Dec 18, 1976; Oakland, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Oakland Raiders head coach John Madden reacts on the sideline against the New England Patriots during the 1976 AFC Wild Card Playoff game at the Oakland Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Patriots 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Darryl Norenberg-Imagn Images Darryl Norenberg-Imagn Images

Two Raiders Teams Rank Among the Best in NFL History

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Ezekiel Trezevant | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders' history is rich with triumphs and multiple Super Bowl wins. The Silver and Black's standard was created decades ago. It was built upon many years of success.

Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports ranked two of the Raiders' championship-winning teams among the top 30 best teams of the past 59 seasons, commonly referred to as the modern era. He ranked the 1976 Raiders team as the sixth-best team of the modern era.

"The Raiders wore the battle scars of three consecutive losses in the AFC Championship Game. John Madden's battle-hardened team wouldn't be denied in '76, despite being the league's most penalized team. Led by Ken Stabler, a talented receiving corps and a dominant offensive line that featured Hall of Famers Gene Upshaw and Art Shell, the Raiders ran over the two-time defending champion Steelers in the AFC Championship Game, 24-7," DeArdo said.

"In Super Bowl XI, Oakland rushed for a then-Super Bowl record 266 yards against the Vikings' famed "Purple People Eater" defensive line. The Raiders' intimidating defense put the exclamation point on Oakland's 32-14 win after Willie Brown scored on a 75-yard pick-six. The Raiders' first championship may have cracked the top five if not for needing a favorable call against the Patriots in the divisional round, along with the fact that they defeated a Steelers team that played without 1,000-yard running backs Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier."

DeArdo also listed the 1983 Raiders as one of the best teams of the modern era. He ranked the 1983 Raiders as the 22nd-best. That team finished with a 15-4 record, while outscoring their opponents 106-33 in the playoffs.

"Two of the Raiders' losses came against Seattle, the team Los Angeles dismantled, 30-14, in the AFC Championship Game. In the Super Bowl two weeks later, the Raiders posted a shocking 38-9 win over a Washington team that won the previous year's Super Bowl and scored a then-record 541 points during the regular season," DeArdo said.

"Washington had no answer for running back Marcus Allen and the Raiders' formidable cornerback duo of Mike Haynes and Lester Hayes. Allen ran for 191 yards and two touchdowns that included his dazzling 74-yard score that saw him reverse field before finding pay dirt. Haynes and Hayes were so dominant that Washington wideouts Charlie Brown and Art Monk did not catch a single pass in the first half."

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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