2001 Oakland Raiders season explained

Team:Oakland Raiders
Year:2001
Record:10–6
Division Place:1st AFC West
Coach:Jon Gruden
General Manager:Al Davis
Owner:Al Davis
Stadium:Network Associates Coliseum
Playoffs:Won Wild Card Playoffs
(vs. Jets) 38–24
Lost Divisional Playoffs
(at Patriots) 13–16 (OT)
Pro Bowlers:Rich Gannon, QB
Tim Brown, WR
Lincoln Kennedy, OT
Charles Woodson, CB
Shane Lechler, P
Shortnavlink:Raiders seasons

The Oakland Raiders season was the franchise's 32nd season in the National Football League (NFL), the 42nd overall, their seventh season since their move back to Oakland, and the fourth year under head coach Jon Gruden, the last of his first stint as the team's head coach.

In the offseason, the Raiders acquired wide receiver Jerry Rice through free agency. Rice excelled with his new team, catching 83 passes for 1,139 yards and 9 touchdowns. The Raiders finished the season 10–6, finishing in first place in the AFC West for the second consecutive year. Their six regular season losses were by a combined 24 points.

The Raiders qualified for the postseason, beating the New York Jets in the wild-card round, who were also the team the Raiders lost to in the final game of the regular season. In the Divisional round, the Raiders blew a 13–3 lead and lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in a controversial finish. With a minute and 43 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Raiders leading 13–10, cornerback Charles Woodson appeared to force a fumble of Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady that was recovered by the Raiders. The play was reviewed by instant replay and the fumble was ruled an incomplete pass. The Patriots tied the game in the ensuing drive and then won in overtime. The game became known as the Tuck Rule Game.

It would be Jon Gruden's final season as head coach in his first stint with the Raiders. After the season he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for Tampa Bay's first-round draft picks in 2002 and 2003, their second-round draft picks in 2004 and 2005, and $8 million in cash. The Raiders faced Gruden and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl the next year, and lost 48–21. Gruden would return to the Raiders as head coach 16 years later in 2018. After the season, they lost Steve Wisniewski to retirement.

The Raiders' theme song was Veridis Quo by Daft Punk.

Offseason

NFL draft

See main article: 2001 NFL draft.

2001 Oakland Raiders Draft
Round Selection Player Position College
28Florida State
2 59Washington
3 89Oregon State
5 158Ray Perryman Northern Arizona
5 168Nebraska–Omaha
7 228Ohio State
7 229Ohio State

Preseason

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenue
1Dallas CowboysW 21–141–0Network Associates Coliseum
2at Arizona CardinalsW 10–72–0Sun Devil Stadium
3August 19at San Francisco 49ersL 17–202–13Com Park
4August 27vs. Dallas CowboysL 6–212–2 Estadio Azteca (Mexico City)
5Green Bay PackersW 24–133–2Network Associates Coliseum

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance
1September 9at Kansas City ChiefsW 27–241–0Arrowhead Stadium78,844
2September 23at Miami DolphinsL 15–181–1Pro Player Stadium73,304
3September 30Seattle SeahawksW 38–142–1Network Associates Coliseum54,629
4October 7Dallas CowboysW 28–213–1Network Associates Coliseum61,535
5October 14at Indianapolis ColtsW 23–184–1RCA Dome56,972
6Bye
7October 28at Philadelphia EaglesW 20–105–1Veterans Stadium65,342
8Denver BroncosW 38–286–1Network Associates Coliseum62,637
9November 11at Seattle SeahawksL 27–346–2Husky Stadium67,231
10November 18San Diego ChargersW 34–247–2Network Associates Coliseum61,960
11November 25at New York GiantsW 28–108–2Giants Stadium78,756
12December 2Arizona CardinalsL 31–34 (OT)8–3Network Associates Coliseum46,601
13December 9Kansas City ChiefsW 28–269–3Network Associates Coliseum60,784
14at San Diego ChargersW 13–610–3Qualcomm Stadium67,349
15Tennessee TitansL 10–1310–4Network Associates Coliseum61,934
16December 30at Denver BroncosL 17–2310–5Invesco Field at Mile High75,582
17January 6New York JetsL 22–2410–6Network Associates Coliseum62,011

Playoffs

AFC Divisional Playoff

See also: Tuck Rule Game.

References

Raiders on Pro Football Reference