Raiders’ 5 most memorable ‘Monday Night Football’ games

The Raiders host the Packers on “Monday Night Football” at Allegiant Stadium, and the matchup brings back some great memories for the Raiders on the NFL’s biggest regular-season stage.

The Raiders once owned these moments and stood at 20-2-1 over their first 23 appearances. Their current 43-31-1 record is the fifth-best mark in the NFL.

Here are the top five “Monday Night Football” moments for the Raiders:

1. Bo breaks Boz (Nov. 30, 1987)

Bo Jackson joined the Raiders in 1987 after skipping the NFL to play professional baseball in 1985. The former Heisman Trophy winner from Auburn would soon announce himself as an NFL force in his breakout game with the Raiders, which came at the expense of the Seahawks and their brash young linebacker, Brian Bosworth.

Jackson wound up rushing for 221 yards and three touchdowns in the 37-14 win, including a 91-yard TD. But it was his goal-line run against Bosworth, who got steamrolled in a memorable one-on-one matchup against Jackson, that will live in infamy.

Boz was never the same.

2. First win for fans at Allegiant (Sept. 13, 2021)

The Raiders moved to Las Vegas in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic meant it would be another year before fans could pack Allegiant Stadium.

In the 2021 season opener, the Raiders fell behind 14-0. But that just set the stage for a memorable game in which Derek Carr led three game-tying drives in the fourth quarter. The Raiders had to overcome an end zone interception that ruined their chance to win in regulation, but they finally prevailed 33-27 on Carr’s 31-yard touchdown throw to Zay Jones in overtime.

3. 21-point comeback (Dec. 3, 1979)

The broadcast crew had some fun at the Raiders’ expense after they fell behind by 21 points to the Saints in front of a rabid crowd at the Superdome.

Kenny Stabler, who threw two interceptions and coughed up a fumble to help bury the Raiders in a 35-14 third-quarter hole, would have none of that in what would ultimately be his final appearance with the Raiders on “Monday Night Football.”

Stabler turned electric, leading two scoring drives to cut the lead to 35-28, then threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Cliff Branch to tie the game at 35 in the closing minutes.

A Chuck Muncie fumble on the Saints’ next drive set the Raiders up at the New Orleans 13-yard line. Stabler hit Branch on an 8-yard touchdown pass to earn a 42-35 win.

4. Erasing 24-0 deficit (Sept. 26, 1988)

The Broncos took a 24-0 halftime lead, helped by two touchdown runs from former Cowboys great Tony Dorsett.

The Raiders then reeled off 24 straight points behind two touchdown throws by Jay Schroeder, a touchdown run by Marcus Allen and Chris Bahr’s field goal to tie the game at 24 in the fourth quarter.

Kicker Rich Karlis put the Broncos back in front, but two more field goals by Bahr, one in regulation and the other a 35-yarder in overtime, gave the Raiders a 30-27 win.

5. First appearance (Oct. 19, 1970)

The first season in which the former AFL teams played their NFL counterparts as members of the AFC and NFC also meant the Raiders hosting Washington, an NFL blueblood, at the Oakland Coliseum.

In what would be a sign of things to come for the Raiders on “Monday Night Football,” they scored on their first offensive snap when Hewritt Dixon ran 39 yards for a touchdown.

The Raiders never looked back in a 34-20 win that featured 232 yards and three touchdowns from quarterback Daryle Lamonica and 164 rushing yards from Dixon.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow@VinnyBonsignore on X.