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.
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) ranked as one of the more dramatic comebacks in sports history. Over a span of five consecutive games, Blanda came 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 came 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 ultimately kicked 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 sealed 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. Oakland had a poorer record than two NFC teams which failed to make the playoffs, the Rams (9-4-1) and Giants (9-5).
The Raiders ultimately advanced 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 served as the Raiders' kicker for five more seasons.
Offseason
Draft
Personnel Staff / Coaches
Roster
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 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 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 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
Week 2 at Chargers
Week 3 at Dolphins
Week 4 vs Broncos
Week 5
Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Jul-28.
Week 6
Week 7 at Chiefs
Ben Davidson speared Len Dawson causing a massive brawl between the two teams.
Week 8
Standings
Playoffs
AFC Divisional Playoffs
AFC Championship Game
Awards and honors George Blanda, Associated Press Athlete of the Year George Blanda, Bert Bell Award
References
External links 1970 Oakland Raiders at ProFootballArchives.com 1970 Oakland Raiders at jt-sw.com 1970 Oakland Raiders at Pro-Football-Reference.com