Oakland Raiders Played Miami Dolphins in Divisional Round Classic

Published on January 24th, 2024 8:11 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


The 1974-75 NFL season featured a divisional round playoff game that was so good that it was billed as "Super Bowl VIII 1/2".

The NFL featured a different method of seeding playoff teams back in 1974-75, so the world got to see the 11-3 Miami Dolphins take on the 12-2 Oakland Raiders in the first round of the playoffs.

The two teams had the two best records in football, and both were dominant.

The crazy thing is that the game lived up to the hype, and is generally considered as one of the best postseason games of all time.

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The game was a back-and-forth affair, with Miami taking a 10-7 lead into halftime. Miami opened up the scoring in the game with an 89-yard kickoff return by Nat Moore.

The fourth quarter, however, is where things really went crazy.

The Raiders were trailing 19-14 in the fourth quarter, when Ken Stabler connected with Cliff Branch on a 72-yard touchdown.

With just over two minutes left in the game, the Dolphins replied with a 23-yard rushing touchdown by Benny Malone.

The Raiders, with time running out, marched down the field and won with just seconds remaining.

In what would become known as the "Sea of Hands", Ken Stabler tossed an 8-yard passing touchdown to Clarence Davis, who wrested the ball away from a pack of Dolphins defenders.

The Raiders won the game.

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This game essentially ended the Dolphins' reign as the best team in the NFL.

The game featured two of the greatest coaches of all time in Don Shula and John Madden.

Also, the game featured fantastic performances from the likes of Ken Stabler, Larry Csonka and Fred Biletnikoff.

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With playoff seeding changing in the NFL over the past few decades, we will likely never see a divisional round playoff game between the NFL's two best teams.

This was truly a special game.