1985 Los Angeles Raiders season

1985 Los Angeles Raiders season
1985 Los Angeles Raiders season
Owner	Al Davis
General manager	Al Davis
Head coach	Tom Flores
Home field	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Local radio	KRLA–AM 1110
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	1st AFC West
Playoff finish	Lost Divisional Playoffs; (vs. Patriots) 20–27
	← 1984; Raiders seasons; 1986 →;

The 1985 Los Angeles Raiders season was their 26th in the league. They improved upon their previous season's 11–5 record, winning 12 games.^[1] The team qualified for the playoffs for the fourth straight season. Two close victories over Denver towards the end of the season gave Los Angeles the division title, while Denver missed the playoffs despite an 11–5 record.

Before the season

Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1985 Los Angeles Raiders draft
1	23	Jessie Hester	WR	Florida State
3	79	Tim Moffett	WR	Ole Miss
3	80	Stefon Adams	DB	East Carolina	Played for Raiders in 1986–89
4	107	Jamie Kimmel	LB	Syracuse	Played for Raiders in 1986–87
5	135	Dan Reeder	RB	Delaware
6	143	Rusty Hilger	QB	Oklahoma State
7	186	Kevin Belcher	T	Wisconsin
7	188	Mark Pattison	WR	Washington
7	191	Bret Clark	DB	Nebraska
7	192	Nick Haden	G	Penn State
8	220	Leonard Wingate	DT	South Carolina State
9	246	Chris Sydnor	DB	Penn State
10	275	Reggie McKenzie	LB	Tennessee
10	276	Albert Myres	DB	Tulsa
11	303	Steve Strachan	RB	Boston College
12	332	Raymond Polk	DB	Oklahoma State
Made roster

^[2]

Personnel

Staff

**1985 Los Angeles Raiders staff**
	Front office Owner – Al Davis General Manager – Al Davis Director of Football Operations – Steve Ortmayer Head coaches Head Coach – Tom Flores Offensive coaches Quarterbacks – Larry Kennan Quarterbacks – Tom Walsh Running Backs – Ray Willsey Assistant Running Backs – Terry Robiskie Wide Receivers – Tom Walsh Tight Ends – Bob Mischak Offensive Line – Sam Boghosian Offensive Line – Art Shell			Defensive coaches Defensive Line – Earl Leggett Linebackers – Bob Zeman Defensive Backs – Chet Franklin Defensive Backs – Willie Brown Special teams coaches Special Teams – Steve Ortmayer

Roster

**1985 Los Angeles Raiders roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 12 Rusty Hilger 16 Jim Plunkett 6 Marc Wilson Running backs (RB) 32 Marcus Allen 27 Frank Hawkins 33 Kenny King Wide receivers (WR) 21 Cliff Branch 84 Jessie Hester 83 Tim Moffett 28 Cleo Montgomery 85 Jim Smith 85 Dokie Williams Tight ends (TE) 46 Todd Christensen 87 Trey Junkin 81 Andy Parker		Offensive linemen (OL) 76 Kevin Belcher T 50 Dave Dalby C 79 Bruce Davis T 73 Charley Hannah G 74 Shelby Jordan T 70 Henry Lawrence T 60 Curt Marsh G 65 Mickey Marvin G Defensive linemen (DL) 99 Sean Jones DE 75 Howie Long DE 62 Reggie Kinlaw NT 71 Bill Pickel NT 93 Greg Townsend DE		Linebackers (LB) 56 Jeff Barnes 53 Rod Martin 54 Reggie McKenzie 55 Matt Millen 57 Jerry Robinson 58 Jack Squirek 91 Brad Van Pelt Defensive backs (DB) 45 James Davis SS 37 Lester Hayes CB 22 Mike Haynes CB 26 Vann McElroy FS 23 Odis McKinney SS 43 Sam Seale CB 41 Fulton Walker 30 Stacey Toran Special teams 10 Chris Bahr K 8 Ray Guy P		Reserve 44 Stefon Adams DB (IR) 77 Lyle Alzado DE (IR) -- Nick Haden C (IR) 59 Jamie Kimmel ILB (IR) 89 Mark Pattison WR (IR) -- Randy Van Divier T (IR) Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	September 8	New York Jets	W 31–0	1–0	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	57,123	Recap
2	September 12	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 20–36	1–1	Arrowhead Stadium	72,686	Recap
3	September 22	San Francisco 49ers	L 10–34	1–2	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	87,006	Recap
4	September 29	at New England Patriots	W 35–20	2–2	Sullivan Stadium	60,686	Recap
5	October 6	Kansas City Chiefs	W 19–0	3–2	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	55,133	Recap
6	October 13	New Orleans Saints	W 23–13	4–2	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	48,152	Recap
7	October 20	at Cleveland Browns	W 21–20	5–2	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	77,928	Recap
8	October 28	San Diego Chargers	W 34–21	6–2	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	69,297	Recap
9	November 3	at Seattle Seahawks	L 3–33	6–3	Kingdome	64,060	Recap
10	November 10	at San Diego Chargers	L 34–40 (OT)	6–4	Jack Murphy Stadium	58,566	Recap
11	November 17	Cincinnati Bengals	W 13–6	7–4	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	52,501	Recap
12	November 24	Denver Broncos	W 31–28 (OT)	8–4	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	63,161	Recap
13	December 1	at Atlanta Falcons	W 34–24	9–4	Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium	20,858	Recap
14	December 8	at Denver Broncos	W 17–14 (OT)	10–4	Mile High Stadium	75,042	Recap
15	December 15	Seattle Seahawks	W 13–3	11–4	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	77,425	Recap
16	December 23	at Los Angeles Rams	W 16–6	12–4	Anaheim Stadium	66,676	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Playoffs

Round	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Venue	Attendance	Recap
Divisional	January 5, 1986	New England Patriots (5)	L 20–27	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	88,936	Recap

Season summary

Week 1

	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	0	0	0	0	0
• Raiders	7	14	7	3	31

Date: September 8
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
Game start: 1:00 p.m.
Game attendance: 57,123
Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C), wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
Referee: Tom Dooley
TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

Dokie Williams 5 Rec, 131 Yds

^[3] ^[4]

Week 10 at Chargers

Week Ten: Los Angeles Raiders at San Diego Chargers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Raiders	7	6	14	7	0	34
Chargers	7	3	10	14	6	40

at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California

Date: November 10
Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), relative humidity 56%, wind 10 mph (16 km/h)
Game attendance: 58,566
Referee: Red Cashion
TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy
Box score

Game information

First quarter

SDG – Wes Chandler 10-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Bob Thomas kick), 4:29. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 2 plays, 16 yards, 0:43.
RAI – Jessie Hester 35-yard pass from Marc Wilson (Chris Bahr kick), 3:03. Tied 7–7. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 1:26.

Second quarter

SDG – Bob Thomas 34-yard field goal, 10:11. Chargers 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 24 yards, 3:07.
RAI – Frank Hawkins 1-yard run (kick blocked), 1:57. Raiders 13–10. Drive: 4 plays, 32 yards, 1:30.

Third quarter

SDG – Bob Thomas 23-yard field goal, 11:32. Tied 13–13. Drive: 9 plays, 61 yards, 3:28.
RAI – Marcus Allen 1-yard run (Chris Bahr kick), 7:11. Raiders 20–13. Drive: 9 plays, 66 yards, 4:21.
SDG – Lionel James 34-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Bob Thomas kick), 3:08. Tied 20–20. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:03.
RAI – Jessie Hester 54-yard pass from Marc Wilson (Chris Bahr kick), 0:59. Raiders 27–20. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:09.

Fourth quarter

SDG – Gary Anderson 21-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Bob Thomas kick), 7:07. Tied 27–27. Drive: 10 plays, 79 yards, 5:07.
RAI – Todd Christensen 24-yard pass from Marc Wilson (Chris Bahr kick), 1:49. Raiders 34–27 Drive: 12 plays, 84 yards, 5:18.
SDG – Charlie Joiner 14-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Bob Thomas kick), 0:53. Tied 34–34. Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 0:56.

Overtime

SDG – Lionel James 17-yard run, 11:16. Chargers 40–34. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 3:44.

Top passers

RAI – Marc Wilson – 18/32, 297 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
SDG – Dan Fouts – 26/41, 436 yards, 4 TD, INT

Top rushers

RAI – Marcus Allen – 28 rushes, 119 yards, TD
SDG – Gary Anderson – 16 rushes, 70 yards

Top receivers

RAI – Todd Christensen – 7 receptions, 112 yards, TD
SDG – Lionel James – 11 receptions, 168 yards, TD

Week 14 at Broncos

Week 14: Los Angeles Raiders (9–4) at Denver Broncos (9–4)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Raiders	0	0	14	0	3	17
Broncos	7	7	0	0	0	14

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

Date: December 8
Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 31 °F (−1 °C)
Game attendance: 75,042
Referee: Fred Wyant
TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
Box Score, Box Score

Game information

First quarter

DEN – James Wright 5-yard pass from John Elway (Rich Karlis kick), 1:27. Broncos 7–0. Drive:

Second quarter

DEN – Sammy Winder 1-yard run (Rich Karlis kick), 0:30. Broncos 14–0. Drive:

Third quarter

LA – Todd Christensen 3-yard pass from Marc Wilson (Chris Bahr kick), 8:31. Broncos 14–7. Drive:
LA – Marcus Allen 15–yard run (Chris Bahr kick), 4:45. Tie 14–14. Drive:

Fourth quarter

No scoring

Overtime

LA – Chris Bahr 26-yard field goal, 10:05. Raiders 17–14. Drive:

Top passers

LA – Marc Wilson – 13/28, 93 yards, TD, 4 INT
DEN – John Elway – 18/36, 158 yards, TD, 3 INT

Top rushers

LA – Marcus Allen – 25 rushes, 135 yards, TD
DEN – Sammy Winder – 14 rushes, 41 yards, TD

Top receivers

LA – Todd Christensen – 6 receptions, 53 yards, TD
DEN – Steve Watson – 5 receptions, 56 yards

Standings

AFC West
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Los Angeles Raiders⁽¹⁾	12	4	0	.750	5–3	9–3	354	308	W6
Denver Broncos	11	5	0	.688	5–3	8–4	380	329	W2
Seattle Seahawks	8	8	0	.500	4–4	6–6	349	303	L2
San Diego Chargers	8	8	0	.500	3–5	7–7	467	435	L1
Kansas City Chiefs	6	10	0	.375	3–5	4–8	317	360	W1

MVP

Running Back Marcus Allen earned the 1985 league MVP with Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears finishing as the runner-up. Allen started all 16 games and caught 67 passes for 2,314 total yards (1,759 rushing yards) and 14 total touchdowns (11 rushing touchdowns). His longest run was 61 yards, his longest reception was 44 yards, and he ran for 4.6 yards per carry. He also completed 1 of 2 passes for 16 yards for zero touchdowns. ^[5]

Pro Bowlers

The 1985 Raiders had four players make it to the Pro Bowl. They were Marcus Allen, Todd Christensen, Mike Haynes, and Howie Long.^[6]

References

^ 1985 Los Angeles Raiders
^ "1985 Los Angeles Raiders Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
^ Gainesville Sun. 1985 Sept 9. Retrieved 2017-Nov-01.
^ "1985 Los Angeles Raiders Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
^ "1985 Los Angeles Raiders Starters, Roster, & Players – Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2008. Retrieved May 11, 2009.

[1] 1985 Los Angeles Raiders

[2] "1985 Los Angeles Raiders Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 6, 2021.

[3] Pro-Football-Reference.com

[4] Gainesville Sun. 1985 Sept 9. Retrieved 2017-Nov-01.

[5] "1985 Los Angeles Raiders Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.

[6] "1985 Los Angeles Raiders Starters, Roster, & Players – Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2008. Retrieved May 11, 2009.

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v t e Las Vegas Raiders
Founded in 1960 Played in Oakland, California (1960–1981, 1995–2019) and Los Angeles (1982–1994) Based in Paradise, Nevada Headquartered in Henderson, Nevada
Franchise	History in Oakland in Los Angeles relocation to Las Vegas NFL in Los Angeles Seasons All-time roster First-round draft picks Starting quarterbacks Head coaches
Stadiums	Kezar Stadium Candlestick Park Frank Youell Field Oakland Coliseum Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Allegiant Stadium
Key personnel	Owner/CEO: Mark Davis President: Sandra Douglass Morgan General manager: Tom Telesco Head coach: Antonio Pierce
Culture	Las Vegas Raiderettes Raider Nation "The Autumn Wind" Mount Davis Ricky's Sports Theatre and Grill Straight Outta L.A. In the House
Lore	Heidi Game 1970 AFC Championship Game Immaculate Reception The Sea of Hands 1975 AFC Championship Game Ghost to the Post Holy Roller Red Right 88 Tuck Rule Game Lunatic Lateral Favre's Dad Game
Rivalries	Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs Los Angeles Chargers Miami Dolphins Pittsburgh Steelers San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks
Media	Television: KVVU KTNV KLAS KSNV KTLA (Los Angeles) KRON (San Francisco) Radio: Radio network KRLV (AM) KOMP (FM) KLAA (Los Angeles) KSRO (San Francisco) KENO (Spanish) Other: Compass Media Networks Personalities: Bill King Greg Papa J. T. the Brick Brent Musburger
Wild card berths (6)	1977 1980 1984 1991 1993 2016 2021
Division championships (15)	1967 1968 1969 1970 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1983 1985 1990 2000 2001 2002
Conference championships (4)	1976 1980 1983 2002
League championships (4)	1967 1976 (XI) 1980 (XV) 1983 (XVIII)
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1970–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: West Division
Former league affiliation	League: American Football League (1960–1969)

v t e Las Vegas Raiders seasons
Played in Oakland (1960–1981, 1995–2019) and Los Angeles (1982–1994)
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Bold indicates AFL Championship (1960–1965) or Super Bowl (1966–present) victory Italics indicates AFL Championship (1966–1969) and/or Super Bowl (1966–present) appearance