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The Oakland Raiders and the Miami Dolphins have history; that much is for sure. Like the Dolphins, the Raiders are one of the oldest teams in the NFL. The franchise began in 1960 as part of the American Football league (AFL). During the next decade the team became one of the most dominant in the AFL, before the AFL merged with the NFL.
Indeed, during the 1960s the Raiders were unbeaten against the Dolphins, winning five and tying one game. During the 1970s, the dominance continued, winning five and losing three. In one of the most memorable meetings between the two teams, Curt Gowdy, the longtime NBC Sports telecaster, called the December 21st, 1974 meeting the greatest game he had ever seen. His co-host, Al De Rogatis also agreed.
At the time, Don Shula's Dolphins had been to the past three Super bowls in a row, a record at that time, and came into the game against the Raiders with a 11-3 record and an AFC East title. The Raiders, lead by future Hall of Fame head coach John Madden, on the other hand won the AFC West title with a 12-2 record. Without going into the specifics of the game (you can read the article here), the Miami Dolphins unfortunately lost the game 28-26 as the Raiders edged ahead with only 24 seconds left. The game is definitely worth a watch, and even though Miami did lose, is one of the all time football classics.
Throughout the 1980s, the Raiders continued their winning streak against the Dolphins, losing only once. However, once the 1990s rolled by, that streak ended and the team has never been the same since. Miami Dolphins remain unbeaten stretching back to the November 16th, 2008 meeting between the two sides. Since 1990, the Raiders have only won four times, to the Dolphins twelve wins.
Will that change come Sunday? Being the eternal optimist, I'll hedge my bets and say no. It's the Miami Dolphins versus the Oakland Raiders In London this weekend. Are you ready?
Regular Season
Won: 15
Lost: 16
Tied: 1
Win-Loss %: 0.484
Points Scored: 644
Points Against: 645
Playoffs
Won: 1
Lost: 3
Tied: 0
Win-Loss %: 0.250
Points Scored: 67
Points Against: 86
Alex Parish is an Associate Editor at The Phinsider. Be sure to follow me on Twitter @AlexParish89.