1979 Oakland Raiders season
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.
| 1979 Oakland Raiders season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Al Davis |
| General manager | Al Davis |
| Head coach | Tom Flores |
| Home field | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 4th AFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |

This was the first season since 1964 that the Raiders finished lower than second place in the AFL/AFC West.
Offseason
Draft
| 1979 Oakland Raiders draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |||||
Roster
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 | San Diego Chargers | L 10–30 | 1–1 | San Diego Stadium | Recap | |
| 3 | September 16 | Seattle Seahawks | L 10–27 | 1–2 | Kingdome | Recap | |
| 4 | September 23 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Denver Broncos | W 14–10 | 7–6 | Mile High Stadium | Recap | |
| 14 | December 3 | 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
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Week 2
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Week 3
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Week 4
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Week 5
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Week 6
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Week 7
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Week 8
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Week 9
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Week 10
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Week 11
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Week 12
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Week 13
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Week 14
| 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 | ||
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Week 15
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Week 16
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Standings
| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.