From kickoff until the clock hit triple zeros, the rookie of the year was in his element. He totaled 147 scrimmage yards with two rushing touchdowns in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
His first touchdown was a sweep to the left that made the score 10-3.
“Like in many cases, you have one guy you’ve got to beat and one backer you’ve got to block. And if I can remember correctly, put a move on the corner and was able to get into the end zone.”
His next score was the 14-15 blast up the middle that put the game out of reach for the Cleveland Browns.
“He wasn’t afraid to put his nose in there and he would just stone you,” said Tom Walsh, the Raiders assistant coach during Allen’s rookie season. “That attitude permeated and carried over. We expected him to play that way. That’s why he was drafted where he was drafted. We weren’t shocked by it. There was no surprise because we knew that’s what he could do.”
Allen and the Raiders came away victorious, 27-10, making it the first of five playoff wins for the running back in a Raiders uniform. However, his rookie season came to an end the following week, as the Raiders were upset by the New York Jets in the divisional round 17-14. The Jets defense limited Allen to 36 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Nevertheless, the running back and his team would come back with a vengeance the following year, finishing with a 12-4 record in 1983 and defeating the Washington Redskins, 38-9, in Super Bowl XVIII for their third title in franchise history.
Allen was awarded Super Bowl MVP for a record-setting 191 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The eventual Pro Football Hall of Fame running back rushed for 1,347 career yards in the playoffs, the fifth most in NFL history.
His lasting memories of his first playoff victory are more than what happened in the game. They revolve around his teammates that helped him through the grind of his rookie season plus their…
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