NFL game summary for 12/18/1976:

Oakland quarterback Ken Stabler rolled into the end zone for a one-yard score with 10 seconds remaining to cap a 12-play, 68-yard drive for a comeback 24-21 win. Trailing 21-10 late in the third quarter, Stabler led a 70-yard, 11-play march topped by Mark van Eeghen's one-yard burst to help propel Oakland into its third straight AFC championship game. Wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff's 31-yard touchdown catch gave Oakland a 10-7 halftime lead, but New England scored on its first two possessions of the third period for the 21-10 margin. Biletnikoff had nine catches, tying an NFL divisional playoff record, for 137 yards while Stabler finished with 19 of 32 for 233 yards. Patriots' quarterback Steve Grogan completed 12 of 23 for 167 yards and one touchdown, a 26-yard pass to tight end Russ Francis.

Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):

Team		Rush Yds/Gm	Pass Yds/Gm	Tot Yds/Gm	Turnovers
New England Patriots	OFFENSE	210.6  (2)	124.7  (20)	335.3  (8)	36
	DEFENSE	131.9  (8)	155.4  (16)	287.3  (11)	50
Oakland Raiders	OFFENSE	163.2  (10)	207.5  (3)	370.7  (2)	29
	DEFENSE	143.1  (13)	176.9  (23)	319.9  (18)	25

Line: n/a

Team	1	2	3	4	F
New England Patriots (11-4-0)	7	0	14	0	21
Oakland Raiders (14-1-0)	3	7	0	14	24

( 7- 0) NE  Andy Johnson 1 yard rush (John Smith kick)
( 7- 3) OAK Errol Mann 40 yard field goal
( 7-10) OAK Fred Biletnikoff 31 yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick)
(14-10) NE  Russ Francis 26 yard pass from Steve Grogan (John Smith kick)
(21-10) NE  Jess Phillips 3 yard rush (John Smith kick)
(21-17) OAK Mark van Eeghen 1 yard rush (Errol Mann kick)
(21-24) OAK Ken Stabler 1 yard rush (Errol Mann kick)

                     NE              OAK
First Downs:         23              20
Rushes-yards:        49-164          24-101
Yards/rush:          3.3             4.2
Comp-Att-Yd-INT:     12-24-167-2     19-32-233-0
Sacked-yards:        0-0             4-32
Net pass yards:      167             201
Net yards/pass:      7.0             5.6
Total net yards:     331             302
Total plays:         73 (67% run)    60 (40% run)  
Yards/play:          4.5             5.0
Fumbles-lost:        1-1             1-1
Turnovers:           3               1
Penalties-yards:     10-83           11-93

Attendance: 53,045

Passing:
NE: Steve Grogan, 12 of 23 for 167 yards and 1 TD (1 int); Russ Francis, 0 of 1 for 0 yards (1 int)
OAK: Ken Stabler, 19 of 32 for 233 yards and 1 TD

Rushing:
NE: Sam Cunningham, 20 for 68 yards; Andy Johnson, 14 for 32 yards and 1 TD; Steve Grogan, 7 for 35 yards; Don Calhoun, 5 for 17 yards; Jess Phillips, 3 for 12 yards and 1 TD
OAK: Mark van Eeghen, 11 for 39 yards and 1 TD; Clarence Davis, 7 for 29 yards; Pete Banaszak, 4 for 8 yards; Carl Garrett, 1 for 4 yards; Ken Stabler, 1 for 1 yard and 1 TD

Receiving:
NE: Russ Francis, 4 for 96 yards and 1 TD; Darryl Stingley, 2 for 36 yards; Sam Cunningham, 2 for 14 yards; Andy Johnson, 2 for 13 yards; Marlin Briscoe, 1 for 7 yards; Al Chandler, 1 for 1 yard
OAK: Fred Biletnikoff, 9 for 137 yards and 1 TD; Dave Casper, 4 for 47 yards; Cliff Branch, 3 for 32 yards; Mark van Eeghen, 1 for 8 yards; Clarence Davis, 1 for 5 yards; Carl Garrett, 1 for 4 yards

Kick returns:
NE: Jess Phillips, 4 for 67 yards; George Webster, 1 for 0 yards
OAK: Carl Garrett, 4 for 119 yards

Punt returns:
NE: Mike Haynes, 1 for 13 yards
OAK: Neal Colzie, 3 for 53 yards

Interceptions:
OAK: Skip Thomas, 1 for 18 yards; Monte Johnson, 1 for 0 yards

Punting:
NE: Mike Patrick, 3 for 132 yards
OAK: Ray Guy, 5 for 189 yards

Field Goals:
NE: John Smith, 0/1
OAK: Errol Mann, 1/1

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