1970 Oakland Raiders season

The 1970 Oakland Raiders season was the team's 11th season in Oakland. It was also their first season as members of the NFL. The Raiders would ultimately win their fourth consecutive division title (as well as their first AFC West title). They advanced to the AFC Championship Game, where they lost to the Baltimore Colts.

1970 Oakland Raiders season
Owner	F. Wayne Valley
General manager	Al Davis
Head coach	John Madden
Home field	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
Results
Record	8–4–2
Division place	1st AFC West
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Dolphins) 21–14 Lost AFC Championship (at Colts) 17–27
← 1969 Raiders seasons 1971 →

The Raiders' 1970 season is best remembered for a series of clutch performances by veteran placekicker/quarterback George Blanda. Blanda, despite being cut during the 1970 preseason, eventually re-joined the Raiders' roster. His ensuing season (the twenty-first of his professional career) would rank as one of the more dramatic comebacks in sports history. Over a span of five consecutive games, Blanda would come off the bench to spark a series of dramatic rallies. The Raiders went an impressive 4–0–1 over this span.

Blanda's five-game "streak" began on October 25, 1970. In a home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Blanda threw for two touchdowns in relief of an injured Daryle Lamonica. One week later, his 48-yard field goal (with three seconds remaining on the clock) salvaged a 17–17 tie with the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. One week later, on November 8, Blanda would come off the bench against the Cleveland Browns. His late touchdown pass (with 1:34 remaining in the game) tied the game at 20–20. He would ultimately kick a 53-yard field goal, as time expired, to give the Raiders a stunning 23–20 victory. The following week, against the Denver Broncos, Blanda again replaced Lamonica in the fourth quarter. His touchdown pass to Fred Biletnikoff, with 2:28 left in the game, gave the Raiders an unlikely 24–19 win. The incredible streak concluded one week later against the San Diego Chargers. The Raiders managed to drive deep into Chargers territory in the game's final seconds. Blanda's last-minute 16-yard field goal would seal a dramatic 20–17 triumph.

Blanda's streak played a huge role in the Raiders' 1970 division title, as the team went a mediocre 4–4–1 in "non-streak" games. Indeed, their final record of 8–4–2 (itself a four-win drop from a 12–1–1 finish in 1969) placed them only one game ahead of the Chiefs at season's end.

The Raiders would ultimately advance to the 1970 AFC Championship Game, where they met the heavily favored 11–2–1 Baltimore Colts. During this game, Blanda again came off the bench in relief of an injured Lamonica. Blanda's solid play (17 of 32 passes for 217 yards, two touchdowns, and a 48-yard field goal) kept the Raiders in the game until the final quarter, when he was intercepted twice. At age 43, Blanda became the oldest quarterback to ever play in a championship game.

Blanda's eye-opening achievements resulted in his winning the Bert Bell Award. Chiefs' owner Lamar Hunt quipped that "...this George Blanda is as good as his father, who used to play for Houston." While he never again played a major role at quarterback, Blanda would serve as the Raiders' kicker for five more seasons.

Offseason

Draft

Main article: 1970 NFL Draft

1970 Oakland Raiders draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	24	Raymond Chester *	TE	Morgan State
2	50	Ted Koy	TE	Texas
Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

^[1]

Roster

1970 Oakland Raiders roster

	Quarterbacks 3 Daryle Lamonica 12 Ken Stabler 16 George Blanda QB/K Running backs 40 Pete Banaszak 35 Hewritt Dixon FB 32 Don Highsmith 44 Marv Hubbard 23 Charlie Smith 22 Larry Todd Wide receivers 25 Fred Biletnikoff 89 Drew Buie 13 Rod Sherman 81 Warren Wells Tight ends 87 Raymond Chester 38 Ted Koy 38 Jacque MacKinnon		Offensive linemen 64 George Buehler G 70 Jim Harvey G 00 Jim Otto C 79 Harry Schuh T 78 Art Shell T 76 Bob Svihus T 63 Gene Upshaw G Defensive linemen 84 Tony Cline DE 83 Ben Davidson DE 71 Al Dotson DT 74 Tom Keating DT 80 Art Thoms DT		Linebackers 50 Duane Benson 48 Bill Budness 55 Dan Conners 86 Gerald Irons 42 Bill Laskey 34 Gus Otto 49 Carl Weathers Defensive backs 43 George Atkinson S 24 Willie Brown CB 45 Dave Grayson S 47 Kent McCloughan CB 20 Jimmy Warren 26 Nemiah Wilson CB 41 Alvin Wyatt PR Special teams 11 Mike Eischeid P		Reserve lists Practice squad Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	September 20	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 21–31	0–1	Riverfront Stadium	56,616	Recap
2	September 27	at San Diego Chargers	T 27–27	0–1–1	San Diego Stadium	42,109	Recap
3	October 3	at Miami Dolphins	L 13–20	0–2–1	Miami Orange Bowl	57,140	Recap
4	October 11	Denver Broncos	W 35–23	1–2–1	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	54,436	Recap
5	October 19	Washington Redskins	W 34–20	2–2–1	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	54,471	Recap
6	October 25	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 31–14	3–2–1	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	54,423	Recap
7	November 1	at Kansas City Chiefs	T 17–17	3–2–2	Municipal Stadium	51,334	Recap
8	November 8	Cleveland Browns	W 23–20	4–2–2	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	54,463	Recap
9	November 15	at Denver Broncos	W 24–19	5–2–2	Mile High Stadium	50,959	Recap
10	November 22	San Diego Chargers	W 20–17	6–2–2	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	54,594	Recap
11	November 26	at Detroit Lions	L 14–28	6–3–2	Tiger Stadium	56,597	Recap
12	December 6	at New York Jets	W 14–13	7–3–2	Shea Stadium	62,905	Recap
13	December 12	Kansas City Chiefs	W 20–6	8–3–2	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	54,596	Recap
14	December 20	San Francisco 49ers	L 7–38	8–4–2	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	54,535	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1 at Bengals

See also: 1970 Cincinnati Bengals season

Week One: Oakland Raiders (0–0) at Cincinnati Bengals (0–0)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	7	0	14	0	21
Bengals	7	7	14	3	31

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

• Date: September 20, 1970
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C)
• Game attendance: 56,616
• Referee: Jim Tunney
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter CIN – Sam Wyche 5-yard run (Horst Muhlmann kick). Bengals 7–0. Drive: OAK – Fred Biletnikoff 20-yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick). Tie 7–7. Drive: Second quarter CIN – Essex Johnson 51-yard pass from Sam Wyche (Horst Muhlmann kick). Bengals 14–7. Drive: Third quarter CIN – Paul Robinson 3-yard run (Horst Muhlmann kick). Bengals 21–7. Drive: OAK – Fred Biletnikoff 18-yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick). Bengals 21–14. Drive: OAK – Alvin Wyatt 63-yard punt return (George Blanda kick). Tie 21–21. CIN – Jess Phillips 76-yard run (Horst Muhlmann kick). Bengals 28–21. Drive: Fourth quarter CIN – Horst Muhlmann 38-yard field goal. Bengals 31–21. Drive: Top passers OAK – Daryle Lamonica – 17/36, 265 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT CIN – Sam Wyche – 8/18, 147 yards, TD Top rushers OAK – Charlie Smith – 8 rushes, 29 yards CIN – Jess Phillips – 15 rushes, 130 yards, TD Top receivers OAK – Fred Biletnikoff – 6 receptions, 113 yards, 2 TD CIN – Bob Trumpy – 4 receptions, 67 yards

Week 2 at Chargers

Week 3 at Dolphins

Week 4 vs Broncos

Week Four: Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	10	7	6	0	23
Raiders	7	14	0	14	35

at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California

• Date: October 11
• Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C)
• Referee: John McDonough
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter DEN – Bobby Howfield 23 yard field goal. Broncos 3–0. Drive: OAK – Raymond Chester 24 yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick). Raiders 7–3. Drive: DEN – Floyd Little 54 yard run (Bobby Howfield kick). Broncos 10–7. Drive: Second quarter DEN – Mike Haffner 28 yard pass from Pete Liske (Bobby Howfield kick). Broncos 17–7. Drive: OAK – Warren Wells 32 yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick). Broncos 17–14. Drive: OAK – Warren Wells 60 yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick). Raiders 21–17. Drive: Third quarter DEN – Bobby Howfield 47 yard field goal. Raiders 21–20. Drive: DEN – Bobby Howfield 34 yard field goal. Broncos 23–21. Drive: Fourth quarter OAK – Warren Wells 20 yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick). Raiders 28–23. Drive: OAK – Charlie Smith 5 yard run (George Blanda kick). Raiders 35–23. Drive: Top passers DEN OAK – Daryle Lamonica – 20/37, 364 yards, 4 TD, INT Top rushers DEN OAK Top receivers DEN OAK – Warren Wells – 7 receptions, 198 yards, 3 TD

Week 5

1 2 3 4 Total Redskins 3 10 0 7 20 • Raiders 14 6 14 0 34 Date: October 19 Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California Game start: 9:00 p.m. Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C); wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h) Referee: Jack Reader Television network: ABC

Scoring summary Q1 OAK Dixon 39 yard run (Blanda kick) OAK 7–0 Q1 OAK Wells 28 yard pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick) OAK 14–0 Q1 WSH Knight 14 yard field goal OAK 14–3 Q2 OAK Blanda 35 yard field goal OAK 17–3 Q2 WSH Knight 34 yard field goal OAK 17–6 Q2 WSH Taylor 39 yard pass from Jurgensen (Knight kick) OAK 17–13 Q2 OAK Blanda 21 yard field goal OAK 20–13 Q3 OAK Wells 24 yard pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick) OAK 27–13 Q3 OAK Smith 16 yard pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick) OAK 34–13 Q4 WSH Smith 23 yard pass from Jurgensen (Knight kick) OAK 34–20

^[2]

Week 6

1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 0 7 7 0 14 • Raiders 7 17 7 0 31 Date: October 25 Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum • Oakland, California Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C) • Wind 8 mph (13 km/h) Referee: Norm Schachter

Scoring summary 1 OAK Raymond Chester 37-yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick) Raiders 7–0 2 PIT Preston Pearson 2-yard run (Gene Mingo kick) Tie 7–7 2 OAK Warren Wells 44-yard pass from George Blanda (George Blanda kick) Raiders 14–7 2 OAK George Blanda 27-yard field goal Raiders 17–7 2 OAK Raymond Chester 19-yard pass from George Blanda (George Blanda kick) Raiders 24–7 3 PIT Dennis Hughes 12-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Gene Mingo kick) Raiders 24–14 3 OAK Raymond Chester 34-yard pass from George Blanda (George Blanda kick) Raiders 31–14

^[3]

Week 7 at Chiefs

See also: 1970 Kansas City Chiefs season

Week Seven: Oakland Raiders (3–2–1) at Kansas City Chiefs (3–3)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	0	7	7	3	17
Chiefs	0	7	3	7	17

at Kansas City Municipal Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

• Date: November 1
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C)
• Game attendance: 51,334
• Referee: Bob Finley
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter No scoring Second quarter KC – Wendell Hayes 4-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick). Chiefs 7–0. Drive: OAK – Raymond Chester 3-yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick). Tie 7–7. Drive: Third quarter OAK – Raymond Chester 8-yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick). Raiders 14–7. Drive: KC – Jan Stenerud 33-yard field goal. Raiders 14–10. Drive: Fourth quarter KC – Otis Taylor 13-yard pass from Len Dawson (Jan Stenerud kick). Chiefs 17–14. Drive: OAK – George Blanda 40-yard field goal. Tie 17–17. Drive: Top passers OAK – Daryle Lamonica – 13/28, 125 yards, 2 TD KC – Len Dawson – 8/14, 174 yards, TD, INT Top rushers OAK – Marv Hubbard – 18 rushes, 98 yards KC – Ed Podolak – 19 rushes, 108 yards Top receivers OAK – Fred Biletnikoff/Warren Wells – 2 receptions, 33 yards KC – Otis Taylor – 4 receptions, 129 yards, TD

Ben Davidson speared Len Dawson causing a massive brawl between the two teams.

Week 8

1 2 3 4 Total Browns 0 10 7 3 20 • Raiders 3 10 0 10 23 Date: November 8 Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum • Oakland, California Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C) • Wind 5 mph (8.0 km/h) Referee: Jack Vest

Scoring summary 1 OAK George Blanda 43-yard field goal Raiders 3–0 2 OAK Charlie Smith 27-yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick) Raiders 10–0 2 OAK George Blanda 9-yard field goal Raiders 13–0 2 CLE Leroy Kelly 10-yard pass from Bill Nelsen (Don Cockroft kick) Raiders 13–7 2 CLE Don Cockroft 42-yard field goal Raiders 13–10 3 CLE Bo Scott 63-yard run (Don Cockroft kick) Browns 17–13 4 CLE Don Cockroft 32-yard field goal Browns 20–13 4 OAK Warren Wells 14-yard pass from George Blanda (George Blanda kick) Tie 20–20 4 OAK George Blanda 52-yard field goal Raiders 23–20

^[4]

Standings

AFC West
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Oakland Raiders	8	4	2	.667	4–0–2	7–2–2	300	293	L1
Kansas City Chiefs	7	5	2	.583	2–3–1	7–3–1	272	244	L2
San Diego Chargers	5	6	3	.455	2–2–2	4–4–3	282	278	W1
Denver Broncos	5	8	1	.385	1–4–1	3–6–1	253	264	L1

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Playoffs

AFC Divisional Playoffs

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	0	7	0	7	14
Raiders	0	7	7	7	21

at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California

• Date: December 27
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: 45 F, wind 8 mph (13 km/h)
• Game attendance: 52,594
• Referee: John McDonough
• TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Kyle Rote
• Box Score

Game information

Second quarter MIA – Paul Warfield 16-yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick) OAK – Fred Biletnikoff 22-yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick) Third quarter OAK – Willie Brown 50-yard interception return (George Blanda kick) Fourth quarter OAK – Rod Sherman 82-yard pass from Daryle Lamonica (George Blanda kick) MIA – Willie Richardson 7-yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick) Passing MIA – Bob Griese 13/27, 155 yards, 2 TD, INT OAK – Daryle Lamonica 8/16, 187 yards, 2 TD Rushing MIA – Jim Kiick 14 att, 64 yards OAK – Marv Hubbard 18 att, 58 yards Receiving MIA – Paul Warfield 4 rec, 64 yards, TD OAK – Rod Sherman 1 rec, 82 yards, TD

AFC Championship Game

See also: 1970 Baltimore Colts season

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	0	3	7	7	17
Colts	3	7	10	7	27

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

• Date: January 3
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 34 F, wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h)
• Game attendance: 54,799
• Referee: Ben Dreith
• TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Kyle Rote
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter BAL – Jim O'Brien 16-yard field goal Second quarter BAL – Norm Bulaich 2-yard run (Jim O'Brien kick) OAK – George Blanda 48-yard field goal Third quarter OAK – Fred Biletnikoff 38-yard pass from George Blanda (George Blanda kick) BAL – Jim O'Brien 23-yard field goal BAL – Norm Bulaich 11-yard run (Jim O'Brien kick) Fourth quarter OAK – Warren Wells 15-yard pass from George Blanda (George Blanda kick) BAL – Ray Perkins 68-yard pass from Johnny Unitas (Jim O'Brien kick) Passing OAK – George Blanda 17/32, 271 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT BAL – Johnny Unitas 11/30, 245 yards, TD Rushing OAK – Hewritt Dixon 10 att, 51 yards BAL – Norm Bulaich 22 att, 71 yards, 2 TD Receiving OAK – Warren Wells 5 rec, 108 yards, TD BAL – Eddie Hinton 5 rec, 115 yards

Awards and honors

• George Blanda, Associated Press Athlete of the Year^[5]
• George Blanda, Bert Bell Award^[6]

References

1. 1970 NFL Draft on databaseFootball.com March 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine . Archived from the original on March 27, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
2. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Jul-28.
3. Pro-Football-Reference.com
4. Pro-Football-Reference.com
5. Associated Press Athlete of the Year (male)
6. . Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved June 28, 2010.

• Raiders on Pro Football Reference