NFL team season
The 1968 Oakland Raiders season was the team's ninth season in both Oakland and the American Football League . It saw the team try to improve upon its 13–1 record from 1967. They ultimately finished one game short of matching that year's result; their 12–2 finish still ensured that they would lead the league in wins for a second consecutive year. They were led by third-year head coach John Rauch . They tied with Kansas City for the division title, which was settled by an unscheduled tiebreaker playoff , won 41–6 by the Raiders in Oakland.
The season featured a growing rivalry between the Raiders and the New York Jets , led by fourth-year superstar quarterback Joe Namath . The teams met twice in 1968: the first was on November 17 in Oakland, which saw the Raiders complete a stunning fourth-quarter comeback over the Jets, scoring two touchdowns in nine seconds.[1] Known today as the Heidi Game ,[2] it remains one of the most famous in AFL/NFL history. They paired up six weeks later in the AFL Championship Game in New York, where Namath's Jets emerged victorious in a 27–23 upset on December 29.[3] Two weeks later, the Jets upset the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III .
The 1968 season is also notable for a few changes to the team including the additions of George Atkinson , Art Shell , and Ken Stabler . All three won a championship with the Raiders eight years later in Super Bowl XI . Additionally, Shell in 1989, and Stabler in 2016, were both inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame .
Offseason [ ]
NFL Draft [ ]
1968 Oakland Raiders draft
Round
Pick
Player
Position
College
Notes
2
52
Ken Stabler * †
QB
Alabama
3
80
Art Shell * †
T
Maryland Eastern Shore
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career
Roster [ ]
1968 Oakland Raiders roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
Reserve lists
Practice squad
Rookies in italics
Schedule [ ]
Week
Date
Opponent
Result
Record
Venue
Attendance
Recap
1
Bye
2
September 15
at Buffalo Bills
W 48–6
1–0
War Memorial Stadium
43,057
Recap
3
September 21
at Miami Dolphins
W 47–21
2–0
Miami Orange Bowl
30,021
Recap
4
September 29
at Houston Oilers
W 24–15
3–0
Houston Astrodome
46,098
Recap
5
October 6
Boston Patriots
W 41–10
4–0
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
44,253
Recap
6
October 13
San Diego Chargers
L 14–23
4–1
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
53,257
Recap
7
October 20
at Kansas City Chiefs
L 10–24
4–2
Municipal Stadium
50,015
Recap
8
October 27
Cincinnati Bengals
W 31–10
5–2
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
37,083
Recap
9
November 3
Kansas City Chiefs
W 38–21
6–2
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
53,357
Recap
10
November 10
at Denver Broncos
W 43–7
7–2
Mile High Stadium
50,002
Recap
11
November 17
New York Jets
W 43–32
8–2
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
53,118
Recap
12
November 24
at Cincinnati Bengals
W 34–0
9–2
Nippert Stadium
27,116
Recap
13
November 28
Buffalo Bills
W 13–10
10–2
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
39,883
Recap
14
December 8
Denver Broncos
W 33–27
11–2
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
47,754
Recap
15
December 15
at San Diego Chargers
W 34–27
12–2
San Diego Stadium
40,698
Recap
Note:
Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Saturday night (September 21), Thursday (November 28: Thanksgiving )
Postseason [ ]
Standings [ ]
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Game summaries [ ]
Week 11 vs. Jets [ ]
Main article: The Heidi Game
New York Jets (7–2) at Oakland Raiders (7–2)
1
2
3 4 Total
Jets
6
6
7 13 32
Raiders
7
7
8 21 43
at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum • Oakland, California
Game information
Jets
Joe Namath 19/37, 381 Yds, TD
Matt Snell 21 Rush, 46 Yds
Don Maynard 10 Rec, 228 Yds, TD
Raiders
Scoring summary
Quarter
Time
Drive
Team
Scoring information
Score
Plays
Yards
TOP
NYJ
OAK
1
7:42
Jets
44-yard field goal by Turner
3
0
1
5:23
Jets
18-yard field goal by Turner
6
0
1
2:32
Raiders
Wells 9-yard touchdown reception from Lamonica , Blanda kick good
6
7
2
13:34
Raiders
Cannon 48-yard touchdown reception from Lamonica, Blanda kick good
6
14
2
0:05
Jets
Namath 1-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed
12
14
3
9:59
Jets
Mathis 4-yard touchdown run, Turner kick good
19
14
3
1:46
Raiders
Smith 3-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass good
19
22
4
14:15
Jets
Maynard 50-yard touchdown reception from Namath, Turner kick good
26
22
4
8:49
Jets
12-yard field goal by Turner
29
22
4
3:10
Raiders
Biletnikoff 22-yard touchdown reception from Lamonica, Blanda kick good
29
29
4
1:05
Jets
26-yard field goal by Turner
32
29
4
0:42
Raiders
Smith 43-yard touchdown reception from Lamonica, Blanda kick good
32
36
4
0:33
Raiders
Fumble recovery returned 2 yards for touchdown by Ridlehuber , Blanda kick good
32
43
"TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football .
32
43
Week 12 vs. Bills [ ]
Buffalo Bills (1–10–1) at Oakland Raiders (9–2)
1
2
3 4 Total
Bills
0
3
0 7 10
Raiders
0
3
10 0 13
at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum • Oakland, California
Thanksgiving Day
Scoring summary
Quarter
Time
Drive
Team
Scoring information
Score
Plays
Yards
TOP
BUF
OAK
2
Raiders
39-yard field goal by Blanda
0
3
2
Bills
26-yard field goal by Alford
3
3
3
Raiders
33-yard field goal by Blanda
3
6
3
Raiders
Interception returned 33 yards for touchdown by Atkinson , Blanda kick good
3
13
4
Bills
Anderson 5-yard touchdown run, Alford kick good
10
13
"TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football .
10
13
Staff [ ]
HC: John Rauch
Ast: John Polonchek (RB), Ollie Spencer (OL), Tom Dahms (DL), John Madden (LB), Charlie Sumner (DB), Marv Marinovich (Str)
[4]
References [ ]
Las Vegas Raiders
Founded in 1960
Played in Oakland, California (1960–1981, 1995–2019) and Los Angeles (1982–1994)
Based in Paradise, Nevada
Headquartered in Henderson, Nevada
Franchise Stadiums Key personnel Culture Lore Rivalries Media
Broadcasters
Television:
Radio:
Wild card berths (6) Division championships (15) Conference championships (4) League championships (4) Current league affiliations Former league affiliation
League: American Football League (1960–1969)
Bold indicates
AFL Championship (1960–1965) or
Super Bowl (1966–present) victory
Italics indicates
AFL Championship (1966–1969) and/or
Super Bowl (1966–present) appearance