Series history: Patriots and Raiders share a long and complicated history

The New England Patriots will matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon for the 37th all-time meeting between the two franchises. The Patriots currently lead the series 20-15-1.

Let’s take a look back on some important games between the two clubs through the years:

First Meeting: The first meeting between these two teams took place on Oct. 16, 1960, with the Raiders winning 27-14.

Butch Songin started for the Patriots and threw for 154 yards and three interceptions. Songin also added a one-yard rushing touchdown, while Alan Miller had 94 rushing yards and a score on the ground.

The Raiders started Tom Flores and he had 161 passing yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions himself. Jack Larscheid and Billy Lott each had a rushing touchdown. Gene Prebola led all receivers with 59 yards and a touchdown. Al Hosinington tacked on a 10-yard score through the air.

Most Lopsided Game: The most lopsided game was also back in the ‘60s with the then-Oakland Raiders defeating the Boston Patriots 48-14.

Boston quarterback Babe Parilli had just 118 yards and a passing touchdown to Gino Cappelletti. Jim Nance had 51 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Cappelletti finished with a team-high 43 receiving yards.

Daryle Lamonica started for Oakland, and he had a great day behind 240 passing yards and four touchdowns. George Blanda also threw a touchdown pass for the Raiders. Roger Hagberg added 67 rushing yards along with touchdowns on the ground and threw the air. Warren Wells had two catches and they were both touchdowns. Bill Miller and Billy Cannon also each had a touchdown catch.

Playoff History: The first playoff matchup between these two historic franchises took place on Dec. 18, 1976. John Madden coached the Raiders to a controversial 24-21 victory in the divisional round.

Steve Grogan started for New England, and he had 167 passing yards with a touchdown and interception. Andy Johnson and Jess Phillips each had rushing scores in this game, while Russ Francis had 96 receiving yards and a touchdown as well.

Ken Stabler was the Oakland quarterback and he had 233 passing yards with a touchdown while adding a rushing touchdown to finalize the score. Mark van Eeghan had 39 rushing yards and a touchdown. Fred Biletnikoff had a massive day receiving with 137 yards and a touchdown. Errol Mann added a 40-yard field goal.

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Stabler’s game-winning touchdown run was set up by a questionable roughing the passer call against New England’s Ray Hamilton. The penalty turned what would have been 4th-and-18 into a new set of downs, and paved the way for Oakland’s victory.

The next playoff matchup took pace 10 years later on Jan. 5, 1986. New England took care of business with a 27-20 win.

New England’s starter was Tony Eason, who had 117 passing yards and a touchdown to Lin Dawson. Craig James had a massive game on the ground with 104 yards and a score. Jim Bowman had a fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown, while Tony Franklin tacked on two field goals and three extra points to give New England 27.

Marc Wilson was the Raiders’ quarterback and he had 135 passing yards with a touchdown and three interceptions — two by the Patriots’ Ronnie Lippett, one by Fred Marion. Marcus Allen was dominant with 121 rushing yards and a touchdown while Jessie Hester had a 16-yard touchdown catch. Chris Bahr nailed two field goals to give the Los Angeles Raiders 20.

The two franchises’ third and most recent playoff game, meanwhile, stands out:

Most Memorable Matchup: The most memorable game in this series is definitely the 2001 divisional meeting at old Foxboro Stadium. The game became known as the “Tuck Rule Game”, taking place on Jan. 19, 2002, with the Patriots winning 16-13 in a snowstorm.

A young Tom Brady started for the Patriots and threw 52 passes. He finished with 312 passing yards and an interception. He also had a rushing touchdown from six yards out for New England’s lone trip to the end zone all game. Adam Vinatieri was the star as he made three field goals in challenging conditions — including a 45-yarder to tie the game in the fourth quarter, and a 23-yarder in overtime for the win.

Rich Gannon was on the other side of things and had 159 passing yards and a touchdown. James Jett hauled in the score in the first quarter from 13 yards out. Sebastian Janikowski nailed two field goals in the third quarter that actually put Oakland up 13-3 at one point.

The decisive play of the game happened in the late fourth quarter. With New England down 13-10 and in need of a score, Brady seemingly fumbled the football away on a Charles Woodson sack. However, the play was overturned into an incomplete pass after replay. Five plays later, Vinatieri sent the game to overtime.

Most Recent Matchup: The Raiders and Patriots last played on Sept. 2, 2020. The Patriots won this battle 36-20.

Cam Newton was the Patriots’ starter, and he threw for 162 yards with a touchdown and an interception. New England’s ground game had a massive day: Led by Sony Michel’s 117 yards and Rex Burkhead’s 49 and two touchdowns — along with 49 receiving yards and a receiving score — the team gained 250 on the ground. Deatrich Wise Jr. had a fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown, while Nick Folk also added three field goals.

Las Vegas started Derek Carr who had 261 passing yards and two touchdowns. Hunter Renfrow had 84 yards receiving and a score, with Foster Moreau also having a touchdown catch and 25 yards. Daniel Carlson tacked on two field goals for the Raiders as well.