The 1983 season was the Los Angeles Raiders' 14th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 24th season overall, and their second season in Los Angeles. The team began by attempting to improve on their 8–1 record from 1982 and went on to win the Super Bowl for the third time in franchise history. Prior to the Los Angeles Rams victory in Super Bowl LVI, the 1983 Raiders were the only NFL team to win the Super Bowl while based in Los Angeles. They became the 2nd team in NFL history to win 3 Super Bowls, the first being the Steelers.
NFL Films produced a documentary about the team's season entitled Just Win, Baby!; it was narrated by John Facenda, the 16th and final Raiders highlight film narrated by Facenda, who died on September 26, 1984. On November 24, 2006, NFL Network aired America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions, in which they ranked the 1983 Raiders at #20; the film was narrated by Alec Baldwin and featured commentary from players Marcus Allen, Todd Christensen and Howie Long.
Offseason
NFL draft
During the draft the Raiders had attempted to execute a 3-team trade that would have brought future Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway to Los Angeles, but this trade was blocked, and Elway was instead drafted by the Colts, for whom he refused to play, then traded to the Broncos.
AFC Divisional Playoffs (Sunday, January 1, 1984): vs. (3) [[1983 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]]
;Vegas Odds
Vegas Line=LA −7.0 (Won)
Over/Under=43.0 (Over)
;Steelers
Cliff Stoudt
10/20, 187 Yds, TD, INT
Cliff Stoudt
9 Rush, 50 Yds
Franco Harris
4 Rec, 31 Yds
;Raiders
Jim Plunkett
21/34, 232 Yds
Marcus Allen
13 Rush, 121 Yds, 2 TDs
Todd Christensen
7 Rec, 88 Yds
;Game Length
Time of Game:
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. Raiders go to the AFC Championship Game and win to the Seattle Seahawks 30–14. And win Super Bowl XVIII to the Redskins 38–9.
1983 AFC Championship Game (Sunday, January 8, 1984): vs. (4) [[1983 Seattle Seahawks season|Seattle Seahawks]]
Point spread: Raiders −7
Over/under: 47.0 (under)
Time of game: 3 hours, 13 minutes
Seattle Seahawks
year=1983
border=2}}"
Seahawks
Game statistics
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}}"
Raiders
First downs
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passes
Sacked–yards
Net passing yards
Total yards
Return yards
Punts
Fumbles–lost
Penalties–yards
Time of possession
16
21
18–65
46–205
146
214
17–36–5
17–24–2
4–44
2–18
102
196
167
401
144
100
5–32.0
2–34.0
1–0
3–2
2–20
7–53
22:54
37:06
Individual stats
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Raiders Passing
C/ATT1
Yds
TD
INT
Sk
Yds
LG3
Rate
Plunkett
17/24
214
1
2
2
18
49
77.4
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Raiders Rushing
Car2
Yds
TD
LG3
Allen
25
154
0
43
Plunkett
7
26
0
10
Hawkins
10
24
2
8
Pruitt
1
4
0
4
King
2
0
0
0
Wilson
1
−3
0
−3
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Raiders Receiving
Rec4
Yds
TD
LG3
Allen
7
62
1
16
Barnwell
5
116
0
49
Christensen
3
14
0
6
Branch
2
22
0
11
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Raiders Kickoff Returns
Ret
Yds
Y/Rt
TD
Lng
Montgomery
2
46
23.0
0
27
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Raiders Punt Returns
Ret
Yds
Y/Rt
TD
Lng
Pruitt
1
1
1.0
0
1
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Raiders Punting
Pnt
Yds
Y/P
Lng
Blck
Guy
2
68
34.0
55
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Raiders Kicking
FGM–FGA
XPM–XPA
Bahr
3–3
3–3
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Raiders Sacks
Sacks
Townsend
2.0
Martin
1.0
Pickel
1.0
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Raiders Interceptions
Int
Yds
TD
LG
PD
Davis
2
2
0
2
Hayes
1
44
0
44
Millen
1
13
0
13
McElroy
1
−6
0
−6
Starting Lineups
Position
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Starting Lineups vs. Seattle (1983 AFC Championship Game)
**Offense**
WR
Cliff Branch
LT
Bruce Davis
LG
Charley Hannah
C
Dave Dalby
RG
Mickey Marvin
RT
Henry Lawrence
TE
Todd Christensen
WR
Malcolm Barnwell
QB
Jim Plunkett
TE
Don Hasselbeck
RB
Marcus Allen
**Defense**
LDE
Howie Long
NT
Reggie Kinlaw
RDE
Lyle Alzado
LOLB
Ted Hendricks
LILB
Matt Millen
RILB
Bob Nelson
ROLB
Rod Martin
LCB
Lester Hayes
RCB
Mike Haynes
SS
Mike Davis
FS
Vann McElroy
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. Raiders go to Super Bowl XVIII to the Washington Redskins 38–9.
Super Bowl XVIII (Sunday, January 22, 1984): vs. (N1) [[1983 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]]
Point spread: Raiders +2
Over/under: 48.0 (under)
Time of game: 3 hours, 31 minutes
Washington Redskins
year=1983
border=2}}"
Redskins
Game statistics
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}}"
Raiders
First downs
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passes
Sacked–yards
Net passing yards
Total yards
Return yards
Punts
Fumbles–lost
Penalties–yards
Time of possession
19
18
32–90
33–231
243
172
16–35–2
16–25–0
6–50
2–18
193
154
283
385
167
30
7–37.0
7–42.7
1–1
3–2
4–62
7–56
30:38
29:22
Individual stats
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Raiders Passing
C/ATT1
Yds
TD
INT
Sk
Yds
LG3
Rate
Plunkett
16/25
172
1
0
2
18
50
97.4
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Raiders Rushing
Car2
Yds
TD
LG3
Marcus Allen
20
191
2
74
Greg Pruitt
5
17
0
11
Kenny King
3
12
0
10
Chester Willis
1
7
0
7
Frank Hawkins
3
6
0
3
Jim Plunkett
1
−2
0
−2
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Raiders Receiving
Rec4
Yds
TD
LG3
Cliff Branch
6
94
1
50
Todd Christensen
4
32
0
14
Frank Hawkins
2
20
0
14
Marcus Allen
2
18
0
12
Kenny King
2
8
0
7
Malcolm Barnwell
0
0
0
0
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Raiders Kickoff Returns
Ret
Yds
Y/Rt
TD
Lng
Pruitt
1
17
17.0
0
17
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Raiders Punt Returns
Ret
Yds
Y/Rt
TD
Lng
Pruitt
1
8
8.0
0
8
Watts
1
0
0.0
0
0
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Raiders Punting
Pnt
Yds
Y/P
Lng
Blck
Guy
7
299
42.7
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Raiders Kicking
FGM–FGA
XPM–XPA
Bahr
5–5
1–1
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Raiders Sacks
Sacks
Barnes
1.0
Davis
1.0
Martin
1.0
Millen
1.0
Pickel
1.0
Townsend
1.0
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Raiders Interceptions
Int
Yds
TD
LG
PD
Squirek
1
5
1
5
0
Haynes
1
0
0
0
0
Starting Lineups
Position
Los Angeles Raiders
year=1983
border=2}};"
Starting Lineups vs. Washington (Super Bowl XVIII)
**Offense**
WR
Cliff Branch
LT
Bruce Davis
LG
Charley Hannah
C
Dave Dalby
RG
Steve Sylvester
RT
Henry Lawrence
TE
Todd Christensen
WR
Malcolm Barnwell
QB
Jim Plunkett
FB
Kenny King
RB
Marcus Allen
**Defense**
LDE
Howie Long
NT
Reggie Kinlaw
RDE
Lyle Alzado
LOLB
Ted Hendricks
LILB
Matt Millen
RILB
Bob Nelson
ROLB
Rod Martin
LCB
Lester Hayes
RCB
Mike Haynes
SS
Mike Davis
FS
Vann McElroy
Marcus Allen rushes in Super Bowl XVIII.
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 en 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 Raiders possession, 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.
Raiders win and in 1984 finished 11–5. But in the Wild Card lost to the Seahawks 13–7.
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1983090408 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198309040cin.htm Los Angeles Raiders at Cincinnati Bengals – September 4, 1983]
. "Las Vegas Raiders 2023 Media Guide". *Las Vegas Raiders*.
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1983091110 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198309110rai.htm Houston Oilers at Los Angeles Raiders – September 11, 1983]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1983091901 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198309190rai.htm Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Raiders – September 19, 1983]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1983092512 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198309250den.htm Los Angeles Raiders at Denver Broncos – September 25, 1983]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1983100206 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198310020was.htm Los Angeles Raiders at Washington Redskins – October 2, 1983]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1983100910 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198310090rai.htm Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Raiders – October 9, 1983]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1983101613 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198310160sea.htm Los Angeles Raiders at Seattle Seahawks – October 16, 1983]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1983102313 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198310230dal.htm Los Angeles Raiders at Dallas Cowboys – October 23, 1983]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1983103013 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198310300rai.htm Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Raiders – October 30, 1983]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1983110609 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198311060kan.htm Los Angeles Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs – November 6, 1983]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1983111312 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198311130rai.htm Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Raiders – November 13, 1983]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1983112007 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198311200buf.htm Los Angeles Raiders at Buffalo Bills – November 20, 1983]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1983112701 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198311270rai.htm New York Giants at Los Angeles Raiders – November 27, 1983]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1983120101 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1983121110 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1983121809 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984010102 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984010802 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198401080rai.htm 1983 AFC Championship Game – (4) Seattle Seahawks at (1) Los Angeles Raiders – January 8, 1984]
[https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984012201 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2023-Oct-01.
''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198401220rai.htm Super Bowl XVIII – (N1) Washington Redskins vs. (A1) Los Angeles Raiders – January 22, 1984]
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