The Broncos didn't know what hit them. Before Denver fans even had a chance to settle into their seats to watch the contest against bitter, division rival Oakland, the Raiders jumped out to an early 14-point lead. By the end of the first quarter the Raiders had accumulated 24 points and were no where close to stopping. At halftime the Raiders, a team who just the week before barely managed three field goals against the 1-5 San Francisco 49ers, led the stunned Broncos 38-7. Three more touchdowns in the third quarter lifted Oakland to a franchise record 59 points and then they put the brakes on and coasted the rest of the game for an outstanding 59-14 road victory. The unexpected offensive explosion was enough to jolt Al Davis back from the dead and renewed waning hope for the possibility of a Raider playoff birth, particularly in the suspect AFC West.
But did the Raiders accomplish something unique on Sunday? After all, they were not the first team to score 59 or more points in three quarters. Two other teams have accomplished this same feat.
Just over one year ago, the lovable New England Patriots obliterated the 0-5 Tennessee Titans in Foxboro, 59-0 on October 18, 2009. During their bye week following the game, Titans coach Jeff Fisher donned a Peyton Manning jersey at a charity event and declared he just "wanted to feel like a winner for a change."
Prior to the destruction of the Tennessee Titans, only one other team had ever scored 59 or more points in just three quarters of action. On October 29, 1950 - exactly 60 years ago - the Los Angeles Rams hosted the Detroit Lions in a game that started out quite normal. After the first quarter, the Rams led 7-3 and had expanded their lead to 24-10 at halftime. However, a curious thing happened after the break. Norm Van Brocklin led the Rams to a devastating deluge of points in the third quarter. When the smoke had settled and the clock rolled over to quarter number four, the Rams led 65-17. The 41 points scored by the Rams in the third quarter ranks among the most points ever scored in a single quarter. Los Angeles won the game by a final score of 65-24.
Despite being the third team in NFL history to score 59 or more points in three quarters, Oakland was the first ever team to do so on the road. Crushing the Broncos in Denver only makes the victory sweeter. By contrast, both Los Angeles and New England played at home when they lit up the scoreboard.
The Raiders, on the other hand, became only the fourth team to score 50 or more points through three quarters on the road. The Chicago Bears racked up 54 points in three quarters of the 1940 NFL Championship game against the Washington Redskins before going on to win 73-0. The Chicago Cardinals were the next to score 50 or more in three quarters back on November 13, 1949 when they defeated the New York Bulldogs, 65-20 during a game played in New York. The Pittsburgh Steelers later managed to score 50 on the road during the first three quarters of their game against the Atlanta Falcons on December 18, 1966, which they ended up winning 57-33.
However, Oakland's 59-point performance on Sunday stands alone as a benchmark for prolific scoring by a road team through three quarters of play. And despite Al Davis' affinity for throwing the ball deep down the field, most of the Raiders points came off rushing touchdowns. How curious.
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