NFL game summary for 09/26/1976:
Rookie Mike Rae connected twice with Cliff Branch for touchdowns to overcome a first quarter Houston lead and maintain Oakland's unbeaten status. Rae, substituting for injured Ken Stabler, hit Branch in the end zone on his first NFL pass and completed 12 of his next 21 for 170 yards. Dan Pastorini brought the Oilers back to within one point on a four-yard pass to Mack Alston with 7:26 remaining after the Raiders twice stopped Houston at the 1-yard line.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 163.5 (12) | 279.5 (2) | 443.0 (1) | 6 |
| DEFENSE | 155.5 (17) | 203.5 (22) | 359.0 (21) | 4 | |
 | OFFENSE | 199.0 (6) | 117.0 (20) | 316.0 (14) | 5 |
| DEFENSE | 70.5 (3) | 68.5 (1) | 139.0 (1) | 4 |
Line: Raiders by 3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Raiders (3-0-0) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Houston Oilers (2-1-0) | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
( 0- 3) HOU Skip Butler 22 yard field goal
( 0- 6) HOU Skip Butler 40 yard field goal
( 7- 6) OAK Cliff Branch 9 yard pass from Mike Rae (Fred Steinfort kick)
(14- 6) OAK Cliff Branch 33 yard pass from Mike Rae (Fred Steinfort kick)
(14-13) HOU Mack Alston 4 yard pass from Dan Pastorini (Skip Butler kick)
OAK HOU
First Downs: 13 17
Rushes-yards: 36-106 32-79
Yards/rush: 2.9 2.5
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 13-22-170-1 16-36-216-1
Sacked-yards: 5-42 2-27
Net pass yards: 128 189
Net yards/pass: 4.7 5.0
Total net yards: 234 268
Total plays: 63 (57% run) 70 (45% run)
Yards/play: 3.7 3.8
Fumbles-lost: 1-0 0-0
Turnovers: 1 1
Penalties-yards: 6-68 2-15
Attendance: 42,338
Passing:
OAK: Mike Rae, 13 of 22 for 170 yards and 2 TDs (1 int) HOU: Dan Pastorini, 16 of 36 for 216 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
OAK: Mark van Eeghen, 19 for 55 yards; Pete Banaszak, 10 for 22 yards; Rick Jennings, 4 for 14 yards; Terry Kunz, 1 for 7 yards; Mike Rae, 1 for 5 yards; Warren Bankston, 1 for 3 yards HOU: Fred Willis, 13 for 33 yards; Don Hardeman, 8 for 40 yards; Joe Dawkins, 8 for 3 yards; Dan Pastorini, 3 for 3 yards
Receiving:
OAK: Pete Banaszak, 6 for 43 yards; Cliff Branch, 3 for 68 yards and 2 TDs; Mike Siani, 2 for 29 yards; Mark van Eeghen, 1 for 15 yards; Dave Casper, 1 for 15 yards HOU: Fred Willis, 5 for 81 yards; Billy Johnson, 3 for 16 yards; Ken Burrough, 2 for 48 yards; John Sawyer, 2 for 40 yards; Joe Dawkins, 2 for 18 yards; Mack Alston, 2 for 13 yards and 1 TD
Kick returns:
OAK: Rick Jennings, 3 for 78 yards; Neal Colzie, 1 for 12 yards HOU: Don Hardeman, 1 for 17 yards; Melvin Baker, 1 for 15 yards; Billy Johnson, 1 for 12 yards
Punt returns:
OAK: Neal Colzie, 3 for 47 yards HOU: Billy Johnson, 3 for 25 yards
Interceptions:
OAK: Willie Brown, 1 for 0 yards HOU: Robert Brazile, 1 for 8 yards
Punting:
OAK: Ray Guy, 9 for 371 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 6 for 227 yards
Field Goals:
OAK: Fred Steinfort, 0/1 HOU: Skip Butler, 2/4
OAK: Mike Rae, 13 of 22 for 170 yards and 2 TDs (1 int) HOU: Dan Pastorini, 16 of 36 for 216 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
OAK: Mark van Eeghen, 19 for 55 yards; Pete Banaszak, 10 for 22 yards; Rick Jennings, 4 for 14 yards; Terry Kunz, 1 for 7 yards; Mike Rae, 1 for 5 yards; Warren Bankston, 1 for 3 yards HOU: Fred Willis, 13 for 33 yards; Don Hardeman, 8 for 40 yards; Joe Dawkins, 8 for 3 yards; Dan Pastorini, 3 for 3 yards
Receiving:
OAK: Pete Banaszak, 6 for 43 yards; Cliff Branch, 3 for 68 yards and 2 TDs; Mike Siani, 2 for 29 yards; Mark van Eeghen, 1 for 15 yards; Dave Casper, 1 for 15 yards HOU: Fred Willis, 5 for 81 yards; Billy Johnson, 3 for 16 yards; Ken Burrough, 2 for 48 yards; John Sawyer, 2 for 40 yards; Joe Dawkins, 2 for 18 yards; Mack Alston, 2 for 13 yards and 1 TD
Kick returns:
OAK: Rick Jennings, 3 for 78 yards; Neal Colzie, 1 for 12 yards HOU: Don Hardeman, 1 for 17 yards; Melvin Baker, 1 for 15 yards; Billy Johnson, 1 for 12 yards
Punt returns:
OAK: Neal Colzie, 3 for 47 yards HOU: Billy Johnson, 3 for 25 yards
Interceptions:
OAK: Willie Brown, 1 for 0 yards HOU: Robert Brazile, 1 for 8 yards
Punting:
OAK: Ray Guy, 9 for 371 yards HOU: Dan Pastorini, 6 for 227 yards
Field Goals:
OAK: Fred Steinfort, 0/1 HOU: Skip Butler, 2/4