1979 Oakland Raiders season

NFL team season

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The Raiders hosting the Miami Dolphins at the Coliseum in 1979

The 1979 Oakland Raiders season was their 10th in the league, and 20th overall. They matched their previous season's output of 9–7.^[1] Oakland started off 1–3, rallied to 6–4, then fell to 6–6 after an upset loss to the Kansas City chiefs. Oakland then went on a three-game winning streak that featured a 14–10 defensive struggle in Denver, a comeback win in New Orleans after trailing 35–14 in the 3rd quarter, and a 19–14 win over the Cleveland Browns. In the season finale the Raiders stood at 9–6 in need of a win at home against the Seattle Seahawks to have a shot at a wildcard playoff spot. However, it was not to be, and Seattle quarterback Jim Zorn's 314 yards and 2 TD passes eliminated the Raiders, 29–24.

This was the first season since 1964 that the Raiders finished lower than second place in the AFL/AFC West.

Offseason

Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1979 Oakland Raiders draft
2	42	Willie Jones	DE	Florida State
6	142	Ira Matthews	RB	Wisconsin
6	156	Henry Williams	DB	San Diego State
7	175	Jack Matia	DT	Drake
8	209	Robert Hawkins	RB	Kentucky
9	238	Jim Rourke	OT	Boston College
10	259	Ricky Smith	DB	Tulane
11	294	Bruce Davis	OT	UCLA
12	316	Dirk Abernathy	DB	Bowling Green
12	320	Reggie Kinlaw	DT	Oklahoma
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

^[2]

Roster

**1979 Oakland Raiders roster**

	Quarterbacks 11 David Humm 16 Jim Plunkett 12 Ken Stabler Running backs 26 Clarence Hawkins 31 Derrick Jensen 43 Ira Matthews 34 Booker Russell 30 Mark van Eeghen FB 22 Arthur Whittington Wide receivers 21 Cliff Branch 82 Larry Brunson 89 Rich Martini 80 Joe Stewart Tight ends 87 Dave Casper 88 Raymond Chester 46 Todd Christensen 84 Derrick Ramsey		Offensive linemen 50 Dave Dalby C 79 Bruce Davis T 70 Henry Lawrence T 65 Mickey Marvin G 78 Art Shell T 66 Steve Sylvester G 63 Gene Upshaw G 75 John Vella T Defensive linemen 68 Joe Bell DE 73 Dave Browning DE 90 Willie Jones DE 62 Reggie Kinlaw DT 72 John Matuszak DE 74 Dave Pear DT 67 Pat Toomay DE		Linebackers 83 Ted Hendricks 57 John Huddleston 58 Monte Johnson 53 Rod Martin 41 Phil Villapiano Defensive backs 38 Rufus Bess CB 36 Mike Davis SS 37 Lester Hayes CB 42 Monte Jackson 47 Charlie Phillips SS 32 Jack Tatum FS 45 Henry Williams CB Special teams 5 Jim Breech K 8 Ray Guy P		Reserve lists 81 Morris Bradshaw WR (IRTooltip Injured reserve) -- Alva Liles DT (IRTooltip Injured reserve) 71 Lindsey Mason T (IRTooltip Injured reserve) -- Jim Rourke T (IRTooltip Injured reserve) Practice squad Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	September 2	at Los Angeles Rams	W 24–17	1–0	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	Recap
2	September 9	at San Diego Chargers	L 10–30	1–1	San Diego Stadium	Recap
3	September 16	at Seattle Seahawks	L 10–27	1–2	Kingdome	Recap
4	September 23	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 7–35	1–3	Arrowhead Stadium	Recap
5	September 30	Denver Broncos	W 27–3	2–3	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	Recap
6	October 8	Miami Dolphins	W 13–3	3–3	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	Recap
7	October 14	Atlanta Falcons	W 50–19	4–3	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	Recap
8	October 21	at New York Jets	L 19–28	4–4	Shea Stadium	Recap
9	October 25	San Diego Chargers	W 45–22	5–4	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	Recap
10	November 4	San Francisco 49ers	W 23–10	6–4	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	Recap
11	November 11	at Houston Oilers	L 17–31	6–5	Astrodome	Recap
12	November 18	Kansas City Chiefs	L 21–24	6–6	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	Recap
13	November 25	at Denver Broncos	W 14–10	7–6	Mile High Stadium	Recap
14	December 3	at New Orleans Saints	W 42–35	8–6	Louisiana Superdome	Recap
15	December 9	Cleveland Browns	W 19–14	9–6	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	Recap
16	December 16	Seattle Seahawks	L 24–29	9–7	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Season summary

Week 1

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Raiders	0	10	14	0	24
Rams	7	10	0	0	17

Date: September 2
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles
Game start: 4:00 p.m.
Game attendance: 59,000
Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C); wind 10 mph (16 km/h)

Scoring summary

Q1	LA	Tyler 1 yard run (Corral kick)	LA 7–0

Q2	LA	Miller 17-yard pass from Haden (Corral kick)	LA 14–0

Q2	OAK	Breech 38-yard field goal	LA 14–3

Q2	OAK	Ramsey 1 yard pass from Stabler (Breech kick)	LA 14–10

Q2	LA	Corral 46-yard field goal	LA 17–10

Q3	OAK	Chester 27-yard pass from Stabler (Breech kick)	Tie 17–17

Q3	OAK	Chester 4-yard pass from Stabler (Breech kick)	OAK 24–17

^[3]

Week 2

	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	0	3	7	0	10
• Chargers	14	7	2	7	30

Date: September 9
Location: San Diego Stadium
TV announcers (NBC): Sam Nover and John Brodie

Week 3

	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	0	0	7	3	10
• Seahawks	7	3	10	7	27

Date: September 16
Location: Kingdome
Game weather: Indoors (dome)
Referee: Gordon McCarter
TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Mike Haffner

Week 4

	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	0	0	0	7	7
• Chiefs	14	0	7	14	35

Date: September 23
Location: Arrowhead Stadium

Week 5

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	3	0	0	3
• Raiders	7	7	0	13	27

Date: September 30
Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
Game start: 4:00 p.m.
Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C); wind 8 mph (13 km/h)
TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

Scoring summary

Q1	OAK	Casper 28-yard pass from Stabler (Breech kick)	OAK 7–0

Q2	DEN	Turner 19-yard field goal	OAK 7–3

Q2	OAK	van Eeghen 1 yard run (Breech kick)	OAK 14–3

Q4	OAK	Breech 27-yard field goal	OAK 17–3

Q4	OAK	Breech 21-yard field goal	OAK 20–3

Q4	OAK	Johnson recovered fumble in end zone (Breech kick)	OAK 27–3

^[4]

Week 6

	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	0	0	3	0	3
• Raiders	0	0	13	0	13

Date: October 8
Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C); wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
Referee: Dick Jorgensen
TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford and Don Meredith

Scoring summary

Q3	OAK	Chester 14-yard pass from Stabler (kick failed)	OAK 6–0

Q3	OAK	Hendricks 23-yard interception return (Breech kick)	OAK 13–0

Q3	MIA	von Schamann 23-yard field goal	OAK 13–3

^[5]

Week 7

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	0	12	7	19
• Raiders	10	9	10	21	50

Date: October 14
Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
Game start: 4:00 p.m.
Game attendance: 52,900
Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C); wind 9 mph (14 km/h)
TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall, Tom Brookshier and John Madden for the 2nd half

Scoring summary

Q1	OAK	Breech 40-yard field goal	OAK 3–0

Q1	OAK	van Eeghen 1 yard run (Breech kick)	OAK 10–0

Q2	OAK	Breech 30-yard field goal	OAK 13–0

Q2	OAK	Hawkins 20-yard pass from Stabler (kick failed)	OAK 19–0

Q3	OAK	van Eeghen 6-yard run (Breech kick)	OAK 26–0

Q3	ATL	Cain 26-yard pass from Bartkowski (kick failed)	OAK 26–6

Q3	OAK	Breech 47-yard field goal	OAK 29–6

Q3	ATL	Cain 18-yard pass from Bartkowski (kick failed)	OAK 29–12

Q4	OAK	Brunson 8-yard pass from Stabler (Breech kick)	OAK 36–12

Q4	OAK	Hayes 51-yard interception return (Breech kick)	OAK 43–12

Q4	OAK	van Eeghen 1 yard run (Breech kick)	OAK 50–12

Q4	ATL	Cain 3-yard run (Mazzetti kick)	OAK 50–19

^[6]

Week 8

	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	0	10	3	6	19
• Jets	7	0	7	14	28

Date: October 21
Location: Shea Stadium

Week 9

	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	0	6	16	0	22
• Raiders	14	10	7	14	45

Date: October 25
Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
Game start: 6:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C), wind 17 mph (27 km/h)
Referee: Ben Dreith
TV announcers (ABC): Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford and Don Meredith

Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Scoring summary

1	Raiders	Raymond Chester 34-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Jim Breech kick)	Raiders 7–0

1	Raiders	Booker Russell 1-yard run (Jim Breech kick)	Raiders 14–0

2	Raiders	Mark van Eeghen 4-yard run (Jim Breech kick)	Raiders 21–0

2	Chargers	John Jefferson 57-yard pass from Dan Fouts (kick failed)	Raiders 21–6

2	Raiders	Jim Breech 38-yard field goal	Raiders 24–6

3	Chargers	Mike Wood 28-yard field goal	Raiders 24–9

3	Chargers	Dan Fouts 1-yard run (kick failed)	Raiders 24–15

3	Raiders	Ira Matthews 104-yard kickoff return (Jim Breech kick)	Raiders 31–15

3	Chargers	Bob Klein 7-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Mike Wood kick)	Raiders 31–22

4	Raiders	Booker Russell 1-yard run (Jim Breech kick)	Raiders 38–22

4	Raiders	Booker Russell 1-yard run (Jim Breech kick)	Raiders 45–22

Week 10

	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	0	10	0	0	10
• Raiders	9	7	7	0	23

Date: November 4
Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
Game start: 4:00 p.m.
Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C); wind 9 mph (14 km/h)
Referee: Chuck Heberling
TV announcers (CBS): Bob Costas, Roman Gabriel

Scoring summary

Q1	OAK	Breech 18-yard field goal	OAK 3–0

Q1	OAK	Branch 9-yard pass from Stabler (kick failed)	OAK 9–0

Q2	SF	Wersching 39-yard field goal	OAK 9–3

Q2	SF	Francis 5-yard run (Wersching kick)	SF 10–9

Q2	OAK	van Eeghen 1 yard run (Breech kick)	OAK 16–10

Q3	OAK	Branch 8-yard pass from Stabler (Breech kick)	OAK 23–10

^[7]

Week 11

	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	7	7	0	3	17
• Oilers	7	7	14	3	31

Date: November 11
Location: Astrodome

Week 12

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Chiefs	7	3	14	0	24
Raiders	0	7	7	7	21

Date: November 18
Location: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Week 13

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Raiders	0	7	7	0	14
Broncos	0	0	0	10	10

Date: November 25
Location: Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
Game start: 4:00 p.m.
Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C); wind 13 mph (21 km/h)

Scoring summary

Q2	OAK	Casper 3-yard pass from Stabler (Breech kick)	OAK 7–0

Q3	OAK	Russell 1 yard run (Breech kick)	OAK 14–0

Q4	DEN	Turner 30-yard field goal	OAK 14–3

Q4	DEN	Lytle 1 yard run (Turner kick)	OAK 14–10

^[8]

Week 14

Week Fourteen: Oakland Raiders (7–6) at New Orleans Saints (7–6)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	7	7	7	21	42
Saints	0	28	7	0	35

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Date: December 3, 1979
Game time: 8:00 p.m.
Game weather: Indoors (dome)
Game attendance: 71,323
Referee: Bob Frederic
TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, and Howard Cosell
Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter

OAK – Raymond Chester 3-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Jim Breech kick). – Raiders 7–0. Drive: 15 plays, 78 yards.

Second quarter

NO – Tony Galbreath 2-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick). – Tie 7–7. Drive: 13 plays, 89 yards.
NO – Tony Galbreath 17-yard pass from Archie Manning (Garo Yepremian kick). – Saints 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 19 yards.
NO – Chuck Muncie 1-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick). – Saints 21–7. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards.
NO – Henry Childs 28-yard pass from Archie Manning (Garo Yepremian kick). – Saints 28–7. Drive: 1 play, 28 yards.
OAK – Arthur Whittington 1-yard run (Jim Breech kick). – Saints 28–14. Drive:

Third quarter

NO – Ken Bordelon 19-yard interception return (Garo Yepremian kick), 6:24. – Saints 35–14.
OAK – Mark van Eeghen 1-yard run (Jim Breech kick). – Saints 35–21. Drive:

Fourth quarter

OAK – Derrick Ramsey 17-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Jim Breech kick). – Saints 35–28. Drive:
OAK – Cliff Branch 66-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Jim Breech kick). – Tie 35–35. Drive:
OAK – Cliff Branch 8-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Jim Breech kick), 1:54. – Raiders 42–35. Drive: 3 plays, 13 yards.

Top passers

OAK – Ken Stabler – 26/44, 295 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT
NO – Archie Manning – 12/23, 154 yards, 2 TD, INT

Top rushers

OAK – Arthur Whittington – 14 rushes, 67 yards, TD
NO – Chuck Muncie – 21 rushes, 128 yards, TD

Top receivers

OAK – Cliff Branch – 7 receptions, 126 yards, 2 TD
NO – Tony Galbreath – 7 receptions, 106 yards, TD

Week 15

	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	0	0	7	7	14
• Raiders	7	6	0	6	19

Date: December 9
Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
Game start: 4:00 p.m.
Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C); wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h)
TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and John Brodie

Scoring summary

Q1	OAK	Branch 39-yard pass from Stabler (Breech kick)	OAK 7–0

Q2	OAK	Breech 25-yard field goal	OAK 10–0

Q2	OAK	Breech 38-yard field goal	OAK 13–0

Q3	CLE	Pruitt 77-yard run (Cockroft kick)	OAK 13–7

Q4	OAK	Breech 23-yard field goal	OAK 16–7

Q4	CLE	Pruitt 2-yard run (Cockroft kick)	OAK 16–14

Q4	OAK	Breech 45-yard field goal	OAK 19–14

^[9]

Week 16

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Seahawks	10	7	9	3	29
Raiders	7	10	0	7	24

Date: December 16
Location: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Standings

AFC West
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
San Diego Chargers⁽¹⁾	12	4	0	.750	6–2	9–3	411	246	W2
Denver Broncos⁽⁵⁾	10	6	0	.625	4–4	7–5	289	262	L2
Seattle Seahawks	9	7	0	.563	3–5	6–6	378	372	W2
Oakland Raiders	9	7	0	.563	3–5	5–7	365	337	L1
Kansas City Chiefs	7	9	0	.438	4–4	7–7	238	262	L1

References

^ "1979 Oakland Raiders Statistics & Players - Pro-Football-Reference.com".
^ The Football Database. Retrieved 2015-Dec-16.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-12.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-22.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-23.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-24.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-25.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-26.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-26.

v t e 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	History in Oakland in Los Angeles relocation to Las Vegas NFL in Los Angeles Seasons Players First-round draft picks Starting quarterbacks Head coaches
Stadiums	Kezar Stadium Candlestick Park Frank Youell Field Oakland Coliseum Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Allegiant Stadium
Key personnel	Owner/CEO: Mark Davis President: Sandra Douglass Morgan General manager: Tom Telesco Head coach: Antonio Pierce
Culture	Las Vegas Raiderettes Raider Nation "The Autumn Wind" Mount Davis Ricky's Sports Theatre and Grill Straight Outta L.A. In the House
Lore	Heidi Game Immaculate Reception The Sea of Hands Ghost to the Post Holy Roller Red Right 88 Tuck Rule Game Lunatic Lateral
Rivalries	Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs Los Angeles Chargers Miami Dolphins (dormant) New England Patriots Pittsburgh Steelers San Francisco 49ers (former) Seattle Seahawks (former)
Media	Broadcasters Television: KVVU KRON KTLA Radio: Radio network KRLV (AM) KOMP (FM) KSRO KLAA KENO (Spanish) Other: Compass Media Networks Personalities: Bill King Greg Papa J. T. the Brick Brent Musburger
Wild card berths (6)	1977 1980 1984 1991 1993 2016 2021
Division championships (15)	1967 1968 1969 1970 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1983 1985 1990 2000 2001 2002
Conference championships (4)	1976 1980 1983 2002
League championships (4)	1967 1976 (XI) 1980 (XV) 1983 (XVIII)
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1970–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: West Division
Former league affiliation	League: American Football League (1960–1969)

v t e Las Vegas Raiders seasons
Played in Oakland (1960–1981, 1995–2019) and Los Angeles (1982–1994)
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
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

1979 NFL season

East	Central	West	East	Central	West
Baltimore	Cincinnati	Denver	Dallas	Chicago	Atlanta
Buffalo	Cleveland	Kansas City	NY Giants	Detroit	Los Angeles
Miami	Houston	Oakland	Philadelphia	Green Bay	New Orleans
New England	Pittsburgh	San Diego	St. Louis	Minnesota	San Francisco
NY Jets		Seattle	Washington	Tampa Bay