Post by TheShadow on Dec 13, 2008 22:31:21 GMT -5
www.pressdemocrat.com/
by Robert Rubino
Probably the freshest Raiders-Patriots memory among Raiders fans is the playoff game in January 2002, the infamous "tuck rule" game in which an apparent fumble recovery by Oakland was instead ruled an incomplete pass. The Patriots went on to win the game, then went on to win their first Super Bowl.
But the rivalry first got considerably more intense back in 1976. In the fourth game of the season, the Patriots routed the Raiders, 48-17, at Foxborough, Mass. It would be the only game standing between the Raiders and a perfect season.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Raiders and Patriots met again, this time in Oakland. Entering the fourth quarter, the Steve Grogan-led Patriots held a 21-10 edge. But Ken Stabler rallied the Raiders for two fourth-quarter touchdowns, with Stabler scoring the winning TD in the final seconds. Final score: Raiders 24, Patriots 21.
The Patriots and their fans remained bitter for years over the officiating. Specifically, no penalty was called when Oakland's George Atkinson hammered tight end Russ Francis in the facemask and broke his nose; and the Patriots' Raymond Hamilton was flagged for a dubious roughing-the-passer in the final minute on third-and-18.
The Raiders went on to beat the Steelers in the AFC championship, then beat the Vikings in Super Bowl XI. But the Raiders-Patriots rivalry would simmer for another 25 years before hitting the boiling point again.
by Robert Rubino
Probably the freshest Raiders-Patriots memory among Raiders fans is the playoff game in January 2002, the infamous "tuck rule" game in which an apparent fumble recovery by Oakland was instead ruled an incomplete pass. The Patriots went on to win the game, then went on to win their first Super Bowl.
But the rivalry first got considerably more intense back in 1976. In the fourth game of the season, the Patriots routed the Raiders, 48-17, at Foxborough, Mass. It would be the only game standing between the Raiders and a perfect season.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Raiders and Patriots met again, this time in Oakland. Entering the fourth quarter, the Steve Grogan-led Patriots held a 21-10 edge. But Ken Stabler rallied the Raiders for two fourth-quarter touchdowns, with Stabler scoring the winning TD in the final seconds. Final score: Raiders 24, Patriots 21.
The Patriots and their fans remained bitter for years over the officiating. Specifically, no penalty was called when Oakland's George Atkinson hammered tight end Russ Francis in the facemask and broke his nose; and the Patriots' Raymond Hamilton was flagged for a dubious roughing-the-passer in the final minute on third-and-18.
The Raiders went on to beat the Steelers in the AFC championship, then beat the Vikings in Super Bowl XI. But the Raiders-Patriots rivalry would simmer for another 25 years before hitting the boiling point again.