NFL's Greatest Games - 'Sea Of Hands' - 1974 AFC Playoff - Dolphins at Raiders - Enhanced - 720p

The only source of this game that seems to be out there in the collector world is a pretty low-res/low-focus TV copy. I was still able to do a pretty nice improvement on this one considering. Used Topaz to upscale, denoise, and sharpen it to 720p. Resolve was used to bring the color and contrast back looking great, removing a yellowish hue in the recording. The picture was also a bit 'scrunched' and I adjusted the aspect ratio to compensate. You can see before/after shots of the whole upgrade here -- imgbox.com/g/Z... -- Note that when I first tried to upload this it got blocked for copyright because of a couple 'Immaculate Reception' game clips early on. Instead of removing these entirely, I left the audio intact and just blacked the screen during these portions

[@ericradford2142]

RIP to all the players, officials, and broadcasters that have left us.

[@bloqk16]

The voice of the legendary Bill King is heard in the play calling.

[@williamdunphy352]

Why is Bill King not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? As the Pete Rozelle media award winner?

[@davevolskysbackdoor5673]

Note that when I first tried to upload this it got blocked for copyright because of a couple 'Immaculate Reception' game clips early on. Instead of removing these entirely, I left the audio intact and just blacked the screen during these portions

[@dantheman5745]

Good thinking, but pathetic that you have to resort to that.

[@killerhertz9]

Still covering up 50 years on 😂

[@dantheman5745]

@@killerhertz9 Nah. It's not due to conspiracy. Just bald-faced greed by the power-hungry NFL.

[@davevolskysbackdoor5673]

Well it's amazing that this channel is still going to be honest. I mean, since May of 2023 I have posted well over 200 game enhancements, mostly NFL, and have put out tons of NFL projects and NFL Films material. Every day I keep expecting to receive three quick copyright strikes and that will be the end of it all. How the heck this channel continues to skirt by is beyond me. Figured it would be kaput months ago. I got scared back around June last year when I had jumped from 3200 subscribers to 4000 - thought for sure that was 'too many eyes' on the material and that word would finally get out. Geez, now it's almost at 30,000 and we're still alive. Unbelievable.

[@stevenzimmerman4057]

You do a great job, Dave! The copyright issues are nonsense!

[@lennythecool6926]

One of the greatest games ever. The Snake at his very best.

[@kevinstyles5485]

the best decade for NFL football in my opinion

[@doncarpenter1040]

Ken Stabler comes across as this smart, sweet and intelligent guy. I can see why his teammates loved him,

[@samson9535]

When the NFL was the NFL!

[@ricknorman7193]

Never to return.

[@henrymcallen5703]

YES!!!!! Thank you Dave. The Snake played in some of THE most memorable games of all time; The Sea of Hands, The Holy Roller, The Ghost to The Post and The Immaculate Reception. He proves once again, like so many guys from the era, don't look at the career numbers, the guy was GREAT. Thanks again Dave!!!

[@fortynights1513]

Stabler’s career numbers were actually pretty solid on their own, but I would agree that the biggest games and highlights he had would stand out to voters more than his career numbers in aggregate. With a combination of combining career pass yardage on par with Terry Bradshaw, a career passer rating through 1979 that was seventh in league history (through the end of his prime), as well as an MVP and championship in 1976, four pro bowls and two all pros (1976 being second team), and all his highlights and memorable games, Stabler should’ve been inducted to Canton way sooner than he was. It’s a shame we didn’t see him give a Hall of Fame acceptance speech.

[@henrymcallen5703]

@@fortynights1513 I loved the Snake, the guy was a winner, and I agree he was always a head scratcher as to why he wasn’t in the HOF earlier. Sad he didn’t get to enjoy his day in the sun. When you see how the game is played/managed in the modern era guys like Bradshaw and Stabler (who didn’t become the Raiders full time starter until he was 28) would’ve been cut or out of the league today due to the impatience and lack of proper development. Can you imagine the numbers those guys as well as Bert Jones, Roger Staubach, Fran Tarkenton, etc would put up nowadays with today’s rules? This is why I always say when it comes to the guys who were in their prime pre 1980, you cannot always look at the lifetime completion percentages and TD vs Interception ratio.

[@fortynights1513]

⁠@@henrymcallen5703I totally get what you mean. In my opinion you can look at those numbers, but you have to compare them to one another, otherwise obvious Hall of Famers are going to be sold short. The period of 1970-1977 in my opinion is the hardest eight seasons in NFL history to pass efficiently (at least since World War II). The AFL and NFL had just merged, so a lot of teams were playing one another for the first times, and after 1977, the Mel Blount rule was implemented, which created pass interference, and linemen were now allowed to extend their arms forward instead of using hunched elbows to block. There were quite a few talented defenders in that eight year span as well. Not to brag about anything, but I actually suggested pro football reference add filters that are not behind paywalls for all time rankings through a certain point in history, and they actually took up my suggestion and did so. To get things into perspective for what stats looked like before the Mel Blount rule. Through 1977, only nine quarterbacks had thrown200 touchdown passes (Fran Tarkenton, Johnny Unitas, Sonny Jurgenson, John Hadl, Y.A. Tittle, Len Dawson, George Blanda, John Brodie, and Roman Gabriel) Only 12 players had thrown for 25,000 yards (Joe Namath notably actually retired tenth in career pass yardage) And only 7 quarterbacks through 1977 are listed with a career passer rating as high as 80, with Otto Graham being the highest at 86.6. Similarly, on the receiver side of things, only ten players had caught 8,000 yards worth of passes (Don Maynard’s 11,834 being the highest total) Only 13 targets had as many as 65 career receiving touchdowns (Don Hutson’s 99 being the highest) And only eight players had as many as 500 career receptions (Charley Taylor’s 649 being the highest total). To contrast those totals to the present (as of 2023), right now there are currently ten active quarterbacks who have 200 career passing touchdowns (could easily be 12 once Jared Goff throws 15 more and Josh Allen throws 33 more). There are 11 active quarterbacks who have 25,000 career passing yards. There are 33 active quarterbacks with a career passer rating over 80. There are 12 receivers who are active with 8,000 yards or more (and Tyler Lockett needs only six more yards to get there) There are eight receivers who are active with 65 career receiving touchdowns. And there are 26 active targets with 500 career receptions. And those totals are just active players who cleared marks today that would be viewed as all time production in the pre-Mel Blount years, it doesn’t even count quarterbacks and receivers who have retired recently and top those totals. Rules have changed and the tendencies of teams have changed with them, and whenever people quote older stats, they tend not to acknowledge the contexts that they were all put up in. So if you quote stats, acknowledge how well they compared to the points in history in which they were put up.

[@henrymcallen5703]

AMEN to everything you said!! I was going to reference the Blount rule as well, it was a big time game changer. Football is so tough to compare era vs era because of rule change, as well as the size of players, etc. I loved the game from the era of the 70’s and I guess my bias shows, especially with the younger generation who has a heart attack when I say I prefer Montana over Brady, or Payton over A.P. So many guys who were GREAT players from the 70’s are forgotten. Players like Chuck Foreman and Larry Brown (both of whom I thought were HOF shoe-ins back then) as well as Otis Taylor (another MAJOR HOF omission in my opinion, and too bad IF he gets in he won’t be alive to see it). The thousand yard rushers have been replaced by the thousand yard receivers and to me the game has changed, and not for the better. I think the modern game has focused so much on offensive production and numbers to the point where guys bloated stats put them in the HOF quicker than others. For instance, when I think of Kurt Warner I say to myself “had a few really good years, but a HOFer, not sure.” While to me The Snake was a no brainer. This is why I appreciate all Dave does for this channel and why I’ve collected over 3,000 games myself over the years. Thanks for your amazing insight to this topic. It’s very much agreed with and appreciated.

[@fortynights1513]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@henrymcallen5703It’s definitely tough to compare players in NFL history era to era straight up which is why the context of the rules are important. I would agree that the league today focuses more on offense in general. I guess that makes me appreciate defenses after 1978 more. (Seahawks fan who didn’t watch much NFL until 2012, and who wasn’t born until well after the Mel Blount rule was a thing for the record). Makes me wonder in particular what the Legion of Boom defenses could’ve done with rules of the early to mid 70’s. Conversely, it would also be interesting to see what quarterbacks like Roger Staubach and Fran Tarkenton could’ve done if they played in their primes under the rules of the 2020’s if they could do what they did in that eight year window. As for the three players you named, I could see them each being overlooked in general, and Otis Taylor of those three probably would have the best Hall of Fame case. One player from the 70’s primarily who I say belongs in Canton is the Eagles, Rams, and Patriots receiver Harold Jackson. On one hand he has no championships, and his playoff resume wasn’t as good as most receivers who have made it in from his generation. But on the other hand, when he retired in 1983, he was second in career receiving yards, and top ten in receptions and receiving touchdowns; and had the most of all three in the decade of the 1970’s. He also made five pro bowls and two all pros. Jackson also never played with a prime Hall of Fame quarterback unlike every receiver of his generation who made the Hall of Fame other than Harold Carmichael, and if you consider him the same generation, Steve Largent. Jackson for the record played with Norm Snead, as well as Pete Liske and John Reaves in Philly, the latter two were a career backup and a guy who started for the late 60’s Broncos before finishing in Philly. In Los Angeles, Jackson played with John Hadl in the last season of Hadl’s prime in 1973, James Harris in 1974 and 75, Pat Haden in 1976 and 77, and briefly Joe Namath in the final year of his career and Ron Jaworski for a game or two. In New England he played with Steve Grogan and a backup in Matt Cavanaugh. After that, he had two cups of coffee with Minnesota and Seattle in 1982 and 1983. Of those quarterbacks, Namath is in Canton but 1977 was his final season, and you could argue Hadl belongs if you want, but even if so, Jackson still played with him for only one season in his prime (Hadl started 1974 poorly and was traded). That season being 1973 when Jackson and Hadl received the only MVP votes that didn’t go to O.J. Simpson in his 2,000 yard season. That’s a Hall of Fame case if you ask me.

[@dinocrocetti2950]

I’m 16 at the time Jets fan . Football growing up was my and Dad great pastime . Knew every name mentioned here . Remember it like yesterday. The opening “ The Autumn Wind Is A Raider” Is like the Bible of football . I’ve heard it a thousand times and it’s better each time . Thanks Dave . Your a football fans dream . Oh the game has changed For the worse😢

[@truthbetold9987]

What a game!

[@atlbuck]

Awesome game...definitely top 5 ever. So many hall of famers and legends! I was only 9. But I remember it vividly

[@fortynights1513]

People talk about the final play, but this was also an incredible game all the way through

[@Surftiva]

I guess I'm not surprised that many people felt whoever won this game would end up also winning the Super Bowl. Thanks for the upload!

[@romelovesdan]

Super Bowl VIII 1/2 indeed! Holy grail. Definitely top 5.

[@ericradford2142]

Unfortunately thanks to John Madden disrespecting the Steelers, the Raiders lost the next week to the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game

[@1983jblack]

​@@ericradford2142No, it wasn't unfortunate. John Madden shot his mouth off and fueled Pittsburgh to a dynasty

[@fortynights1513]

@@1983jblackWhat did he say?

[@natch27]

How about the Steelers were just a better overall team than the Raiders, once Noll decided on Bradshaw. The Raiders couldn’t run the ball against Pittsburgh, which is the real reason they won the AFC championship in Oakland the next week.

[@JRZEKE99]

Such an incredible game!!!! The kind of game that stays with you 50 years later!!!! Thanks so much for this!!!!

[@joeomalley2835]

This was a great game. As a Dolphins fan, I have to say the Raiders and Dolphins had some gem of games that were high stakes in those days.

[@mootpointjones8488]

So many thanks for uploading this great game. I'm a Raider fan and much respect to the Dolphins, they were a great team and good on Fernandez for sticking up for his team mate.

[@doncarpenter1040]

I know it's the normal NFL Films fare, but goodness, the music in this doc is beautiful.

[@raelraven3]

Manny Fernandez: second best hit on a fan on the field. Best: Mike Curtis in Baltimore, 1971.

[@bootlegpass5969]

"You'll never see a better game than this one, ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure you agree."

[@sha9infinite450]

Thanks for this one. You do a great job enhancing these. Thanks to all these great players. They made our childhood fun.

[@raymundotorres6905]

Fantastic game, two monster teams battling to the death, thanks for sharing!

[@Martin-pt5on]

I always love it when this game is remembered. I was 9 years old living in the Bay Area and my Dad took me. Snake Stabler was clutch. The Stadium shook when David caught that ball. Great Memories...

[@jamesharvey7492]

Thanks dave!! I was 14 when I watched this game. It was the greatest game to watch. Just fantastic!!

[@Rich-jd9up]

Back when football was actually exciting . And not all about money and egos. 👍🏼

[@ericradford2142]

Unfortunately TV football isn’t going away anytime soon.

[@ericcutler5463]

Thank you Dave, I watched every second. I was born in Oakland. The Sea of Hands is still the most remarkable reception. Thank you again.

[@oldschooleddie2057]

Holt sh*t Dave you are on a roll brother! Amazing!

[@OMikeyboy]

This is gold. Amazing game. My 14 year old self shed more than a tear when Davis held that ball.

[@user-cm7ds1ms5g]

I watched this game as a 14-year old on a Saturday afternoon.To this day the greatest I ever saw. This was the real RAIDERS. Raider 4 life.

[@ricknorman7193]

For the next 8 days, anyway....

[@cheaplaughkennedy2318]

I remember this , what a game

[@SunshineDave]

There would have been a few video tapes of this game except for the fact that it was blacked out in the SF Bay Area and Sacramento TV markets. Some Bay Area people might have picked up the Monterey/Salinas NBC affiliate (Channel 8). There was NO late night/early morning replay of the game. I had cable TV back and they carried KCRA channel 3, and KRON channel 4 and it wasn't on either of those. The blackout caught me by surprise or I would have driven the 100 miles to watch the game out of town. As it was, I listened to it all on the radio and Bill King brought it to life. I think it was KNEW 790 AM back then. If the Spanish language video tape of the full game ever comes your way Dave, the full game audio of Bill King's play by play is on KZbin and seeing the full TV video with Bill King synced audio would be a true holy grail for the collection.

[@davevolskysbackdoor5673]

If a copy of the broadcast - in any language - ever turned up, the internet would EXPLODE :)

[@briangushue8648]

I'm hoping that with the 50th anniversary of this classic game coming up in December that that will spur more searches for footage of NBC's missing telecast. My guess is while it's highly unlikely the entire game will turn up, perhaps a few plays from it may have survived on an old newscast from that month. That's how a little snippet from the previously completely lost telecast of the 1974 NFC title game was found recently.

[@SunshineDave]

@@briangushue8648 Steve Sabol mentions in this very video that the only full game video is a Spanish language version. Since the full game audio from KNEW is available elsewhere on KZbin, seems like Dave or another expert editor can match the radio audio to the video. Probably not so easy since even a slight difference in speed of the audio compounds as the game progresses and there's no time code sync available to perfectly match the audio and video the way they do it now.

[@Martin-pt5on]

I thought it was 80 miles rule from where the game was played. How funny after all these years I never thought about it not being on TV because I was lucky enough to be there that day!My Dad was skeptical of going because it was raining that morning, I almost freaked out. He always liked to mess with me.

[@imaginationworker9144]

54:03 - 53:15 Epic slo-mo pano of the No-Name Defense at its final stand, with spine-tingling dramatic narration by the Great One himself, Bill King.

[@davevolskysbackdoor5673]

The only source of this show that seems to be out there in the collector world is a pretty low-res/low-focus TV copy. I was still able to do a pretty nice improvement on this one considering. Used Topaz to upscale, denoise, and sharpen it to 720p. Resolve was used to bring the color and contrast back looking great, removing a yellowish hue in the recording. The picture was also a bit 'scrunched' and I adjusted the aspect ratio to compensate. You can see before/after shots of the whole upgrade here -- imgbox.com/g/ZRQjJDXiSh -- Note that when I first tried to upload this it got blocked for copyright because of a couple 'Immaculate Reception' game clips early on. Instead of removing these entirely, I left the audio intact and just blacked the screen during these portions

[@Lfg117]

🔥: Watched that game on nat'l TV as a teen.

[@jacobjones5269]

That first shot of the Fins coming out of the locker room had me screaming… “oh yeah!.. Oh yeah!”.. lol..

[@brianivey73]

Thank you Dave for these awesome uploads...can you just do every episode!!

[@imaginationworker9144]

No shots of HOF punter Ray Guy. Thanks to him, the Raiders had a huge punting advantage in this game.

[@s.l.nicholson4240]

The Holy Grail of football games.

[@markminter6312]

Sea of Hands, Ghost to the Post, The Immaculate Reception, The Holy Roller. Ken Stabler might have played in more classic games than any other QB in history.

[@docnoc66]

Great job as always Dave - I guess you had to edit out some of the footage due to copyright issues so the NFL wouldn’t take the video down correct?

[@davevolskysbackdoor5673]

Yes. Mentioned in the description - I had uploaded the entire video first, but once it finished processing it got blocked for viewing because of the footage of Stabler's and Franco's TDs. Edited out the footage (not the audio) and re-uploaded and it was all good.

[@2095yourstruly]

This game certainly was, an epic battle from beginning to end. I would put the 1975 playoff with the Cowboys at Minnesota certainly on this list. Thank you

[@metrodonkey8093]

such great interviews in this one

[@brianbachmeier34]

Excellent

[@1983jblack]

Fantastic

[@206Vin]

I was too young to remember this game. But when I asked my dad, "what was the greatest game you ever watched?" he said "the playoff game between the Raiders and Dolphins." No hesitation.

[@robfalter2522]

this is the greatest game ever and thats a fact

[@Lambert58-v9i]

A week later they found out who was best.

[@michaelwilkerson500]

That was a banger!

[@rileyjackfansmithandjones8238]

I was 10, turning 11 in Pittsburgh already HATING the Raiders.Hated Stabler for that 40 yard dash that almost did in the Steelers in the Immaculate Reception game. I actually liked Darryl Lamonica, and my Mom and Grandma made me pray for old man George Blanda.....we were wise to the Raiders in Pittsburgh. We Never feared the Dolphins, like we did the Raiders......and we were CRUSHED when the Raiders pulled this game out. Bunch of lucky Bastards!

[@imaginationworker9144]

31:24 Biletnikoff makes the catch of the year, but gets one foot out of bounds. Goes back to the huddle and makes an even better catch on a subsequent play for six. The poor ref gets yelled at both times despite getting both calls right.

[@imaginationworker9144]

11:12 Dolphins’ kickoff return TD was made possible by a clip that wasn’t called. 35:28: Their next TD was made possible by a phantom pass interference.

[@motherloverjones6008]

This was the greatest NFL game of all time.period. It ended the dolphin dynasty.

[@JohnBragg-m5g]

I can't believe the Dolphins haven't retired Warfield's #42.

[@FermiFred]

This game, and loss to Pats in 1985 playoffs, are worst losses in Phins history.

[@imaginationworker9144]

27:21 Brilliant move by NFL Films to use the radio calls by the great Bill King instead of the TV calls by Curt Gowdy. Behold the greatest football announcer of all time: 1:06:11

[@AndyClarke-rv9pm]

I remember this game. Back then there were too many great teams and not enough Super Bowls. One big thing here and that's at 45:00-46:00 Fernandez putting blame on teammates Stuckey and Babb. That's BS and I'd say it to his face. It wasn't an easy catch to begin with and as the replay clearly shows Branch was up and going before either Stuckey and Babb could get a hand on him anyways.

[@brad5015]

Agreed, plus Babb and Stucky were both in their 3rd seasons respectively. It wasn't like they were rookies.

[@dinocrocetti2950]

Hey Dave just wondering do you happen to have the Jack Tatum game when Darryl Stingley got paralyzed from his hit ? What a tragic game another one remember like yesterday. That was a hit that probable changed the game forever.

[@davevolskysbackdoor5673]

No. I doubt that game exists as it was a preseason game, something I never knew until just now when I looked it up.

[@imaginationworker9144]

Great offensive lines: 21:34 (Oakland), 23:55 (Miami)

[@Lambert58-v9i]

S. T. E. E. L. E. R. S

[@imaginationworker9144]

…would have gotten beat by Miami, in Miami

[@brucep9729]

Superbowl 8 1/2? Yeah, the Steelers were having none of that!

[@dantheman5745]

Pittsburgh was handed a gift by the NFL's insane rotational home-field advantage, which was in place from 1970 through 1974. Going by won/lost records, Pittsburgh (10-3-1) should have had to play at Miami (11-3) instead of hosting the Wild Card Bills (9-5). If they managed to survive the crucible of playing the 2-time defending champion Dolphins in Miami, then whatever was left of them would have had to then play the well-rested Raiders (12-2) in Oakland, who would've gotten -the bye week vs Buffalo- to play the eminently-beatable Bills.

[@chrisgatewood3161]

@@dantheman5745 I guess you forgot the Steelers kicked the Raiders in ass in OAKLAND the next week.

[@imaginationworker9144]

No way in hell the Steelers would have beaten Miami in Miami

[@robd2721]

Madden made the mistake of saying what a shame it was that with the "two BEST teams" playing, one of US had to lose. Chuck Noll took that and ran with it!

[@robd2721]

​@@dantheman5745Where would the championship have been played if Miami won this game?

[@scottmitchell3641]

Number 75 of the Dolphins, defensive tackle Manny Fernandez, has adopted a dangerous looking and menacing posture as his seething eyes bore in on an unwittingly approaching, gut punching Raider fan. lol 58:01

[@ryantrost7961]

What this era would have looked like with just one addition... Modern gloves.

[@henrymcallen5703]

Yes great point about Jackson. He should definitely garner HOF consideration for the many reasons you give. He was a deep threat who could split defenses. Excellent points as well with regards to the QB’s he played with. Both Hadl and Namath were WAY past their primes. Grogan was good and had his moments as Norm Snead did but that was it.

[@fortynights1513]

The odd thing here is that your reply doesn’t appear anywhere in the thread we had earlier. There’s several players who deserve another look for Canton. In addition to the guys you mentioned and Harold Jackson who I mentioned, I’ll also mention Jake Scott who was briefly in this game (in short, five pro bowls, four all pros, 49 picks and a Super Bowl MVP).

[@henrymcallen5703]

@@fortynights1513 Funny you mention Jake Scott. I've believed for MANY years that both he and Dick Anderson should be in the HOF. Definitely Scott and a strong case can be made for Anderson as well. Scott along with Harvey Martin (who was a co-MVP with Randy White in SB XII) are the only SB MVP's from the first 14 SB's NOT in the HOF. Not that it is a criteria, but it does help his already VERY strong resume.

[@macarthurclutch4436]

As a Dolphin fan, even if they win this game, I'm not really sure they beat the Steelers. That 72 AFC title game, the Steelers were a young team who were coming into their own. By '74, they were poised, experienced and ready to contend for a title. We''ll never know though.

[@victorkreitner754]

I watch this in 2024 knowing there's no Raiders team in Oakland. That's just a total injustice and really quite devastating. The name and colors should of remained in Oakland like with the Browns when they left Cleveland. Makes me wonder if Al Davis would of done the same thing moving to Vegas.

[@Mark-xl1ze]

The Dolphins' first playoff loss since Super Bowl 6.

[@jc4388]

Randolph Scott, the raider logo inspiration.

[@imaginationworker9144]

I always thought it was Ray Guy

[@genesmiley9866]

Ah yes, Fins versus the crybabies.

[@mrmercedes8528]

Dave ……. Phenomenal……..

[@UncleJakesRaidersVideos]

Yes!!!

[@scarletmacaw]

I’m a “bad guy” and I always root for the “bad guys” or the “evil ones”. Go Raiders!

[@radar0412]

I didn't know until 45 years later that Cliff Branch trapped the bomb from Stabler. I thought it was the best play of the game for Decades. I wish the Ref's got it right. It might have turned into an even better play like when Biletnikoff got a second chance.

[@imaginationworker9144]

45:56 All the interviews reveal Manny Fernandez to be a douche, and Larry Csonka to be cool AF

[@fortynights1513]

Music at 56:54 is great, wish I could find that one

[@doncarpenter1040]

Phil Villianpiano: The Raiders were penalized a lot because Don Shula was on the Competition Committee! Jim Mandich (in full shut up you whiny b***h voice) The Raiders were penalized a lot because they played dumb football. Goodness, I loved that bit. Another great video, Dave.

[@imaginationworker9144]

The narration repeatedly overdramatizes missed scoring opportunities by Miami, saying, “ the Dolphins had a chance to put the game away when…” or “the Dolphins had a chance to break the game open when…”. The writers know perfectly well that Oakland eventually scored more points than Miami would have had after converting the opportunity. Going up 23-14 is not “putting the Raiders away“ when you know Oakland is eventually going to score 28.

[@jtstone7632]

Now all the stadiums are the same, look the same , domes , so generic literally can’t have a home field advantage anymore… football is watered down now

[@michaelleroy9281]

Except Lambeau Field, there's your home field advantage

[@rileyjackfansmithandjones8238]

Benny Malone..,....the Original Fast Willie Parker....gets put in the game and ac hieves, and suddenly Gone,

[@chrisgatewood3161]

The clown Raiders acted like they won Super Bowl and got their ass kicked by the Steelers the next week. So satisfying.. Madden even admitted they celebrated this win too much and didn’t Steelers seriously.

[@fortynights1513]

When did this air?

[@davevolskysbackdoor5673]

2008

[@fortynights1513]

@@davevolskysbackdoor5673I had a feeling it was in the 2000’s sometime because of the way Sabol’s hair looks in the opening segment.

[@bayknight20]

You can say that pass was lucky but not that catch

[@yst8831]

Back then, I believe Raiders will go to SB. It should've happened, Raiders vs America's team in SB.

[@1983jblack]

Maybe in '77, but no way in '74. Steelers won 24-13 and yes they scored with around a minute left but Stabler was hounded all day throwing 3 picks and they had no running game whatsoever. Plus, the Steelers trampled their D for over 200 yds rushing

[@dantheman5745]

By "America's team" I assume you're referring to the Cowboys? Dallas didn't make the playoffs in 1974. The Raiders & Cowboys both made their respective Conference Championship Games in the same season 6 times, IIRC. But 1974 was not one of those. Still, how these 2 teams managed to avoid each other in the SB certainly seems to have defied the odds.

[@yst8831]

I got it wrong, Steelers vs Vikings in SB IX. Even now Steelers are one of the most hated teams and I really wanted to see Raiders vs Cowboys in 70’s.

[@Lambert58-v9i]

Last year dolphins were relevant during the 70s

[@Edmond951]

Sour grapes Fernandez

[@dcaa62817]

Terrible tackling by the Raiders at 49:00.

[@ctw429]

Branch didn't catch the ball, officiating in thr NFL has always been awful.

[@ricknorman7193]

At the 2:03 Mark. Raiders. Self proclaimed bad boys. Yeah. For 8 days. That's all. The Noll and the STEELERS rolled into town. Huh? Huh???

[@dantheman5745]

It was about time that the Steelers took advantage of the generous gifts the NFL was bestowing upon them in the playoffs. Owing to the NFL's moronic rotational home-field advantage arrangement from '70-'74, the Steelers miraculously avoided having to play in the Orange Bowl for 3 straight years. In 1972, Pittsburgh (11-3) got to host the 14-0 Dolphins in the AFC Championship Game instead of playing them in the Orange Bowl. But they squandered that advantage. In 1973, the Wild Card Steelers (10-4) _should have_ had to play the Dolphins (12-2, and better than the '72 Dolphins) in Miami. Instead, they got to play the Raiders (9-4-1) in Oakland. But they squandered that gift as well. In 1974, Pittsburgh (10-3-1) _should have_ had to play the Dolphins (11-3) in Miami. Instead, they got to host the Wild Card Bills (9-5), while the Dolphins had to play the Raiders (12-2) in Oakland. Pittsburgh _finally_ took advantage of this softer path through the playoffs and beat the gassed Raiders, en route to beating Minnesota in the Super Bowl. In 1975, the NFL finally determined home-field advantage by W/L %, but even here, the Steelers were a blocked extra point away from having to face Miami in the playoffs. Had the Oilers not blocked Yepremian's 4th-quarter extra point in their 20-19 win over Miami, the Dolphins would've finished 10-3-1, one-half-game ahead of the Colts for the AFC East crown, and then would've played Pittsburgh in the Divisional Playoffs. Instead, the Colts (10-4) won the tie-breaker and went and got smoked by the Steelers.

[@michaelleroy9281]

​@dantheman5745 Whatever, this game was 50 years ago in 2024 It doesn't do a damn bit of good to whine about the way the NFL did playoffs back then now some people actually think home field advantage for best record should have existed since the NFL was formed in 1920 when it comes to the 1972 Dolphins everyone is whining about that game should have been played in Pittsburgh

[@imaginationworker9144]

No one respects the Steelers’ 1974 Super Bowl, since based on their season they should have had to play Miami in Miami. Obviously it would then have been Miami at Oakland for the conference championship.