The 1993 Los Angeles Raiders season was the franchise's 34th season overall, and the franchise's 24th season in the National Football League. The team improved upon its 7–9 record in the previous season and returned to the NFL playoffs after a one-year absence, but lost in the AFC Divisional game to the Buffalo Bills.
This was the Raiders' final playoff appearance in Los Angeles, and would not return to the playoffs until 2000, when the franchise returned to Oakland. This would be the final season for receiver Willie Gault and defensive end Howie Long before their retirements. Additionally, defensive end Greg Townsend, who along with Long and center Don Mosebar were the only players left from the Raiders' Super Bowl XVIII championship team of 10 years earlier, left to play for the Philadelphia Eagles (in 1997; Townsend would return to the Raiders, by then having returned to their original home in Oakland, for his final season).
Offseason
During the offseason the Raiders signed quarterback Jeff Hostetler from the New York Giants to lead the offense.
Joe Kelly, a former first round pick of the Bengals was signed to fill the middle linebacker slot.
Left tackle Gerald Perry was signed from the Rams to solidify the left tackle position which the Raiders had struggled to fill since the retirement of former Raider left tackles Bruce Davis and Art Shell.
Future Hall of Famer Marcus Allen, the team's all-time leading rusher, was allowed to leave as a free agent and later signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Notable Cuts To fill Allen's spot, the Raiders signed running back Gaston Green, formerly of the Denver Broncos. However, Green did not make the team and was cut prior to the 1993 season.
The Los Angeles Raiders also brought back James Lofton from the Buffalo Bills. Lofton played for the Raiders during the 1987–1988 seasons. But like Green, he was cut prior to the 1993 season.The 1993 Los Angeles Raidersr Media Guide
NFL draft
The 1993 draft for the Los Angeles Raiders eventually produced several starters. With the 12th pick in the first round the Raiders drafted safety Patrick Bates from Texas A&M.
The Raiders did not have a second round pick.
In the third round with the 58th pick the team drafted quarterback Billy Joe Hobert from Washington. Also in the third round with the 72nd pick the Raiders took defensive back James Trapp from Clemson.
In the fifth round the team drafted wide receiver Olanda Truitt from Mississippi State. The Raiders next pick occurred in the seventh round and with the 181st pick the team took linebacker Greg Biekert from Colorado.
The Raiders' final pick of the 1993 draft occurred in the 8th round, where they drafted running back Greg Robinson from Louisiana-Monroe.
Legacy Greg Biekert proved to be the best of the group. He went on to become a primary starter in 1994 and was a starter for the Raiders until 2001. He started 123 out of a possible 144 games with the Raiders with 15 sacks, 5 fumble recoveries and 3 interceptions. As the Raiders middle linebacker he also recorded 704 tackles and 212 assists with the Raiders.
As a rookie running back Greg Robinson started 12 games and led the 1993 Los Angeles Raiders in rushing with 591 yards and a touchdown. He also added 15 receptions for 142 yards.
James Trapp was the third best of the bunch and he stayed on the Raiders roster as a sometime starter and as a reserve until the end of the 1996 season. He then spent four years with the Ravens and helped Baltimore achieve their first Super Bowl victory. With the Raiders he started 26 out of 88 games that he appeared in which included 4 interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries.
Olanda Truitt ended up leaving Los Angeles prior to the 1993 season and spent one year with the Vikings before spending two straight seasons with Washington. During that time he caught just 15 passes for 283 yards. In 1996, he returned to the Raiders and played two more years for them. He ended his career with just 22 catches. Hobert appeared in just 12 games for the Raiders between 1993 and 1996 which included 5 starts. Hobert went 0–5 as the Raiders starter in 1995–1996 and eventually left the team. He passed for 3,371 yards with the Raiders, Saints and Bills.
Although Bates was the Raiders first round choice in the 1993 draft, he played for the Raiders for only two years (93–94) recording just 69 tackles in 29 game appearances. In 1996, he played one season with Atlanta.
Personnel
Staff / Coaches
Roster
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 September 5 Minnesota Vikings W 24–7 1–0 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 44,120 Recap 2 September 12 at Seattle Seahawks W 17–13 2–0 Kingdome 58,836 Recap 3 September 19 Cleveland Browns L 16–19 2–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 48,617 Recap 4 Bye 5 October 3 at Kansas City Chiefs L 9–24 2–2 Arrowhead Stadium 77,395 Recap 6 October 10 New York Jets W 24–20 3–2 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 41,627 Recap 7 at Denver Broncos W 23–20 4–2 Mile High Stadium 75,712 Recap 8 Bye 9 October 31 San Diego Chargers L 23–30 4–3 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 45,122 Recap 10 November 7 at Chicago Bears W 16–14 5–3 Soldier Field 59,750 Recap 11 November 14 Kansas City Chiefs L 20–31 5–4 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 66,553 Recap 12 November 21 at San Diego Chargers W 12–7 6–4 Jack Murphy Stadium 60,615 Recap 13 November 28 at Cincinnati Bengals L 10–16 6–5 Riverfront Stadium 43,272 Recap 14 December 5 at Buffalo Bills W 25–24 7–5 Rich Stadium 79,478 Recap 15 December 12 Seattle Seahawks W 27–23 8–5 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 38,161 Recap 16 December 19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 27–20 9–5 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 40,532 Recap 17 December 26 at Green Bay Packers L 0–28 9–6 Lambeau Field 54,482 Recap 18 January 2 Denver Broncos W 33–30 (OT) 10–6 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 66,904 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
Season summary
Week 1 vs Vikings Jeff Hostetler completed 15 straight passes during the game which included a touchdown pass to Tim Brown. Cornerback Terry McDaniel intercepted a Jim McMahon pass and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown. Rookie running back Greg Robinson scored his only regular season touchdown as a Raider. Hostetler also rushed for 34 yards and defensive end Anthony Smith recorded 2 sacks.
Week 2 at Seahawks Defensive End Anthony Smith sacked Seahawks quarterback Rick Mirer four times. Rookie Patrick Bates and Terry McDaniel each intercepted a pass and Jeff Hostetler rushed for a touchdown and tossed a touchdown pass to Tim Brown. Wide receivers Alexander Wright and Tim Brown totalled 13 receptions combined to pace the win.
Week 3 vs Browns
The Raiders dominated the Browns early and led 13–0. Defensive tackle Chester McGlockton intercepted a Bernie Kosar pass which set up one of the Raiders' two field goals. After that the Browns defense pressured Hostetler by sacking him six times and holding him to just 94 yards passing. The Raiders gained one first down in the second half and committed eight penalties. Browns running back Eric Metcalf scored the game-winning touchdown with just seconds remaining.
Week 5 at Chiefs Former Raider Marcus Allen scored his 100th career rushing touchdown against his former team. Hostetler missed the game due to a knee injury and with veteran Vince Evans serving in his place the Raiders were unable to beat their chief rivals. The Raiders aided the Kansas City cause by committing 16 penalties for 173 yards.
Week 6 vs Jets Raiders overcame a 17–0 Jet lead to win. Head coach Art Shell pulled a struggling Hostetler and Evans replaced him and the aging quarterback completed 14 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns. During the third period and trailing 17–7 Evans hit Alexander Wright for a 68-yard touchdown pass. The Jets scored on a field goal to retake the lead 20–17. During a two-minute drill Evans drove the Raiders downfield. A third down was converted into a first down on a pass to James Jett. With four seconds remaining and with the ball inside the Jets one-yard line the Raiders ran a risky run play and running back Nick Bell scored a touchdown to defeat the New York Jets.
Week 7 at Broncos On Monday Night Football quarterback Jeff Hostetler went 15 of 24 for 2 touchdowns. The Raiders dominated the first half and led 13–0 off two Jaeger field goals and a Hostetler touchdown pass to Alexander Wright. Denver fought their way back and scored 17 unanswered points to take a 17–13 lead. Raider James Jett scored on a 74-yard pass from Hostetler and the Raiders took the lead back from the Broncos. John Elway drove Denver downfield and rookie kicker Jason Elam kicked a field goal to tie the game 20–20. The Raiders responded with just seconds remaining with a Jeff Jaeger field goal from 53 yards away to beat the Broncos.
Week 9 vs Chargers Halloween was all tricks for the Raiders and all treats for the Chargers as San Diego beat Los Angeles in a key game. This didn't stop Jeff Hostetler from passing for a Raider record 424 yards. The Raiders started the scoring on their first play from scrimmage with Tim Brown hauling in a Hostetler pass and racing 71 yards for a touchdown. Later and with the score tied 10–10 both Hostetler and Brown hooked up again for a 38-yard touchdown. San Diego retied the score 17–17 on a touchdown run by running back Marion Butts. The Raiders drove down the field and with the ball inside the San Diego 10-yard line, defensive back Donald Frank intercepted a Hostetler pass and ran back the interception 102 yards for a touchdown and a 24–17 San Diego lead. The Raiders could not get back into the game and despite 156 receiving yards by Brown the Raiders were defeated by the Chargers.
Week 10 at Bears For the third time in five games the Raiders led early but saw their lead evaporate. Greg Robinson rushed for 70 yards and Napoleon McCallum added 50 more and one touchdown to overcome 11 penalties and 3 sacks of Hostetler. Los Angeles led 13–0 at halftime and just like the Cleveland game the Bears got themselves back in the game. The Raiders lead was cut to 13–7 on a Neal Anderson touchdown run but Jeff Jaeger saved the day by adding a field goal later in the fourth quarter. Bears quarterback Jim Harbaugh tossed a touchdown pass with just minutes remaining in the game to pull Chicago within two points. The Bears recovered their onside kick and drove within field goal range. Bears kicker Kevin Butler missed the field goal that would have won the game for Chicago.
Week 11 vs Chiefs Once again the Raiders led early on a Hostetler touchdown pass to Ethan Horton and a touchdown run by Napoleon McCallum. Leading 14–0, the Raiders allowed Kansas City to go on a 31–6 run to beat the Raiders for the second straight time. Horton caught 6 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown against his old team.
Week 12 at Chargers For the second time in four games the Raiders faced the San Diego Chargers. Jeff Jaeger kicked four field goals for the win but the Raiders had another nail biting game when San Diego scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Rookies Greg Robinson and James Jett had stellar games. Robinson accounted for 89 yards rushing and 13 yards receiving. Jett caught 7 passes for 138 yards. Also, future hall of famer Howie Long record two sacks.
Week 13 at Bengals The Bengals were 0–10 entering the game and led the Raiders 13–0 as the fourth quarter began. The Raiders offense was unable to get anything going all day and two turnovers by Los Angeles granted them their fifth loss of the 1993 season. Chester McGlockton had three sacks.
Week 14 at Bills