AFC Divisional: Oakland Raiders at Baltimore Colts (Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)), with a Conference Championship spot at stake. Kickoff time: 12:30pm. 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. Oakland Raiders traveling to Baltimore Colts at Memorial Stadium (Baltimore), 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. Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Colts are two of them; the rest of the league is in scouting mode for the offseason. What happens in Memorial Stadium (Baltimore) shifts the rest of the tree: a road favorite winning rearranges seeding expectations; a home upset shows the bracket math underweights heart.
Oakland Raiders versus Baltimore Colts 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 Oakland Raiders-Baltimore Colts 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 | 9-5 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8-6 | L1 |
| Houston Oilers | 8-6 | W2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 6-8 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Colts | 10-4 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 10-4 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 9-5 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 3-11 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 3-11 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 12-2 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 11-3 | W2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 7-7 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 5-9 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2-12 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 10-4 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-7 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 5-9 | L3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 3-11 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 9-5 | W6 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9-5 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 6-8 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-10 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2-12 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 12-2 | W4 |
| Washington Redskins | 9-5 | W3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 7-7 | L4 |
| New York Giants | 5-9 | L2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5-9 | W2 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Raiders | 7 | 0 | 14 | 10 | 77213131 |
| Baltimore Colts | 0 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 010173131 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Raiders | Clarence Davis 30 yard rush ( Errol Mann kick) | 7-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Colts | Bruce Laird 61 yard interception return ( Toni Linhart kick) | 7-7 |
| Colts | Toni Linhart 36 yard field goal | 7-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Raiders | Dave Casper 8 yard pass from Ken Stabler ( Errol Mann kick) | 14-10 |
| Colts | Marshall Johnson 87 yard kickoff return ( Toni Linhart kick) | 14-17 |
| Raiders | Dave Casper 10 yard pass from Ken Stabler ( Errol Mann kick) | 21-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Colts | Ron Lee 1 yard rush ( Toni Linhart kick) | 21-24 |
| Raiders | Pete Banaszak 1 yard rush ( Errol Mann kick) | 28-24 |
| Colts | Ron Lee 13 yard rush ( Toni Linhart kick) | 28-31 |
| Raiders | Errol Mann 22 yard field goal | 31-31 |
| OT | ||
| Raiders | Dave Casper 10 yard pass from Ken Stabler | 37-31 |
| Raiders | Colts | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 28 | 22 |
| Total Yards | 491 | 301 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 0 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 21/40 | 12/26 |
| Pass yards | 345 | 164 |
| Pass TD | 3 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 6 |
| Sack yards lost | 21 | 50 |
| Net pass yards | 324 | 114 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 47 | 50 |
| Rush yards | 167 | 187 |
| Rush TD | 2 | 2 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 4 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 2 | 0 |
| Penalties | 7 | 8 |
| Penalty yards | 65 | 82 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK | |||||
| Ken Stabler | 21/40 | 345 | 3 | 2 | |
| BAL | |||||
| Bert Jones | 12/26 | 164 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK | ||||
| Mark van Eeghen | 19 | 76 | 0 | 16 |
| Clarence Davis | 16 | 48 | 1 | 30 |
| Pete Banaszak | 11 | 37 | 1 | 12 |
| Carl Garrett | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| BAL | ||||
| Lydell Mitchell | 23 | 67 | 0 | 10 |
| Ron Lee | 11 | 46 | 2 | 14 |
| Roosevelt Leaks | 8 | 35 | 0 | 11 |
| Bert Jones | 6 | 30 | 0 | 9 |
| Don McCauley | 2 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK | ||||
| Cliff Branch | 6 | 113 | 0 | 41 |
| Fred Biletnikoff | 7 | 88 | 0 | 18 |
| Dave Casper | 4 | 70 | 3 | 42 |
| Mark van Eeghen | 2 | 39 | 0 | 23 |
| Clarence Davis | 2 | 35 | 0 | 21 |
| BAL | ||||
| Freddie Scott | 2 | 45 | 0 | 26 |
| Lydell Mitchell | 3 | 39 | 0 | 21 |
| Raymond Chester | 1 | 30 | 0 | 30 |
| Ron Lee | 2 | 22 | 0 | 16 |
| Glenn Doughty | 1 | 20 | 0 | 20 |
| Don McCauley | 2 | 11 | 0 | 12 |
| Robert Pratt | 1 | -3 | 0 | -3 |
Oakland Raiders defeated Baltimore Colts 37-31 at Memorial Stadium (Baltimore) in the AFC Divisional. The final scoring play was Raiders: Dave Casper 10 yard pass from Ken Stabler. Top line of the day: Ken Stabler: 345 pass yards on 21-of-40, 3 TD, 2 INT. Oakland Raiders move on to the conference final.
Oakland Raiders walked out of Memorial Stadium (Baltimore) as the team that survived an AFC Divisional Baltimore Colts will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 37-31. A one-score game throughout. The decisive points came on the fewest possible margin, which is how these matchups usually resolve. The final scoring play came from Raiders: Dave Casper 10 yard pass from Ken Stabler. 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 37, Baltimore Colts 31. Round: AFC Divisional. Q1: 1 scoring play. Q2: 2 scoring plays. Q3: 3 scoring plays. Q4: 4 scoring plays. OT: 1 scoring play. Top performers: - Ken Stabler: 345 pass yards on 21-of-40, 3 TD, 2 INT - Mark van Eeghen: 76 rush yards on 19 carries - Cliff Branch: 6 catches for 113 yards
AFC Divisional, played at Memorial Stadium (Baltimore). Final: Oakland Raiders 37, Baltimore Colts 31, with Oakland Raiders taking the result by 6. **First quarter**
- Raiders: Clarence Davis 30 yard rush ( Errol Mann kick)
**Second quarter**
- Colts: Bruce Laird 61 yard interception return ( Toni Linhart kick) - Colts: Toni Linhart 36 yard field goal
**Third quarter**
- Raiders: Dave Casper 8 yard pass from Ken Stabler ( Errol Mann kick) - Colts: Marshall Johnson 87 yard kickoff return ( Toni Linhart kick) - Raiders: Dave Casper 10 yard pass from Ken Stabler ( Errol Mann kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- Colts: Ron Lee 1 yard rush ( Toni Linhart kick) - Raiders: Pete Banaszak 1 yard rush ( Errol Mann kick) - Colts: Ron Lee 13 yard rush ( Toni Linhart kick) - Raiders: Errol Mann 22 yard field goal
**Overtime**
- Raiders: Dave Casper 10 yard pass from Ken Stabler
**Top performers**
- Ken Stabler: 345 pass yards on 21-of-40, 3 TD, 2 INT - Mark van Eeghen: 76 rush yards on 19 carries - Cliff Branch: 6 catches for 113 yards