AFC Divisional: Miami Dolphins at Oakland Raiders (Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum), with a Conference Championship spot at stake. Kickoff time: 4:00pm. Winner advances to the Conference Championship. The losing team's season is over.
The divisional round is where the bracket is supposed to take its real shape. Miami Dolphins traveling to Oakland Raiders at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, with the league watching to see whether the better team or the better matchup wins. Bye-week home favorites carry the weight of expectation; the visiting wild-card winner walks in with no one expecting them and nothing to lose.
The bracket has narrowed to the teams that survived the regular season. Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders are two of them; the rest of the league is in scouting mode for the offseason. What happens in Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum shifts the rest of the tree: a road favorite winning rearranges seeding expectations; a home upset shows the bracket math underweights heart.
Miami Dolphins versus Oakland Raiders in the AFC Divisional. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Miami Dolphins-Oakland Raiders cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 10-3-1 | W2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7-7 | L3 |
| Houston Oilers | 7-7 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 11-3 | W3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 9-5 | L2 |
| New England Patriots | 7-7 | L3 |
| New York Jets | 7-7 | W6 |
| Baltimore Colts | 2-12 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland Raiders | 12-2 | W3 |
| Denver Broncos | 7-6-1 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 5-9 | L2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 5-9 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 10-4 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 6-8 | W2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5-9 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 10-4 | W3 |
| Detroit Lions | 7-7 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 6-8 | L3 |
| Chicago Bears | 4-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 10-4 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 10-4 | W2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 8-6 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7-7 | W3 |
| New York Giants | 2-12 | L6 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 7 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 710162626 |
| Oakland Raiders | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 07142828 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | Nat Moore 89 yard kickoff return ( Garo Yepremian kick) | 7-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Raiders | Charlie Smith 31 yard pass from Ken Stabler ( George Blanda kick) | 7-7 |
| Dolphins | Garo Yepremian 33 yard field goal | 10-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Raiders | Fred Biletnikoff 13 yard pass from Ken Stabler ( George Blanda kick) | 10-14 |
| Dolphins | Paul Warfield 16 yard pass from Bob Griese | 16-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | Garo Yepremian 46 yard field goal | 19-14 |
| Raiders | Cliff Branch 72 yard pass from Ken Stabler ( George Blanda kick) | 19-21 |
| Dolphins | Benny Malone 23 yard rush ( Garo Yepremian kick) | 26-21 |
| Raiders | Clarence Davis 8 yard pass from Ken Stabler ( George Blanda kick) | 26-28 |
| Dolphins | Raiders | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 18 | 19 |
| Total Yards | 294 | 411 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 7/14 | 20/30 |
| Pass yards | 101 | 293 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 4 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 2 |
| Sack yards lost | 20 | 17 |
| Net pass yards | 81 | 276 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 41 | 32 |
| Rush yards | 213 | 135 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 0 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties | 3 | 3 |
| Penalty yards | 15 | 59 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIA | |||||
| Bob Griese | 7/14 | 101 | 1 | 1 | |
| OAK | |||||
| Ken Stabler | 20/30 | 293 | 4 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIA | ||||
| Larry Csonka | 24 | 114 | 0 | 26 |
| Benny Malone | 14 | 83 | 1 | 23 |
| Bob Griese | 2 | 14 | 0 | 9 |
| Jim Kiick | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| OAK | ||||
| Clarence Davis | 12 | 59 | 0 | 19 |
| Marv Hubbard | 14 | 55 | 0 | 7 |
| Pete Banaszak | 3 | 14 | 0 | 9 |
| Ken Stabler | 3 | 7 | 0 | 6 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIA | ||||
| Paul Warfield | 3 | 47 | 1 | 20 |
| Nat Moore | 2 | 40 | 0 | 23 |
| Don Nottingham | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Jim Kiick | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| OAK | ||||
| Fred Biletnikoff | 8 | 122 | 1 | 20 |
| Cliff Branch | 3 | 84 | 1 | 72 |
| Charlie Smith | 2 | 35 | 1 | 31 |
| Bob Moore | 3 | 22 | 0 | 9 |
| Clarence Davis | 2 | 16 | 1 | 10 |
| Marv Hubbard | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Frank Pitts | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Oakland Raiders defeated Miami Dolphins 28-26 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in the AFC Divisional. The final scoring play was Raiders: Clarence Davis 8 yard pass from Ken Stabler ( George Blanda kick). The result came down to the final possession; Oakland Raiders won by 2. Top line of the day: Ken Stabler: 293 pass yards on 20-of-30, 4 TD, 1 INT. Oakland Raiders move on to the conference final.
Oakland Raiders walked out of Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum as the team that survived an AFC Divisional Miami Dolphins will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 28-26. The game stayed within 2 points throughout, the kind of contest where every drive felt like a referendum and every defensive stop carried twice its usual weight. The final scoring play came from Raiders: Clarence Davis 8 yard pass from Ken Stabler ( George Blanda kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Oakland Raiders move on to a conference championship.
Oakland Raiders 28, Miami Dolphins 26. Round: AFC Divisional. Q1: 1 scoring play. Q2: 2 scoring plays. Q3: 2 scoring plays. Q4: 4 scoring plays. Top performers: - Ken Stabler: 293 pass yards on 20-of-30, 4 TD, 1 INT - Larry Csonka: 114 rush yards on 24 carries - Fred Biletnikoff: 8 catches for 122 yards
AFC Divisional, played at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Final: Miami Dolphins 26, Oakland Raiders 28, with Oakland Raiders taking the result by 2. **First quarter**
- Dolphins: Nat Moore 89 yard kickoff return ( Garo Yepremian kick)
**Second quarter**
- Raiders: Charlie Smith 31 yard pass from Ken Stabler ( George Blanda kick) - Dolphins: Garo Yepremian 33 yard field goal
**Third quarter**
- Raiders: Fred Biletnikoff 13 yard pass from Ken Stabler ( George Blanda kick) - Dolphins: Paul Warfield 16 yard pass from Bob Griese
**Fourth quarter**
- Dolphins: Garo Yepremian 46 yard field goal - Raiders: Cliff Branch 72 yard pass from Ken Stabler ( George Blanda kick) - Dolphins: Benny Malone 23 yard rush ( Garo Yepremian kick) - Raiders: Clarence Davis 8 yard pass from Ken Stabler ( George Blanda kick)
**Top performers**
- Ken Stabler: 293 pass yards on 20-of-30, 4 TD, 1 INT - Larry Csonka: 114 rush yards on 24 carries - Fred Biletnikoff: 8 catches for 122 yards
A 2-point margin in AFC Divisional is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.