NFL game summary for 01/09/1977:
The attack-and-destroy Raiders of the mid-1970s came of age in 1976, and reinforced that image with their first Super Bowl victory. They set a Super Bowl record for yards gained, 429. They also set a record for locking up a Super Bowl in the shortest span imaginable. The second quarter barely was underway, and the Raiders had scored on three successive possessions. It was the Vikings' fourth loss in four Super Bowl appearances.
The Raiders' swagger was at work from the beginning -- even if their precision lacked something in the opening 15 minutes. When Errol Mann attempted a 29-yard field goal in the first quarter, the ball bounced off the left upright. "Don't worry," quarterback Ken Stabler said. "There's more where that came from." Another surprise, anyway: Late in the first quarter, Minnesota's Fred McNeill blocked Ray Guy's punt at the Oakland 28. It was the first time Guy had had a punt blocked in his four-year NFL career. McNeill recovered the loose ball at the Raiders' 3. Instead of capitalizing, Minnesota's Brent McClanahan fumbled two plays later, and the Raiders were off on a 90-yard drive that led to their first score, a 24-yard field goal by Mann.
Stabler's one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dave Casper came in the time it took the Vikings to go three downs-and-out and the Raiders to march 64 yards in 10 plays, Stabler throwing his 1-yard touchdown toss to tight end Dave Casper. Wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff's reception across the middle got the Raiders to the Vikings' 1. It was the first of Biletnikoff's four receptions for a total of 79 yards. All contributed to scoring drives, and he was named the game's Most Valuable Player. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Raiders completed a 54-yard drive, 48 of which came on a pass from Stabler to Biletnikoff. Banaszak ran for a touchdown from the 2, and it was 26-7 with 7:39 to play.
The Raiders spread the heroics around. Running back Clarence Davis gained 137 yards on the ground. A fourth-quarter interception set up Banaszak's second touchdown on a 2-yard run. All day, the "left-handed" style of the Raiders confused the Vikings, with left tackle Art Shell and left guard Gene Upshaw clearing paths for Davis, Banaszak and fullback Mark van Eeghen (18 carries, 73 yards), and lefty quarterback Stabler completing passes to Biletnikoff (4), Casper (4), Cliff Branch (3) and running back Carl Garrett. Stabler got the most of his 12-for-19, 180-yard performance.
The Vikings failed to score until late in the third quarter, and when they did, it was so methodical as to seal the outcome: 12 plays, 58 yards, with a Fran Tarkenton to Sammy White 8-yard pass bringing the touchdown. In the fourth quarter, Tarkenton twice drove the Vikings into Raiders territory but was intercepted twice -- first by Willie Hall, whose pickoff at the 30 began a drive that ended with Banaszak's 2-yard touchdown run. Later, from the Oakland 47, Tarkenton threw to Sammy White near the left sideline. Cornerback Willie Brown intercepted and returned for a 75-yard touchdown, a Super Bowl record, and a 32-7 margin. Tarkenton completed 17 of 35 passes for 205 yards, and his backup, Bob Lee, threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Stu Voigt for the final points.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Oakland Raiders | OFFENSE | 163.2 (10) | 207.5 (3) | 370.7 (2) | 29 |
| DEFENSE | 143.1 (13) | 176.9 (23) | 319.9 (18) | 25 | |
 Minnesota Vikings | OFFENSE | 143.1 (18) | 203.9 (4) | 347.0 (6) | 29 |
| DEFENSE | 149.7 (17) | 112.5 (1) | 262.2 (6) | 32 |
Line: Raiders by 4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Raiders (16-1-0) | 0 | 16 | 3 | 13 | 32 |
| Minnesota Vikings (13-3-1) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
( 3- 0) OAK Errol Mann 24 yard field goal (10- 0) OAK Dave Casper 1 yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick) (16- 0) OAK Pete Banaszak 1 yard rush (kick failed) (19- 0) OAK Errol Mann 40 yard field goal (19- 7) MIN Sammy White 8 yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick) (26- 7) OAK Pete Banaszak 2 yard rush (Errol Mann kick) (32- 7) OAK Willie Brown 75 yard interception return (kick failed) (32-14) MIN Stu Voigt 13 yard pass from Bob Lee (Fred Cox kick)
OAK MIN
First Downs: 21 20
Rushes-yards: 52-266 26-71
Yards/rush: 5.1 2.7
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 12-19-180-0 24-44-286-2
Sacked-yards: 2-17 1-4
Net pass yards: 163 282
Net yards/pass: 7.8 6.3
Total net yards: 429 353
Total plays: 73 (71% run) 71 (36% run)
Yards/play: 5.9 5.0
Fumbles-lost: 0-0 1-1
Turnovers: 0 3
Penalties-yards: 4-30 2-25
Attendance: 100,421
Passing:OAK: Ken Stabler, 12 of 19 for 180 yards and 1 TD
MIN: Fran Tarkenton, 17 of 35 for 205 yards and 1 TD (2 int); Bob Lee, 7 of 9 for 81 yards and 1 TD
Rushing:
OAK: Mark van Eeghen, 18 for 73 yards; Clarence Davis, 16 for 137 yards; Pete Banaszak, 10 for 19 yards and 2 TDs; Carl Garrett, 4 for 19 yards; Mike Rae, 2 for 9 yards; Hubert Ginn, 2 for 9 yards
MIN: Chuck Foreman, 17 for 44 yards; Brent McClanahan, 3 for 3 yards; Sammy Johnson, 2 for 9 yards; Robert Miller, 2 for 4 yards; Sammy White, 1 for 7 yards; Bob Lee, 1 for 4 yards
Receiving:
OAK: Fred Biletnikoff, 4 for 79 yards; Dave Casper, 4 for 70 yards and 1 TD; Cliff Branch, 3 for 20 yards; Carl Garrett, 1 for 11 yards
MIN: Sammy White, 5 for 77 yards and 1 TD; Chuck Foreman, 5 for 62 yards; Stu Voigt, 4 for 49 yards and 1 TD; Robert Miller, 4 for 19 yards; Ahmad Rashad, 3 for 53 yards; Sammy Johnson, 3 for 26 yards
Kick returns:
OAK: Carl Garrett, 2 for 47 yards
MIN: Sammy White, 4 for 79 yards; Leonard Willis, 3 for 57 yards
Punt returns:
OAK: Neal Colzie, 4 for 43 yards
MIN: Leonard Willis, 3 for 14 yards
Interceptions:
OAK: Willie Brown, 1 for 75 yards and 1 TD; Willie Hall, 1 for 16 yards
Punting:
OAK: Ray Guy, 4 for 162 yards
MIN: Neil Clabo, 7 for 265 yards
Field Goals:
OAK: Errol Mann, 2/3