Super Bowl XI - Game Summary

Game Summary

The Raiders took the opening kickoff and advanced all the way to the Vikings 12-yard line, but came up empty after kicker Errol Mann hit the left upright on his 29-yard field goal attempt. Later in the period, the Vikings had a great opportunity to score when linebacker Fred McNeill blocked a punt from punter Ray Guy and recovered it on the Raiders 3-yard line. The Vikings special teams unit was known for blocking kicks, but this was the first time it had happened to Ray Guy. (Guy would have only three of his punts blocked in his 14-year NFL career.) However, Vikings running back Brent McClanahan fumbled the ball while being tackled by Raiders linebacker Phil Villapiano and linebacker Willie Hall recovered the ball for Oakland. The Raiders then marched 90 yards to the Vikings 7-yard line (the key play being a 35-yard run by Clarence Davis), but had to settle for a field goal from Mann, giving them a 3–0 lead 48 seconds into the second quarter.

The next time the Raiders got the ball, they did even better, driving 64 yards in 10 plays and scoring on a 1-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ken Stabler to tight end Dave Casper, increasing their lead to 10–0. Then, Oakland got the ball back in excellent field position after returner Neal Colzie returned Minnesota's punt 25 yards to the Vikings 35-yard line. After 3 running plays, Stabler completed a 17-yard pass to Fred Biletnikoff at the 1-yard line, and running back Pete Banaszak scored a touchdown on the next play, increasing Oakland's lead to 16–0 after Mann missed the extra point attempt. The score at halftime marked the fourth time in as many Super Bowls that the Vikings failed to score in the first half.

The second half began with 3 consecutive punts, but then Colzie returned the Viking's second punt of the period 12 yards to the Oakland 46-yard line. From there, the Raiders advanced to the Vikings 23-yard line, aided by an 18-yard run by Davis and a 10-yard reception by wide receiver Cliff Branch, to set up Mann's 40-yard field goal to increase the their lead, 19–0.

Quarterback Fran Tarkenton then threw 3 consecutive incomplete passes on their ensuing drive, forcing the Vikings to punt again. However, Oakland linebacker Ted Hendricks was penalized for running into the punter on the play, giving Minnesota a first down. Taking advantage of their second chance, the Vikings ended up with a 12-play, 68-yard drive and scored on an 8-yard pass from Tarkenton to receiver Sammy White to cut their deficit to 19–7.

The Raiders were forced to punt on their next drive after they were unable to recover from Alan Page's 11-yard sack on first down. Then aided by Tarkenton's completions to White for gains of 14 and 18 yards, respectively, the Vikings advanced to the Oakland 37-yard line. But on third down and 3 to go, Hall intercepted a pass from Tarkenton and returned it 16 yards to the 46-yard line. Three plays later, Biletnikoff's 48-yard reception moved the ball to the Vikings 2-yard line, setting up Banaszak's second rushing touchdown to increase Oakland's lead to 26–7.

White returned the ensuing kickoff 19 yards to the Minnesota 32-yard line, and four plays later, Tarkenton completed a 25-yard pass to receiver Ahmad Rashad to reach the Oakland 28-yard line. But on the next play, defensive back Willie Brown intercepted a pass intended for White and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown. Although Mann missed the extra point attempt, the Raiders put the game out of reach, 32–7.

After both teams turned the ball over on downs, Minnesota drove 86 yards in 9 plays to score on a 14-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Bob Lee to tight end Stu Voigt. The touchdown cut Minnesota's deficit to 32–14, but by then there was only :25 left in the game.

Stabler finished the game with 12 out of 19 pass completions for 180 yards and a touchdown. Davis, who was the top rusher in the game, gained 137 yards on just 16 rush attempts, an average of 8.5 yards per carry. Casper finished the game with 4 catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. Colzie returned 4 punts for a Super Bowl record 43 yards. Running back Chuck Foreman had a solid performance for Minnesota, contributing 44 rushing yards and 62 receiving yards. Tarkenton had 17 out of 35 pass completions for 205 yards, a touchdown, and 2 interceptions. White recorded 163 total yards, catching 5 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, rushing once for 7 yards, and returned 4 kickoffs for 79 yards.