1993 Regular-Season Finale OT and 1994 Wild Card (Raiders over Broncos)

In the 1993 season finale, the Oakland Raiders beat the Denver Broncos in overtime to secure a playoff berth; the teams then met in the Wild Card round (played January 9, 1994) where Oakland defeated Denver 42–24. The regular-season overtime victory arrived at a pivotal moment for Oakland's postseason qualification, and the subsequent Wild Card routing established Oakland's dominance in that postseason pairing [11][12]. The Wild Card game’s 42–24 score reflects Oakland's ability to generate a high-scoring performance against Denver in a playoff setting, with the Raiders' offense producing multiple touchdowns while Denver struggled to match that output. In the run-up to the Wild Card game, public commentary between the clubs escalated; Raiders owner Al Davis is widely quoted in contemporary reporting as saying Denver was "scared to death of us," remarks that were circulated in media coverage and added to the emotional tenor of the matchup [11][12]. Oakland's two victories in a short span — the finale and the playoff game — shifted that season's divisional narrative firmly in the Raiders' direction and produced tangible postseason consequences for Denver [11][12].

This sequence matters because it combined a late-season reversal with a decisive playoff result, creating a concentrated period of Raider advantage and public exchange that heightened the rivalry. Al Davis's quoted comment contributed to the antagonistic public narrative and was recalled in Denver as emblematic of intradivisional provocation [11][12].

Following the Wild Card loss, Denver faced offseason evaluation while Oakland advanced in postseason perceptions. The late-1993/early-1994 sequence is frequently cited in chronicling the rivalry's peaks of intensity and the way single-season outcomes can produce lingering organizational and fan memory [11][12].