The Raiders were the Dolphins' first opponents during Miami's
inaugural 1966 season. In that game,
Joe Auer returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, but the Raiders went on to win 23–14.[2] The Raiders dominated the Dolphins in their first 21 meetings, going 16–4–1 in that span. The two teams would meet three times in the playoffs in the early 1970s.
The first of these meetings came in the
1970 Divisional Round. In that game, Raiders quarterback
Daryle Lamonica sealed the game in the fourth quarter with an 82-yard touchdown pass to
Rod Sherman, leading to a 21–14 Raiders victory.[1] The two teams would not face each other for two seasons, during which Miami became the only NFL team to finish an entire season undefeated during the
1972 season. Miami's winning streak would stretch to 18 games when they faced the Raiders on the road during the
1973 season. This game, which took place at
California Memorial Stadium in
Berkeley due to a scheduling conflict with the
Oakland Athletics at the
Oakland Coliseum, saw the Raiders defeat the Dolphins 12–7 behind four field goals from
George Blanda.[3] Miami avenged this defeat, however, defeating the Raiders 27–10 in the
AFC Championship Game en route to winning
Super Bowl VIII.[1] In that game, Dolphins running back
Larry Csonka ran for 266 yards and three touchdowns.[4]
The Dolphins entered the
1974 Divisional Round as two-time defending
Super Bowl champions, while the Raiders were seeking to return to the AFC Championship Game. In what became known as The Sea of Hands game, Raiders quarterback
Ken Stabler threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to a tightly defended
Clarence Davis, leading Oakland to a 28–26 victory and ended Miami's quest for a third consecutive title.[1][5]
Though the Dolphins and Raiders would not meet in the postseason for the next 26 years, there were some notable moments that took place in between. In Week 2 of the
1975 season, Miami's 27-game home winning streak was snapped by the Raiders in a 31–21 defeat.[4] Then in Week 3 of the
1983 season Dolphins quarterback
Dan Marino made his NFL debut against the newly relocated Los Angeles Raiders, throwing his first touchdown passes in a 27–14 loss.[4][6] In Week 14 of the
1984 season, Marino threw for 470 yards and four touchdowns, but Raiders running back
Marcus Allen ran for 155 yards and three touchdowns, two of which came in the fourth quarter, in the Raiders' 45–34 victory.[1]
After the Raiders returned to Oakland in
1995, the two teams resumed their playoff rivalry in the
2000 Divisional Round. However, this game ended rather quickly as the Raiders scored 20 first-half points and blanked the Dolphins in a 27–0 shutout.[1] The loss was only one of five Miami would suffer since 1992, as they won 15 games to close the gap in the series. One of those wins took place at
Wembley Stadium in
London during the
2014 season, with Miami taking a 38–14 decision.[1] The Dolphins also defeated the now-Las Vegas Raiders 26–25 at
Allegiant Stadium in Week 16 of the
2020 season, ending the Raiders' playoff hopes.[7]
Following the 2021 season, the Dolphins and Raiders each made the biggest blockbuster trades of the 2022 offseason by trading for Pro Bowl wide receivers; the Raiders traded for
Green Bay Packers receiver
Davante Adams on March 17, 2022, and just a week later, the Dolphins traded for
Kansas City Chiefs star receiver
Tyreek Hill.[8][9] Also notable is the fact both teams have quarterback–wide receiver duos whom had previously played together in college, with the Dolphins having
Alabama alums
Tua Tagovailoa and
Jaylen Waddle, and the Raiders with
Fresno State alums
Derek Carr and Davante Adams.
Game results
Miami Dolphins vs. Oakland/Los Angeles/Las Vegas Raiders season-by-season results
Raiders end the Dolphins' 18-game winning streak, first team to defeat the Dolphins since the
1971 Dallas Cowboys in
Super Bowl VI. Game moved from Oakland Coliseum due to a scheduling conflict with the
Oakland Athletics.
AFC Divisional Round. Also known as The Sea of Hands game, where Raiders quarterback
Ken Stabler converted a game-winning eight-yard touchdown pass to
Clarence Davis amid three Dolphin defenders.
First meeting in Oakland since 1980. First meeting in series for
Jimmy Johnson as Dolphins head coach. Only meeting in series for
Mike White as Raiders head coach.