow wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff on four passes for 79 yards, three that went inside the Minnesota two-yard line to set up touchdowns -- to by short-yardage specialist Pete Banaszak.

Biletnikoff was selected the game’s most valuable player, but said afterward: “Snake probably should have been the MVP.”

Fullback Mark van Eeghen rushed for 1,012 yards that season, but the Raiders switched their game plan for the Vikings, and Van Eeghen led the way for Clarence Davis to run for 137 yards, although Van Eeghen did add 73.

Many observers probably didn’t realize how great that Raiders team was until later, but Madden, Stabler, Branch, Biletnikoff, Casper, wide receivers coach (later Coach) Tom Flores, tackle Art Shell, guard Gene Upshaw, punter Ray Guy, cornerback Willie Brown and linebacker Ted Hendricks, who made six tackles in the Super Bowl, all have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Canton, Ohio.

Many fans of Raider Nation believe Van Eeghen, safety Jack Tatum, linebacker Phil Villapiano, cornerback Skip Thomas, safety George Atkinson and others also belong in the Hall. 

Of course, to some people, that would be too many Raiders.

“That’s the best team I’ve ever played on,” Stabler said before he passed away in 2016. “We had so many weapons on offense that defenses couldn’t try to shut down anything or anybody without leaving me an opening elsewhere. It was great that Clarence and Rooster (Banaszak) had big games.

“And the defense made so many big plays all season to get us the ball with excellent field position. Adding Dave Rowe and Willie Hall to the defense made a huge difference so that teams couldn’t do much against them, making it much easier for the offense.

“Obviously winning the Super Bowl was the greatest moment of my career and the defense had a lot to do with it.”

Brown put the finishing touch on the Raiders’ first Super Bowl victory when he intercepted a pass by Tarkenton in the final minutes and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown as legendary Raiders radio play-by-play announcer Bill King said: “Old man Willie, he’s all the way.”

And so did perhaps the most incredible team in Raiders history.

The Silver and Black will return home to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to take on the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, December 10, at 4:05 p.m. EST/1:05 p.m. PST.

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