October 13, 2026
October 13, 2026
1990 Los Angeles Raiders: Silver Lining
The Los Angeles Raiders were clearly enjoying their time in Southern California, as they quickly became the symbol of sports in that area. Many sports fans in Southern California embraced the team’s colors of silver and black as a sign of unity. However, it had been years since the Raiders brought home the Lombardi Trophy, so that kind of silver lining was yet to be realized.
The 1990 Los Angeles Raiders went 12-4 during the 1990 NFL season, finishing just 1 game ahead of their archrivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, in the AFC West Division. The Raiders went 6-2 in divisional play and 9-3 in conference play.
Quarterback Jay Schroeder completed 182 of 334 pass attempts for 2,849 yards and 19 touchdowns while throwing just 9 interceptions. Running back Marcus Allen was one of the premier stars on the team, as he had 179 rushing attempts for 692 yards and 12 touchdowns while also catching 15 passes for 189 yards and 1 touchdown.
Running back Bo Jackson was a 2-sport phenomenon for fans to witness, as he handled the responsibilities of playing in both the NFL and MLB very well. Jackson had 125 rushing attempts for 698 yards and 5 touchdowns. Fullback Steve Smith had 81 rushing attempts for 327 yards and 2 touchdowns, and while he had just 4 receptions for 30 yards, 3 of them went for touchdowns. Running back Greg Bell had 47 rushing attempts for 164 yards and 1 touchdown.
Wide receiver Willie Gault had 50 receptions for 985 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wide receiver Mervyn Fernandez had 52 receptions for 839 yards and 5 touchdowns. Tight end Ethan Horton had 33 receptions for 404 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wide receiver Tim Brown had 18 receptions for 265 yards and 3 touchdowns. On special teams, Brown was serviceable, as he had 34 punt returns for 295 yards.
The special teams unit for Los Angeles had a couple of players who were capable of breaking out for big returns. Wide receiver and running back Jamie Holland had 32 kick returns for 655 yards. Wide receiver Ron Brown had 30 kick returns for 575 yards.
The defense for the 1990 Los Angeles Raiders was consistent in getting to the quarterback or ball carrier and breaking plays down the way it needed to. Right defensive end Greg Townsend had 67 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 1 interception, and 1 fumble recovery. Right defensive tackle Scott Davis had 10 sacks. Linebacker Aaron Wallace had 9 sacks. Left defensive end Howie Long had 6 sacks and 1 fumble recovery.
Left defensive tackle Bob Golic had 4 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries. Left cornerback Terry McDaniel had 2 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 2 fumble recoveries for 44 yards and 1 touchdown. Left linebacker Jerry Robinson had 2 sacks and 1 interception. Nose tackle Bill Pickel had 1.5 sacks and 1 fumble recovery. Free safety Eddie Anderson led the defense with 92 tackles and added 3 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery. Right cornerback Lionel Washington had 52 tackles and 1 interception.
Wanting to close out the regular season on a good note, the Raiders went on a 5-game winning streak. The streak began with a 23-20 win over a division rival, the Denver Broncos, in Week 13 on December 2, and it ended with a 17-12 win over another division rival, the San Diego Chargers, in Week 17 on December 30. Because of his ability to keep the team together through the ups and downs of the regular season, head coach Art Shell was named Coach of the Year.
The Raiders hosted their Divisional Round game against the Cincinnati Bengals at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 13. While the Raiders pulled away for a 20-10 victory, it would be remembered as a very bittersweet win. Jay Schroeder completed 11 of 21 passes for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns while throwing 1 interception. Marcus Allen had 21 rushing attempts for 140 yards. Bo Jackson had 6 rushing attempts for 77 yards.
In the 2nd quarter, the Bengals got on the board first with a 27-yard field goal by kicker Jim Breech. Mervyn Fernandez responded for the Raiders with a 13-yard touchdown reception. In the 3rd quarter, Raiders kicker Jeff Jaeger booted a 49-yard field goal.
It was during the 3rd quarter that one of the most explosive careers in NFL history came to an abrupt end. This would be Bo Jackson’s final NFL game, as he was tackled by Bengals linebacker Kevin Walker. The tackle, which came at the end of a 34-yard run by Jackson, looked like a routine play that any defender would make. However, according to Jackson himself, he felt a pop in his left hip as he went down. The injury would turn out to be avascular necrosis, a degenerative condition that forced Jackson into early retirement from football just 4 years into his career.
The silver lining in Bo Jackson’s 4-year professional football career was that he could wow the crowd at any given moment and give fans something to talk about. Jackson moved the needle on the most intriguing sports topics, especially those concerning athletes who attempted to play 2 or more sports at the same time.
The game continued, and so did the scoring. In the 4th quarter, Bengals running back Stanford Jennings had an 8-yard touchdown reception to tie the game at 10-10. However, Los Angeles pulled away as Ethan Horton caught a 41-yard touchdown pass, and then Jaeger kicked a 25-yard field goal.
In the AFC Championship Game on January 20, the 1990 Los Angeles Raiders were annihilated by the Buffalo Bills, 51-3. The Raiders made the playoffs just 2 more times while they were in Los Angeles, and they returned to the playoffs several more times after moving back to Oakland.
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