As with the Dallas Cowboys last week, the Oakland Raiders will renew a series with a rare opponent this week as they travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on ESPN's Monday Night Football on Christmas night. The two teams have only met 11 times, and the Eagles lead the series 6-5. The Raiders did defeat the Eagles 27-10 in Super Bowl XV at the Superdome in New Orleans after the 1980 season.
The teams first met in the 1970 preseason, with the Raiders winning 30-19 at Philadelphia. The first meeting in the regular season took place the following year as the Raiders won 34-10 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The Eagles jumped out to a 10-0 lead as Rick Arrington connected with Tom Woodeshick for a 7-yard TD pass, and Happy Feller tacked on a 31-yard field goal. In the second half, the Raiders opened things up as Daryle Lamonica hit Fred Biletinikoff for a 35-yard scoring strike, and Eldridge Dickey for a 27-yard touchdown. Pete Banaszak and Don Highsmith chipped in with rushing touchdowns and George Atkinson returned a fumble for a touchdown on special teams as the Raiders scored 34 unanswered points.
The teams wouldn't meet again until 1976 as the Raiders made their first regular season trip to Philadelphia. The two teams from opposite coasts teed it up on Nov. 21, at Veterans Stadium. Again the Eagles jumped out to an early lead as Roman Gabriel connected with Harold Carmichael for a one-yard touchdown pass to put the home team up 7-0. The Raiders score 26 unanswered points as Errol Mann booted a 32-yard field goal, Mark van Eeghen and Clarence Davis scored on the ground, Ted Hendricks blocked a punt for a safety, and Ken Stabler tossed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Biletnikoff. The Raiders left the City of Brotherly Love with a 26-7 victory on their way to a win in Super Bowl XI at the end of the 1976 season.
The Raiders returned to Philadelphia in 1980. The Eagles turned in a dominant defensive performance as they sacked Jim Plunkett eight times. Tony Franklin's 51-yard field goal put Philly up 3-0. Plunkett connected with Cliff Branch for an 86-yard strike to give the visitors a 7-3 4th quarter lead. But Wilbert Montgomery's 3-yard touchdown run was the difference as the Eagles won 10-7 in what would turn out to be a Super Bowl preview.
In 1986, the Raiders hosted the Eagles in Los Angeles for the first time. The Eagles stunned the Raiders with a 33-27 overtime victory. Big plays were the order of the day as Fulton Walker returned a punt 70 yards, Plunkett threw touchdown passes of 49 and 81 yards to Jessie Hester for the Raiders, and Randall Cunningham hit Mike Quick for a 62-yard touchdown, and Gregg Garrity returned a punt 76 yards for the Eagles. For all the big plays, a one-yard Cunningham touchdown plunge won it for the Eagles in overtime.
The Raiders returned to Philadelphia in 1989 and ended up with the same result as the 1980 visit, a 10-7 loss. The scoring in this match-up started the same way the 1986 match-up ended, with a one-yard Cunningham touchdown run. Luis Zendejas added a 34-yard field goal for Philly. The Raiders managed a 24-yard touchdown pass from Steve Beuerlein to Willie Gault, but fell to the Eagles nonetheless. Passing for both teams had a rough go, as Beuerlein and Jay Schroeder combined for 162 yards, and the Raiders held Cunningham to 63 yards.
The Eagles hosted the Raiders again in 1992 and ran away with a 31-10 victory, dominating from start to finish. The Raiders returned the favor as the Eagles returned to Oakland in the regular season for the first time since 1976 in the Silver and Black's first year back in Oakland. The Raiders handled the Eagles 48-17. The Eagles jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter. From the second quarter on, the Raiders scored 48 unanswered points as they scored two touchdowns on fumble returns, Cole Ford kicked two field goals, Daryl Hobbs and Derrick Fenner caught touchdown passes, and Harvey Williams chipped in with a rushing touchdown.
In 2001, the Raiders made their last appearance at The Vet, and came away with a 20-10 victory over Donovan McNabb and the Eagles. The Raiders gained 202 yards on the ground, with Charlie Garner and Zack Crockett scoring rushing touchdowns. The Raiders defense sacked McNabb four times.
The Raiders lost the next meeting, their first appearance at Lincoln Financial Field in 2005, 23-20. David Akers' last-second field goal was the difference. Kerry Collins threw for 345 yards for the Raiders, and McNabb tallied 365 for Philadelphia.
The teams did meet in the Hall of Fame game in the 2006 preseason as well. That game culminated a weekend that saw legendary Raiders Head Coach John Madden inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Raiders won 16-10.
The Raiders won a close game in Oakland in 2009, 13-9, and the Eagles won the last match-up, 49-20 in Oakland.
This Monday night, the Raiders and the Eagles will renew a series in a match-up that doesn't happen very often, but still features plenty of history and memorable moments.
