1983 Los Angeles Raiders season

1983 Los Angeles Raiders season
Head coach	Tom Flores
Owner	Al Davis
Home field	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	1st AFC West
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (Steelers) 38–10 Won Conference Championship (Seahawks) 30–14 Won Super Bowl XVIII (Redskins) 38–9
Timeline
Previous season      Next season < 1982      1984 >

The 1983 Los Angeles Raiders season began with the team trying to improve on their 8–1 record from 1982. The 1983 season was the second season in Los Angeles. The 1983 season is also the Raiders third Super Bowl winning season. To date, it was the team's most recent NFL championship season.

Offseason

NFL Draft

1983 Raiders Draft Selections

Round	Overall	Player	Position	College
1	26	Don Mosebar	C	Southern California
2	54	Bill Pickel	DT	Rutgers
3	82	Tony Caldwell	LB	Washington
4	110	Greg Townsend	DE	TCU
5	138	Dokie Williams	WR	UCLA
7	194	Jeff McCall	HB	Clemson
8	222	Mike Dotterer	HB	Stanford
9	249	Kent Jordan	TE	St. Mary's
10	277	Mervyn Fernandez	WR	San José State
12	333	Scott Lindquist	QB	Northern Arizona

Personnel

Roster

1983 Los Angeles Raiders final roster
Quarterbacks 11 David Humm  6 Marc Wilson 16 Jim Plunkett Running backs 32 Marcus Allen HB 27 Frank Hawkins HB 33 Kenny King FB 28 Cleo Montgomery HB/KR 34 Greg Pruitt HB 38 Chester Willis HB Wide receivers 80 Malcolm Barnwell 21 Cliff Branch 82 Calvin Muhammad 85 Dokie Williams Tight ends 46 Todd Christensen 87 Don Hasselbeck 31 Derrick Jensen		Offensive linemen 50 Dave Dalby C 79 Bruce Davis OT 73 Charley Hannah G 64 Shelby Jordan OT 70 Henry Lawrence OT 65 Mickey Marvin G 72 Don Mosebar C 66 Steve Sylvester C Defensive linemen 77 Lyle Alzado DE 62 Reggie Kinlaw DT 75 Howie Long DE 68 Johnny Robinson DT 61 Dave Stalls DE 71 Bill Pickel DT 93 Greg Townsend DE		Linebackers 56 Jeff Barnes 54 Darryl Byrd 57 Tony Caldwell 83 Ted Hendricks 53 Rod Martin 55 Matt Millen 51 Bob Nelson 58 Jack Squirek Defensive backs 45 James Davis CB 36 Mike Davis S 26 Vann McElroy S 37 Lester Hayes CB 22 Mike Haynes CB/PR 48 Kenny Hill S 23 Odis McKinney CB 20 Ted Watts CB Special teams 10 Chris Bahr K  8 Ray Guy P		Reserve lists Vacant Rookies in italic

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Opponent	Result	Game site	Attendance
1	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 20–10	Riverfront Stadium	50,956
2	Houston Oilers	W 20–6	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	37,526
3	Miami Dolphins	W 27–14	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	57,796
4	at Denver Broncos	W 22–7	Mile High Stadium	74,289
5	at Washington Redskins	L 35–37	RFK Stadium	54,106
6	Kansas City Chiefs	W 21–20	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	40,492
7	at Seattle Seahawks	L 36–38	The Kingdome	60,967
8	at Dallas Cowboys	W 40–38	Texas Stadium	64,991
9	Seattle Seahawks	L 21–34	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	49,708
10	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 28–10	Arrowhead Stadium	75,497
11	Denver Broncos	W 22–20	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	51,945
12	at Buffalo Bills	W 27–24	Rich Stadium	72,393
13	New York Giants	W 27–12	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	41,473
14	at San Diego Chargers	W 42–10	San Diego Stadium	47,760
15	St. Louis Cardinals	L 24–34	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	32,111
16	San Diego Chargers	W 30–14	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	57,235

Standings

AFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA
Los Angeles Raiders(1)	12	4	0	.750	6–2	10–2	442	338
Seattle Seahawks(4)	9	7	0	.563	5–3	8–4	403	397
Denver Broncos(5)	9	7	0	.563	3–5	9–5	302	327
San Diego Chargers	6	10	0	.375	4–4	4–8	358	462
Kansas City Chiefs	6	10	0	.375	2–6	4–8	386	367

Game summaries

Week 1

1 2 3 4 Total Raiders 7 10 0 3 20 Bengals 0 0 3 7 10 at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio Date: Sunday, September 4 Game time: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 75°F, wind 9 mph Game attendance: 50,956 Pro-Football-Reference.com Game information First Quarter LA (7:32) - Marcus Allen 1 yard run (Chris Bahr kick) - Raiders 7-0 Second Quarter LA (9:05) - Marcus Allen 1 yard run (Chris Bahr kick) - Raiders 14-0 LA (4:59) - Chris Bahr 38 yard field goal - Raiders 17-0 Third Quarter CIN (9:23) - Jim Breech 36 yard field goal - Raiders 17-3 Fourth Quarter LA (12:25) - Chris Bahr 39 yard field goal - Raiders 20-3 CIN (1:00) - M.L. Harris 9 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick) - Raiders 20-10 Raiders Jim Plunkett 14/29, 158 Yds, INT Marcus Allen 17 Rush, 47 Yds, 2 TD Malcolm Barnwell 5 Rec, 66 Yds Bengals Ken Anderson 26/35, 226 Yds, TD, INT Stanley Wilson 4 Rush, 20 Yds Dan Ross 5 Rec, 50 Yds

Week 5

1 2 3 4 Total Raiders 0 7 14 14 35 • Redskins 7 10 3 17 37 Date: October 2 Location: RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C. Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 54,106 Game weather: 65°F • Wind 4

Scoring summary 1 WSH John Riggins 2 yard run (Mark Moseley kick) Redskins 7-0 2 WSH Mark Moseley 28 yard field goal Redskins 10-0 2 LA Cliff Branch 99 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Chris Bahr kick) Redskins 10-7 2 WSH Joe Washington 5 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) Redskins 17-7 3 WSH Mark Moseley 29 yard field goal Redskins 20-7 3 LA Calvin Muhammad 35 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Chris Bahr kick) Redskins 20-14 3 LA Calvin Muhammad 22 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Chris Bahr kick) Raiders 21-20 4 LA Todd Christensen 2 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Chris Bahr kick) Raiders 28-20 4 LA Greg Pruitt 97 yard kickoff return (Chris Bahr kick) Raiders 35-20 4 WSH Charlie Brown 11 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) Raiders 35-27 4 WSH Mark Moseley 34 yard field goal Raiders 35-30 4 WSH Joe Washington 6 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) Redskins 37-35

Week 8

1 2 3 4 Total Raiders 10 21 3 6 40 Cowboys 7 17 0 14 38 at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas Date: Sunday, October 23 Game time: 8:00 p.m. Game weather: 58°F, wind 9 mph Pro-Football-Reference.com Game information First Quarter DAL - Danny White 15 yard pass from Ron Springs (Rafael Septien kick) - Cowboys 7-0 LA - Chris Bahr 37 yard field goal - Cowboys 7-3 LA - Derrick Jensen 2 yard pass from Marc Wilson (Chris Bahr kick) - Raiders 10-7 Second Quarter DAL - Ron Springs 2 yard run (Rafael Septien kick) - Cowboys 14-10 DAL - Rafael Septien 23 yard field goal - Cowboys 17-10 LA - Frank Hawkins 23 yard run (Chris Bahr kick) - Tied 17-17 DAL - Butch Johnson 15 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septien kick) - Cowboys 24-17 LA - Frank Hawkins 17 yard pass from Marc Wilson (Chris Bahr kick) - Tied 24-24 LA - Todd Christensen 1 yard pass from Marc Wilson (Chris Bahr kick) - Raiders 31-24 Third Quarter LA - Chris Bahr 24 yard field goal - Raiders 34-24 Fourth Quarter DAL - Doug Donley 17 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septien kick) - Raiders 34-31 DAL - Mike Hegman 9 yard fumble return (Rafael Septien kick) - Cowboys 38-34 LA - Chris Bahr 26 yard field goal - Cowboys 38-37 LA - Chris Bahr 26 yard field goal - Raiders 40-38 Raiders Marc Wilson 26/49, 318 Yds, 3 TD, INT Frank Hawkins 17 Rush, 118 Yds, TD Todd Christensen 7 Rec, 90 Yds, TD Cowboys Danny White 19/38, 240 Yds, 2 TD, 2 INT Tony Dorsett 20 Rush, 65 Yds Butch Johnson 3 Rec, 54 Yds, TD

Postseason

Divisional

1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 3 0 7 0 10 • Raiders 7 10 21 0 38 Date: January 1 Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, California Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 90,334 Game weather: Sunny • 71 °F (22 °C) Referee: Gene Barth TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

Scoring summary 1 PIT Gary Anderson 17 yard field goal Steelers 3-0 1 LA Lester Hayes 18 yard interception return (Chris Bahr kick) Raiders 7-3 2 LA Marcus Allen 4 yard run (Chris Bahr kick) Raiders 14-3 2 LA Chris Bahr 45 yard field goal Raiders 17-3 3 LA Kenny King 9 yard run (Chris Bahr kick) Raiders 24-3 3 LA Marcus Allen 49 yard run (Chris Bahr kick) Raiders 31-3 3 PIT John Stallworth 58 yard pass from Cliff Stoudt (Gary Anderson kick) Raiders 31-10 3 LA Frank Hawkins 2 yard run (Chris Bahr kick) Raiders 38-10

The Raiders scored 3 touchdowns in the third quarter en route to a 38–10 win over the Steelers. In the first quarter, Pittsburgh advanced on a 78-yard drive, but when faced with fourth down and inches near the goal line, they opted for kicker Gary Anderson's 17-yard field goal. But the Raiders controlled the rest of the game, as Lester Hayes returned an interception 18 yards for a touchdown. A 4-yard touchdown by running back Marcus Allen and a 45-yard field goal gave the Raiders a 17–3 lead. The Raiders then scored three touchdowns in the third period, including Allen's 49-yard run. Allen finished the game with 121 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on just 13 carries, while also catching 5 passes for 38 yards. The Steelers' lone score in the second half was wide receiver John Stallworth's 58-yard touchdown reception.

AFC Championship

1 2 3 4 Total Seahawks 0 0 7 7 14 • Raiders 3 17 7 3 30 Date: January 8 Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, California Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 88,734 Game weather: Light rain • 58 °F (14 °C) Referee: Dick Jorgensen TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

Scoring summary 1 LA Chris Bahr 20 yard field goal Raiders 3-0 2 LA Frank Hawkins 1 yard run (Chris Bahr kick) Raiders 10-0 2 LA Frank Hawkins 5 yard run (Chris Bahr kick) Raiders 17-0 2 LA Chris Bahr 45 yard field goal Raiders 20-0 3 LA Marcus Allen 3 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Chris Bahr kick) Raiders 27-0 3 SEA Dan Doornink 11 yard pass from Jim Zorn (Norm Johnson kick) Raiders 27-7 4 LA Chris Bahr 35 yard field goal Raiders 30-7 4 SEA Charle Young 9 yard pass from Jim Zorn (Norm Johnson kick) Raiders 30-14

Seattle had defeated Los Angeles twice during the regular season, but this game had a very different outcome.

The Raiders jumped to a 20–0 halftime lead en route to a 30–14 victory. The Seahawks were held to 65 rushing yards while Raiders Running back Marcus Allen ran for 154 yards, caught 7 passes for 62 yards, and scored 2 touchdowns. Lester Hayes' interception on Seattle's first drive of the game set up a 20-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Raiders running back Frank Hawkins then scored two touchdowns. In the second half, Seahawks starting quarterback Dave Krieg was benched and replaced by Jim Zorn. Zorn threw two touchdown passes, but it was not enough as Allen's 3-yard touchdown reception and another Raiders field goal put the game away. Seahawks running back Curt Warner, the AFC's leading rusher during the regular season, was held to just 26 yards on 11 carries.

Super Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total Redskins 0 3 6 0 9 • Raiders 7 14 14 3 38 Date: January 22 Location: Tampa Stadium • Tampa, Florida Game start: 4:50 p.m. EST Game weather: 51°F • Wind 16

Scoring summary 1 LA Derrick Jensen recovered blocked punt in end zone (Chris Bahr kick) Raiders 7-0 2 LA Cliff Branch 12 yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Chris Bahr kick) Raiders 14-0 2 WSH Mark Moseley 24 yard field goal Raiders 14-3 2 LA Jack Squirek 5 yard interception return (Chris Bahr kick) Raiders 21-3 3 WSH John Riggins 1 yard run (kick failed) Raiders 21-9 3 LA Marcus Allen 5 yard run (Chris Bahr kick) Raiders 28-9 3 LA Marcus Allen 74 yard run (Chris Bahr kick) Raiders 35-9 4 LA Chris Bahr 21 yard field goal Raiders 38-9

Less than five minutes into the game, Derrick Jensen blocked Redskins Jeff Hayes punt and recovered the ball in the end zone to give the Raiders a 7–0 lead. On their ensuing drive, Washington was forced to punt, but Los Angeles punt returner Ted Watts muffed the kick and Washington safety Greg Williams recovered the ball at the Raiders 42-yard line. However, the Redskins could only advance to 27-yard line.

The Redskins regrouped in the second half, and scoring on their opening drive by marching 70 yards in 9 plays. First, Garrett returned the opening kickoff 35 yards from 5 yards deep in the end zone to the Washington 30-yard line. Then, Theismann completed a 23-yard pass to receiver Charlie Brown to the Raiders' 47-yard line. Eight plays later, fullback John Riggins finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. (Riggins became the second player to run for touchdowns in back-to-back Super Bowls. He had one in Super Bowl XVII in route to winning that game's Super Bowl MVP). Moseley's extra point attempt was blocked by Don Hasselbeck, but the Redskins had cut the score to 21–9 and were just 2 touchdowns away from taking the lead.

However the Raiders completely took over the rest of the game, preventing any chance of a Washington comeback. On the ensuing drive, Washington defensive back Darrell Green was called for a 38-yard pass interference penalty while trying to cover Raiders receiver Malcolm Barnwell, setting up running back Marcus Allen's 5-yard touchdown run 7 plays later to make the score 28–9.

On the next play, the last play of the third quarter, Plunkett handed the ball off to Allen, who started to run left. But then he saw a lot of defenders in front of him so he cut back to the middle and took off for a then Super Bowl record 74-yard touchdown run, increasing Los Angeles' lead to 35–9.

In the final period, the Raiders sacked Theismann 3 times, forcing him to fumble once, and intercepted a pass. Meanwhile, a 39-yard run from Allen set up a 21-yard field goal from kicker Chris Bahr to make the final score of the game 38–9.

See also

• Oakland Raiders
• 1983 NFL season
• 1983 NFL Draft
• NFL playoffs, 1983–84