Editing Super Bowl XI (section)

===Playoffs===
{{Further|1976–77 NFL playoffs}}

The Vikings went on to dominate [[1976 Washington Redskins season|the Washington Redskins]], 35–20, and then defeated [[1976 Los Angeles Rams season|the Los Angeles Rams]], 24–13, in the playoffs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round - Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings - December 18th, 1976 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197612180min.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=NFC Championship - Los Angeles Rams at Minnesota Vikings - December 26th, 1976 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197612260min.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> Ten of the Vikings' points in the NFC Championship Game came from blocked kicks.

The Raiders overcame an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat [[1976 New England Patriots season|the New England Patriots]], the only team to beat the Raiders all season, 24–21, with the aid of a penalty call against the Patriots. New England's [[Ray Hamilton (defensive tackle)|Ray Hamilton]] was tagged for roughing the passer in the fourth quarter, turning an incomplete pass on 3rd and 18 into a first down, and the Raiders went on to score on Stabler's 1-yard touchdown run with 14 seconds left in the contest.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round - New England Patriots at Oakland Raiders - December 18th, 1976 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197612180rai.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

In the AFC Championship Game Oakland then faced [[1976 Pittsburgh Steelers season|the Pittsburgh Steelers]], a team that had won the two previous Super Bowls and defeated the Raiders in the playoffs in three out of the last four seasons. However, coming into this game without injured starting running backs [[Franco Harris]] and [[Rocky Bleier]], the Steelers were soundly thrashed this time around, losing to Oakland, 24–7.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFC Championship - Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders - December 26th, 1976 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197612260rai.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

This was the first Super Bowl game to match both conferences' No. 1 seeds, the first one held in the Rose Bowl, the last Super Bowl to finish under daylight and the last where both teams' placekickers (Minnesota's [[Fred Cox]] and Oakland's [[Errol Mann]]) used the straight-on style.

Scheduled on the 9th day of January, the game marks the earliest Super Bowl played during the calendar year. The regular season started one week earlier than usual in order to avoid having playoff games on Christmas Day, which fell on a Saturday in 1976. By moving the season up, the divisional playoffs were held December 18 and 19, and the conference championship games Sunday, December 26. The local starting time for this Super Bowl, 12:47 pm Pacific Time, also was the earliest in history, two minutes earlier than [[Super Bowl VII]] at the nearby [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]] in 1973.

The Raiders became the first West Division team from either conference to reach a post-merger Super Bowl. They also became the first team to play in a Super Bowl in their home state; the [[2002 Oakland Raiders season|Raiders]] later played another in-state Super Bowl, [[Super Bowl XXXVII]] in [[San Diego Stadium|San Diego]], during the [[2002 NFL season|2002 season]].