1990 Los Angeles Raiders season

1990 Los Angeles Raiders season
Head coach Art Shell
General manager Al Davis
Owner Al Davis
Home field L.A. Memorial Coliseum
Results
Record 12–4
Division place 1st AFC West
Playoff finish Lost AFC Championship
Pro Bowlers

The 1990 Los Angeles Raiders season was the club's 31st season in the National Football League (NFL). Led by Coach of the Year Art Shell, the club appeared in its first AFC Championship Game since the 1983 season, but lost a lopsided affair to the Buffalo Bills, 51–3.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1990 NFL draft
1990 Los Angeles Raiders draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 11 Anthony Smith  Defensive end Arizona
2 37 Aaron Wallace  Linebacker Texas A&M
4 95 Torin Dorn  Defensive back North Carolina
6 149 Marcus Wilson  Running back Virginia
7 173 Garry Lewis  Defensive back Alcorn State
8 197 Arthur Jimerson  Linebacker Norfolk State
9 230 Leon Perry  Running back Oklahoma
11 303 Ron Lewis  Wide receiver Jackson State
11 304 Myron Jones  Running back Fresno State
12 317 Major Harris  Quarterback West Virginia
12 331 Demetrius Davis  Tight end Nevada
      Made roster  

[1]

Personnel

Staff

1990 Los Angeles Raiders staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special Teams – Steve Ortmayer

[2]

Roster

1990 Los Angeles Raiders roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams


Rookies in italics

[3]

Starters

POS Name GS
QB Jay Schroeder 16
RB Marcus Allen 15
FB Steve Smith 15
WR Mervyn Fernandez 15
WR Willie Gault 16
TE Ethan Horton 14
LT Rory Graves 15
LG Steve Wisniewski 16
C Don Mosebar 16
RG Max Montoya 16
RT Steve Wright 16
POS Name GS
LDE Howie Long 11
LDT Bob Golic 16
RDT Scott Davis 16
RDE Greg Townsend 16
LLB Jerry Robinson 16
MLB Riki Ellison 15
RLB Thomas Benson 16
LCB Terry McDaniel 13
RCB Lionel Washington 16
SS Mike Harden 15
FS Eddie Anderson 16

[4]

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 9, 1990 Denver Broncos W 14–9
54,206
2 September 16, 1990 at Seattle Seahawks W 17–13
61,889
3 September 23, 1990 Pittsburgh Steelers W 20–3
50,657
4 September 30, 1990 Chicago Bears W 24–10
80,156
5 October 7, 1990 at Buffalo Bills L 38–24
80,076
6 October 14, 1990 Seattle Seahawks W 24–17
50,624
7 October 21, 1990 at San Diego Chargers W 24–9
60,569
8 Bye
9 November 4, 1990 at Kansas City Chiefs L 9–7
70,951
10 November 11, 1990 Green Bay Packers L 29–16
50,855
11 November 19, 1990 at Miami Dolphins W 13–10
70,553
12 November 25, 1990 Kansas City Chiefs L 27–24
65,710
13 December 2, 1990 at Denver Broncos W 23–20
74,162
14 December 10, 1990 at Detroit Lions W 38–31
72,190
15 December 16, 1990 Cincinnati Bengals W 24–7
54,132
16 December 22, 1990 at Minnesota Vikings W 28–24
53,899
17 December 30, 1990 San Diego Chargers W 17–12
62,593

Game summaries

Week 1

1 234Total
Broncos 3 303 9
Raiders 0 0140 14

On opening day the Raiders achieved an important victory but they did not score an offensive touchdown. At halftime the Broncos led Los Angeles 6–0. During the third quarter, Denver quarterback John Elway was intercepted by Raider lineback Jerry Robinson and the veteran returned the ball to the endzone for a touchdown. Later, cornerback Terry McDaniel scored the first touchdown of his career on a 42-yard fumble return. Leading 14–6 the Raiders defense held firm and only surrendered a third field goal to Denver.[5]

Week 2

1 234Total
Raiders 3 0014 17
Seahawks 0 373 13
  • Date: September 16
  • Location: Kingdome, Seattle, WA
  • Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game attendance: 61,889
  • Game weather: Indoors (dome)

The Raiders won their second straight game to start the 1990 season with a 2–0 record. A defensive struggle ensued between the two teams and by the end of the third quarter the Seahawks led 10–3. Raiders starting quarterback Jay Schroeder tied the game with a 12-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Mervyn Fernandez. Seattle regained the lead a few moments later on a 19-yard field goal. With time running short the Raiders drove downfield and scored on a 1-yard run by reserve running back Greg Bell to earn the victory.[6]

Week 3

1 234Total
Steelers 3 000 3
Raiders 0 3314 20

[7]

The Raider defense combined for six sacks to beat Pittsburgh. The Steelers took a 3–0 lead but the Raiders scored 20 straight points to rout Pittsburgh.

Week 4

1 234Total
Bears 7 300 10
Raiders 10 707 24

[8]

Marcus Allen scored the first points of the game, a 1-yard touchdown run, and the Raiders never looked back. Another Allen touchdown and a short fumble return for a touchdown by Greg Townsend rounded out the scoring. Willie Gault beat up his former team with 103 yards receiving on just 4 receptions.

Week 5

1 234Total
Raiders 7 377 24
Bills 0 7724 38

[9]

Week 6

1 234Total
Seahawks 0 1430 17
Raiders 7 1403 24

[10]

Week 7

1 234Total
Raiders 0 1077 24
Chargers 3 330 9

[11] The Raiders rewarded Bo Jackson's return from professional baseball by giving him the ball 12 times for 53 yards and 2 touchdowns. On defense the Raiders recorded two sacks and held the Chargers to just three field goals.

Week 9

1 234Total
Raiders 0 007 7
Chiefs 6 003 9

[12]

The Raiders scored the only touchdown of the game but the Chiefs outscored and outrushed the Raiders to hand the Raiders their second loss of the season.

Week 10

1 234Total
Packers 3 13310 29
Raiders 13 300 16

[13]

The Packers overcame 8 sacks by the Raiders to force four Raider turnovers and bask in the glory of 10 Raiders penalties.

Week 11

1 234Total
Raiders 0 1030 13
Dolphins 0 703 10

[14] On Monday Night Football both Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson rushed for 79 yards and 99 yards respectively to beat Miami and rebound for consecutive losses to Kansas City and Green Bay. Marcus Allen scored the only Raider touchdown of the game.

Week 12

1 234Total
Chiefs 0 10107 27
Raiders 0 1077 24

[15]

The Raiders lost their fourth game of the 1990 season and their third defeat in four weeks. Marcus Allen scored three times and both Allen and Jackson combined for over 100 yards rushing but it was not enough. Chiefs quarterback Steve DeBerg threw three touchdown passes and the Chiefs defense combined for five sacks to earn a season sweep of Los Angeles.

Week 13

1 234Total
Raiders 7 079 23
Broncos 3 7010 20

[16]

Bo Jackson had been fairly quiet all season until a dose of Denver defense cured him of any of his struggles. During the third quarter and with the Raiders leading 14–13, Bo Jackson broke several tackles during a 62-yard touchdown run. The score was Jackson's second touchdown of the afternoon and the former Auburn star rushed 13 times for 117 yards. Receiver Willie Gault helped out with 9 receptions for 99 yards.

Week 14

1 234Total
Raiders 14 7143 38
Lions 21 307 31

For the second time in four weeks the Raiders played on Monday Night Football. The games biggest prime time stage contained some of the greatest college football players in history. The teams set a NFL record with five combined Heisman Trophy winners taking the field. (For the Raiders it was Marcus Allen, Bo Jackson and Tim Brown. For the Lions it was Barry Sanders and Andre Ware.) The game turned out to be a shootout with Allen, Brown, Jackson and Barry Sanders scoring touchdowns. Sanders rushed for 176 yards on 25 carries and Jackson carried 18 times for 129 yards. The Raiders defense captured four sacks and an interception to earn their ninth win of the season.

Week 15

1 234Total
Bengals 7 000 7
Raiders 7 1070 24

[17]

During the game Bo Jackson rushed eight times for 117 yards and Tim Brown scored twice. After trailing 7–0 the Raiders scored 24 unanswered points to crush Cincinnati.

Week 16

1 234Total
Raiders 14 077 28
Vikings 0 10014 24

[18] Jay Schroeder gave Los Angeles a 14–0 lead after hitting receivers Sam Graddy and Mervyn Fernandez with touchdown passes. The Vikings reentered the game with 10 unanswered points but Schroeder threw two more touchdown passes to Marcus Allen and Ethan Horton to give Los Angeles a 28–10 lead. Future Raider quarterback Rich Gannon replaced Vikings starter and future Raider Wade Wilson and threw two touchdown passes to earn the final points of the contest. The Raiders defense came through again with five sacks and an interception.

Week 17

1 234Total
Chargers 3 603 12
Raiders 0 7010 17

[19] The two losses to Kansas City hurt the Raiders here but hopes of a divisional championship were still alive. With a win the Raiders would win the AFC West and the team did not disappoint. Trailing 12–10 in the fourth quarter, the Raiders mounted an important drive and fullback Steve Smith finalized the win with a short touchdown reception from Jay Schroeder.[20]

Standings

AFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(2) Los Angeles Raiders 12 4 0 .750 6–2 9–3 337 268 W5
(5) Kansas City Chiefs 11 5 0 .688 5–3 7–5 369 257 W2
Seattle Seahawks 9 7 0 .563 4–4 7–5 306 286 W2
San Diego Chargers 6 10 0 .375 2–6 5–9 315 281 L3
Denver Broncos 5 11 0 .313 3–5 4–8 331 374 W1

Playoffs

Divisional

1 234Total
Bengals 0 307 10
Raiders 0 7310 20

The Raiders recorded 235 rushing yards (with 140 of them coming from running back Marcus Allen), while holding the Bengals to just 182 total yards and sacking Boomer Esiason four times (three by lineman Greg Townsend), but still had to score 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory. The Bengals scored first during the second period with kicker Jim Breech's 27-yard field goal. But Los Angeles quarterback Jay Schroeder threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mervyn Fernandez to give the Raiders a 7–3 lead before halftime. Los Angeles kicker Jeff Jaeger made a 49-field goal in the third quarter, but Cincinnati tied the game early in the fourth period with running back Stanford Jennings' 8-yard touchdown reception from Esiason. However, a 41-yard touchdown pass from Schroeder to tight end Ethan Horton and Jaeger's 25-yard field goal clinched the victory.

This was Raiders running back Bo Jackson's final NFL game, having injured his left hip during the third quarter while being tackled from behind by Bengals linebacker Kevin Walker.[21] The injury was later revealed to have caused a degenerative bone condition in Jackson's hip called avascular necrosis. Before being knocked out of the game, he rushed 6 times for 77 yards. Some Bengals fans theorize that this injury to one of the greatest athletes ever placed a curse on the Bengals franchise (sometimes called "the curse of Bo Jackson"), and that this curse is partially responsible for the Bengals' notorious failure to field a competitive football team for most of the next decade and half, and the Bengals have not won a playoff game since.

This game is also notable for being Marcus Allen's last 100-plus yard rushing performance with the Raiders, as well as the last postseason game the Bengals would play in until the 2005 season.

Conference Championship

1 234Total
Raiders 3 000 3
Bills 21 20010 51

Raiders head coach Art Shell became the first African-American coach to take his team to a conference championship game, but the results were not in his favor.

The Bills shredded the Raiders, limiting quarterback Jay Schroeder to 13 of 31 completions for 150 yards and intercepting him 5 times, while also holding running back Marcus Allen to just 26 yards on 10 carries. On offense, the Bills amassed 502 total yards, including 202 yards on the ground. Running back Thurman Thomas rushed for 138 and a touchdown while also catching 5 passes for 61 yards, while running back Kenneth Davis tied an AFC playoff record with 3 rushing touchdowns. Buffalo also set an NFL playoff record by scoring 41 points in the first half. Bills quarterback Jim Kelly threw for 300 yards and two touchdown passes to wide receiver James Lofton, who finished the game with 5 receptions for 113 yards. Thomas recorded a 12-yard touchdown run, while Davis scored from 1 yard, 3 yards, and 1 yard out. Linebacker Darryl Talley returned one of his two interceptions 27 yards for a touchdown.

On Buffalo's opening drive, Kelly completed six consecutive passes, the last one a 13-yard touchdown throw to Lofton after he recovered a fumbled snap in shotgun formation. The Raiders responded with a 41-yard field goal from Jeff Jaeger, but Buffalo stormed back with another touchdown just four plays after the ensuing kickoff, set up by Kelly's 41-yard completion to Lofton. After a punt, Los Angeles defensive back Gary Lewis intercepted a pass from Kelly. But two plays later, Talley intercepted a pass from Schroeder and returned it for a touchdown. The Raiders were forced to punt on their next possession, and Buffalo stormed down the field again, scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run by Davis on fourth down and goal. An interception by Nate Odomes set up Davis' second touchdown less than a minute later, and before the half ended, Lofton caught his second touchdown pass to give the Bills a 41–3 first half lead.

Buffalo increased their lead to 48–3 with Davis' third touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. Later on, Scott Norwood closed out the scoring with a 39-yard field goal.

Buffalo recorded a total of six interceptions, the third highest total ever in a single NFL game. Defensive back Mark Kelso recorded his fourth career postseason interception in the game, a Bills' record.

Awards and records

Art Shell, NFL Coach of the Year Bo Jackson, Pro Bowl Greg Townsend, Pro Bowl Marcus Allen, 13 total touchdowns, 12 rushing and 1 receiving[20]

References

  1. "1990 Los Angeles Raiders draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  2. "Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Raiders" (PDF). DenverBroncos.com. Denver Broncos. December 2, 1990. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  3. "1990 Los Angeles Raiders starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  4. "Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Raiders – September 9th, 1990 – Pro-Football-Reference.com". Archived from the original on May 18, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  5. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199009160sea.htm
  6. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Feb-05.
  7. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Feb-05.
  8. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Feb-05.
  9. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Feb-05.
  10. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Feb-05.
  11. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Feb-05.
  12. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Feb-05.
  13. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Feb-05.
  14. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Feb-05.
  15. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Feb-05.
  16. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Feb-06.
  17. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Feb-06.
  18. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Feb-06.
  19. 1 2 "1990 Los Angeles Raiders Statistics & Players – Pro-Football-Reference.com". Archived from the original on May 20, 2009. Retrieved May 17, 2009.
  20. News – Bengals break Curse of Bo – Cincinnati Bengals

External links

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