THE AFL 1960–69: A RETROSPECTIVE
1967 AFL Championship Game: Raiders 40, Oilers 7
Oakland blew away Houston to complete the greatest season in the history of the AFL with its 14th victory in 15 games
Sorry fellas, but there was nothing you could do about this.
The AFL had made monumental strides during its first eight years of existence, and with the 1966 announcement that the AFL and NFL would merge in 1970, it was clear that the junior league had just about closed the once cavernous gap between the two pro football entities.
But on the afternoon of New Years’ Eve 1967, the day both leagues conducted their championship games, the AFL wasn’t quite up to the task of keeping pace with the NFL.
It certainly wasn’t the fault of the Oakland Raiders who played superbly in routing an overmatched Houston squad 40–7. Blame for most of the country not caring one iota about that game could be placed squarely on the burly shoulders of Mother Nature, and the storied Green Bay Packers.
You see, before the Raiders were laying the Oilers to waste at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the Packers and Dallas Cowboys were duking it out up in Green Bay for the NFL title. Pretty good one, that game. It…