Editor’s Note: For this cards and dice simulation, the 1967 six-team set of football cards released by the company will be used. The six teams are the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders and New York Jets.
NEW YORK – It may not have been easy for Oakland, but the Raiders were able to survive a lackluster start to advance to the Super Bowl.
Despite a pair of missed field goals, two lost fumbles and punt in their first five possessions, the Raiders went on to beat the New York Jets 24-17 to win the American Football League title in the 1967 Strat-o-Matic Football Tournament.
The Raiders were able to move the ball and had 21:15 in time of possession in the first half with little to show for their efforts on the road in Shea Stadium.
New York kicker Jim Turner booted an 18-yard field goal that put the Jets on top 3-0 with 3:45 to play in the first half.
After the Jets score, Oakland finally responded with a 7-play drive for 71 yards that ended in a 6-yard touchdown run by Pete Banaszak with 1:00 remaining in the second period.
In the final minute the Jets, who were also struggling offensively, had Turner miss his second field goal of the stanza allowing the Raiders to hang on to their 7-3 advantage.
On their opening possession of the third quarter, the Jets scored in five minutes with six plays for 66 yards. Bill Mathis capped the drive with 3-yard run and the Jets led 10-7.
New York’s lead didn’t last as Clem Daniels scored twice for Oakland in the remainder of the third period as the Raiders built a 21-10 margin.
Daniels grabbed a 13-yard screen pass from Daryle Lamonica for a score and then added a 2-yard run for the second touchdown.
Early in the fourth quarter, Jets quarterback Joe Namath had a 1-yard sneak on his only run of the contest to close the gap to 21-17 with 11-15 left.
Oakland’s George Blanda finally connected on his third field goal try of the game from 22 yards and the Raiders led 24-17.
New York was forced to punt on its next possession and the Raiders took over at their own 17-yard line with 4:30 to go.
Oakland’s offense was able to grind out the yardage to hold on to the ball for the rest of the affair. The Raiders ran a dozen plays and gained 63 yards to run out the clock.
Banaszak had seven rushes on the drive for 50 yards. For the game, he finished with 115 yards on 18 carries. Daniels added 73 yards on 19 attempts to go with his 13-yard touchdown catch.
Lamonica was 17-of-25 for 193 yards with Fred Biletnikoff leading the way with six receptions for 85 yards. Lamonica also found Billy Cannon five times for 41 yards.
Oakland’s defense held the New York running game in check as the Jets gained 91 yards. Mathis led the way with 42 yards on four carries, while Matt Snell had 12 touches for 25 yards. Emerson Boozer had 23 yards on five attempts.
Namath was 18-of-28 for 218 yards. Don Maynard topped the Jets receivers with seven catches for 128 yards.
Defensively for the Raiders, Kent McCloughan had six tackles and an interception. Dan Birdwell also had six stops with a fumble recovery.
Larry Grantham had 12 tackles for a Jets defense that spent the majority of the contest on the field. Jim Hudson had 10 tackles. Al Atkinson added nine.
Johnny Sample and Paul Rochester both recovered fumbles for the Jets.
1967 Tournament Schedule
AFL-NFL Championship
Raiders vs. Cowboys or Packers
NFL
Cowboys 34, Colts 21
Packers 28, Rams 10
Cowboys at Packers
AFL
Raiders 24, Jets 17