AFC Divisional Playoff - "The Sea of Hands"
On December 21, 1974, the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Dolphins traveled to play the Oakland Raiders in a Divisional playoff game that produced a see-sawing score and an exhilarating finish. After a 72-yard touchdown pass from the Raiders’ Ken Stabler to Cliff Branch gave Oakland a 21-19 lead, the Dolphins responded with a Benny Malone 23-yard TD run to regain a 5-point advantage. In the final minute, Oakland had a chance to dethrone the champs, having advanced to the Miami 8. Stabler, unable to find receivers, ran left to avoid a sack. But as a Dolphin defensive end attempted to tackle him from behind, Stabler managed a throw, which floated into the end zone towards four players, three of them Dolphins. Raiders running back Clarence Davis got his hands on the ball as he was hit and yanked it away from the defenders for the game-winning touchdown. While sweetness of the Raiders’ 28-26 victory was short-lived – they lost to the Steelers the following week – the memory of that final catch to eliminate Miami, nicknamed “The Sea of Hands,” lives on.