NFL game summary for 12/26/1976:
Oakland advanced to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1967 by overwhelming two-time defending champion Pittsburgh 24-7. The Raiders, who lost to the Steelers in both the 1974 and 1975 AFC championship games, got on the scoreboard first on a 39-yard Errol Mann field goal after Oakland reserve running back Hubert Ginn partially blocked a Bobby Walden punt. Raiders' linebacker Willie Hall intercepted a Terry Bradshaw pass on the Steelers' 26-yard line in the second quarter and returned it to the Pittsburgh one, where running back Clarence Davis carried it over for a 10-0 lead.
The Steelers charged back on their only impressive drive of the game, moving 75 yards on eight plays with Reggie Harrison bulling in from the 3-yard line to narrow the score to 10-7. Oakland then marched 69 yards on 14 plays, with Ken Stabler passing four yards to backup tight end Warren Bankston for a 17-7 halftime margin. The Raiders kept up the attack in the third quarter, scoring on their second possession, with Stabler tossing five yards to running back Pete Banaszak for the final 24-7 spread. Pittsburgh opened the game in a three-tight end formation since regular running backs Franco Harris (ribs) and Rocky Bleier (toe) were sidelined with injuries. The Oakland victory snapped a 10-game Pittsburgh win streak, and sent the Raiders into their second Super Bowl with 12 consecutive victories. Oakland's Mark van Eeghen was the game's leading rusher with 22 carries for 66 yards, while the Raiders' defense held Pittsburgh to 72 yards on the ground.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 212.2 (1) | 119.0 (22) | 331.2 (9) | 31 |
| DEFENSE | 104.1 (1) | 133.3 (6) | 237.4 (1) | 46 | |
 | OFFENSE | 163.2 (10) | 207.5 (3) | 370.7 (2) | 29 |
| DEFENSE | 143.1 (13) | 176.9 (23) | 319.9 (18) | 25 |
Line: Steelers by 4½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5-0) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Oakland Raiders (15-1-0) | 3 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
PIT OAK
First Downs: 13 15
Rushes-yards: 21-72 51-157
Yards/rush: 3.4 3.1
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 14-35-176-1 10-16-88-0
Sacked-yards: 3-11 2-25
Net pass yards: 165 63
Net yards/pass: 4.3 3.5
Total net yards: 237 220
Total plays: 59 (35% run) 69 (73% run)
Yards/play: 4.0 3.2
Fumbles-lost: 1-0 2-0
Turnovers: 1 0
Penalties-yards: 5-29 7-34
Attendance: 53,739
PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 14 of 35 for 176 yards (1 int) OAK: Ken Stabler, 10 of 16 for 88 yards and 2 TDs
Rushing:
PIT: Reggie Harrison, 11 for 44 yards and 1 TD; Frenchy Fuqua, 8 for 24 yards; Terry Bradshaw, 1 for 4 yards; Bennie Cunningham, 1 for 0 yards OAK: Mark van Eeghen, 22 for 66 yards; Pete Banaszak, 15 for 46 yards; Clarence Davis, 11 for 54 yards and 1 TD; Carl Garrett, 2 for 4 yards; Dave Casper, 1 for -13 yards
Receiving:
PIT: Bennie Cunningham, 4 for 36 yards; Lynn Swann, 3 for 58 yards; Frenchy Fuqua, 2 for 11 yards; Reggie Harrison, 2 for 10 yards; Larry Brown, 1 for 32 yards; John Stallworth, 1 for 18 yards; Frank Lewis, 1 for 11 yards OAK: Cliff Branch, 3 for 46 yards; Warren Bankston, 2 for 11 yards and 1 TD; Clarence Davis, 2 for 7 yards; Mark van Eeghen, 1 for 14 yards; Pete Banaszak, 1 for 5 yards and 1 TD; Dave Casper, 1 for 5 yards
Kick returns:
PIT: Ernest Pough, 3 for 65 yards; Theo Bell, 1 for 16 yards; Mel Blount, 1 for 16 yards OAK: Carl Garrett, 2 for 35 yards
Punt returns:
PIT: Theo Bell, 2 for 14 yards; Lynn Swann, 1 for 4 yards OAK: Neal Colzie, 2 for 19 yards
Interceptions:
OAK: Willie Hall, 1 for 25 yards
Punting:
PIT: Bobby Walden, 7 for 261 yards OAK: Ray Guy, 7 for 308 yards
Field Goals:
OAK: Errol Mann, 1/1