At stake: the first win of the season for one of the teams. Both were 0-2 heading into the contest, although the Raiders were clear favorites. They were at home and coming off two straight playoff seasons, whereas the Browns hadn't seen the playoffs since the 1989 Conference Championship loss to the Broncos.
The Raiders were loaded on both sides of the ball, with new quarterback Todd Marinovich leading a team with a future Hall of Famer, Tim Brown, and two Hall of Fame running backs, Marcus Allen and Eric Dickerson.
The Oakland defense was amazing, with Ronnie Lott, Howie Long, Greg Townsend, Aundray Bruce, Chester McGlockton, and Anthony Smith (who'd go on to have 13 sacks that year).
The Browns, however, were starting third-string quarterback Todd Philcox, due to injuries to starter Bernie Kosar and backup Mike Tomczak. The run game had Metcalf as a situational runner behind an aged James Brooks and Kevin Mack. Leroy Hoard and Tommy Vardell were rare-carry fullbacks.
The receivers? Michael Jackson, the leading receiver, ended up with 47 catches the entire year. The defense was also laughable, save for defensive monster Michael Dean Perry.
Also notable was linebacker Clay Matthews, Sr., who, at 36 years old, recorded nine sacks and an interception that season.
It seemed inevitable that the Raiders would rebound from their early season woes and take out their frustration on the poor Browns.
Eric Metcalf, the dangerous X-Factor of Cleveland, must have had a different ending to the story in his mind as he put on one of the best single game performances of all time, which has been long-forgotten over the last two decades.
The first quarter began, and it seemed ear...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
