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In all-too predictable fashion, the Oakland Raiders used a maximum of efficiency and a minimum of effort to dispatch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 49-16 Sunday in the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum and gather momentum for the travails of the National Football League playoffs in three weeks.
"We knew what we were in for before the game started, but all we could do was go out there and play." Bucs' tight end Bob Moore, a former Raider, said for his 0-12 mates. "I'll be surprised if they don't do it all this year,"
With two games remaining before the playoffs, the Raiders bettered their record to and all but clinched the home field advantage for the American Football Conference playoffs. Should they beat Cincinnati next Monday night and San Diego the following Sunday, they Will host a first-round game and if they survive that — the AFC championship game as well.
"THE BETTER team won. They were just too physical for us. They were too big for us and they've been together too long. I have no other statements to make," said Bucs' Head Coach John McKay.
There much more to say. The Raiders broke out of the 7-7 first quarter tie and quickly asserted their superiority, amassing 28 first downs and 486 total yards. 179 rushing and 307 passing, in front of 49,590 friendly faces.
Quarterback Ken Stabler did most of the damage to a Bucs' secondary which was forced to start two newcomers and a rookie because of injuries by hitting 15 of his 23 pass attempts for 245 yards and two touchdowns.
The left-handed Stabler, a percent passer this season, threw touchdown passes to Bankston and 25 yards to Cliff Branch on a day in which he surpassed the 10,000-yard mark in passing for his seven year career. And it was his passing that set up a pair of one-yard touchdown runs by Mark van Eeghan and a two-yard scoring burst by Pete Banasak all in the first half, that enabled the Raiders to build a 21-10 halftime lead.
Stabler's two TD tosses came in the third period, along with a one-yard run by Carl Garrett that pushed the score to 42-10, before Head Coach John Madden called off his starters.
Mike Rae, substituting for Stabler threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Mike Siani with 3:07 to play to close out the scoring for the Raiders, the most points they have scored this season and the most that have been scored against the Bucs in 12 games.
But the number of points scored was not as impressive as the manner in which they were scored. None of the Oakland drives consumed more than five minutes and only one lasted longer than 10 plays.
While the Raiders were getting thoroughly acquainted with the end zone, the Bucs struggled mightily for their 16 points, although they did provide the Raiders With some problems early in the game.
After van Eeghen scored from one yard out on Oakland's first the Bucs got a break when Jimmy
DuBose forced Oakland kick returner Neal Colzie to fumble a Dave Green punt, and Curtis Jordan recovered at the Oakland 14-yard line. Five plays later Ed Williams rumbled in from the two-yard line to make it 7-7.
The Bucs got another gift late in the first quarter when Council Rudolph recovered a Stabler fumble at the Raiders' 47. But in six plays, the Bucs gained a grand total of two yards and were forced to punt again. Green's punt rolled out at the three-yard line and the Raiders could do nothing from down there, so Ray Guy punted back the
BUT RETURNER Manny Moore fumbled, Herb McMath recovered tor the Raiders and they began a
51-yard drive that culminated nine plays later with another one-yard scoring burst by van Eeghen.
"That only would have made seven points difference in the final score, McKay said of the apparent momentum swing after the fumble. "Even had he caught the ball, somebody probably would have clipped somebody on the return."
Dave Green hit a 30-yard field goal in the second period for the Bucs and Spurrier hit only 12 of 29 passes for 128 yards and was tackled five tunes as an improvised Bucs' line, featuring three rookies, broke under the pressure exerted by former University of Tampa defensive lineman John Matuszak and his Oakland partners.
While the Raiders charge headlong Into the playoffs, the Bucs continue to stare at the possibility of becoming the first National football League team to lose 14 games in a season with playoff contenders Pittsburgh and New England on the schedule the final two games.
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