September 10, 1978 was a wonderfully warm sunny Southern California day.  It was the second game of the new NFL season.  NBC began its broadcast between the Raiders and Chargers at 1:00 PM.  The game would be known later as "The Holy Roller."  Sportscasters Jim Simpson and Paul Warfield narrated the game.  President Gerald R. Ford was in attendance as guest of former Charger team owner the late Gene Klein.  Long time Raider fan and star of the television series Rockford Files James Garner stood with the Raiders on their sideline.  

The game began when San Diego and former Raider Rolf  Benirschke kicked off.  The Raiders drove inside the Charger 10 only to have their most reliable hands guy, Mark van Eeghen, fumble.  The Raider defense was stingy as ever, every opponent they faced paid a price for each reception, run, and yard gained, or lost.  Win or lose it was war with these Raiders.  The once powerful Raider offensive juggernaut was another story.  Henry Lawrence replaced John Vella at right tackle and Mickey Marvin replaced George Buehler at right guard.  The changes to the offensive line affected Kenny Stabler.  He had little time to find open receivers.  Also affecting his play were the receivers.  Only tight end Dave Casper was reliable.  Cliff Branch appeared unfocused and distracted all year.  He caught just one touchdown pass that entire season.  On this day he would make a nice catch on a long pass from Stabler leading to a Casper touchdown.  Speedster Morris Bradshaw, the man who replaced Fred Biletnikoff, had a nice game.  He dropped a pass he should have caught and caught a pass he should have dropped, which was a pass in the 4th quarter for a touchdown.  The touchdown got the  Raiders close, 20-14, advantage Chargers. 

The Chargers had the ball late in the 4th quarter with only minutes left to play.  They couldn't sit on the lead and run out the clock because they couldn't run against Oakland.  The Raider defense really stiffened in the second half, punishing Charger running backs Lydell Mitchell, Bo Matthews and Hank Bauer.  Charger receivers Artie Owens, John Jefferson, Charlie Joiner didn't fare any better as well.  They were blanketed by Lester Hayes, Monte Jackson and Willie Brown.  This would be Willie Brown's last season for the Silver and Black as a player.  It was the last game for another Raider great, running back Clarence Davis, who was injured in the game.  Davis best most remembered for the game-winning touchdown pass catch among "the sea of hands" of several Dolphins defenders.  This game eliminated Miami from the playoffs. 

The Raiders got the ball back with a minute seven seconds remaining in the game.  The Charger defense was tough and stingy like Oakland's.  They had great players like Louie Kelcher, Fred Dean, Russ Washington and Wilbur Young on the defensive line, and they could really bring the heat.  The Raiders drove to the Chargers 14 yard line on passes to Fred Biletnikoff and Ray Chester.  Stabler tried hitting Biletnikoff in the corner of the end zone for the game winning score but the ball was tipped away at the last second by a Charger defender.  With ten seconds left, Stabler went back to pass, nobody open, Stabler began back-peddling to his right as the pocket collapsed; linebacker Woody Lowe swollowed Stabler up and began taking him down.  In a last gasp attempt to score before going down, Stabler threw the ball forward to Pete Banaszak, who threw the ball forward toward Casper near the end zone.  The Great Raider announcer Bill King describes the rest: "The ball, flipped forward, is loose! A wild scramble, two seconds on the clock...Casper grabbing the ball...it is ruled a fumble...Casper has recovered in the end zone!! The Oakland Raiders have scored on the most zany, unbelievable, absolutely impossible dream of a play! Madden is on the field. He wants to know if it's real. They said yes, get your big butt out of here! He does! There's nothing real in the world anymore! The Raiders have won the football game! The Chargers....they don't believe it. Fifty-two thousand people are stunned. This one will be relived forever!"