The Vikings and their Purple People Eaters defense were making their fourth Super Bowl appearance after posting an 11–2–1 regular season record and playoff victories over the Washington Redskins and the Los Angeles Rams.

Oakland wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff, who had 4 catches for 79 yards that set up three Raider touchdowns, was named the game's Most Valuable Player (MVP).

A total of six cities submitted bids: Pasadena (Rose Bowl), Los Angeles (Coliseum), Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, and Montreal.

The Raiders offense was led by quarterback Ken Stabler, who finished as the top rated passer in the AFC, passing for 2,737 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions.

Their defensive secondary was extremely hard-hitting and talented, led by safeties Jack Tatum and George Atkinson, and cornerbacks Skip Thomas and Willie Brown.

Brown, Upshaw, Biletnikoff and running back Pete Banaszak were the only holdovers from the Oakland team that was defeated nine years earlier in Super Bowl II.

[11] Many accused the Raiders defense of being overly aggressive, especially Atkinson, who inflicted a severe concussion on Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Lynn Swann in the previous season's AFC Championship Game.

The Raiders and their fans were often known to counter these accusations against Atkinson and Jack Tatum by pointing out the physical way that Pittsburgh cornerback Mel Blount covered Oakland's speedy split end Cliff Branch.

[12] The Vikings, coached by Bud Grant, won the NFC Central for the eighth time in the last nine seasons with an 11–2–1 record, and advanced to their fourth Super Bowl in eight years.

The Vikings' "Purple People Eaters" defense, anchored by Carl Eller, Jim Marshall, and Alan Page, were also dominating teams again.

Eleven players were on the roster for Super Bowl IV, VIII, IX, and XI for the Vikings: Bobby Bryant, Fred Cox, Carl Eller, Wally Hilgenberg, Paul Krause, Jim Marshall, Alan Page, Mick Tingelhoff, Ed White, Roy Winston and Ron Yary.

New England's 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.

[16] In the AFC Championship Game Oakland then faced 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.

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.

The pregame festivities featured the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) All-City Band and frisbee dog Ashley Whippet.

The next year, Chicago Bears great Red Grange (with Tunney as referee) began the tradition of celebrities or other special guests participating in the coin toss ceremony.

This tradition then was slightly altered in Super Bowl LIV in February 2020, when Retired Colonel Charles E. McGee let referee Bill Vinovich toss the coin instead.

It was the first Super Bowl halftime show to include crowd participation as people in the stadium performed a mass card stunt on cue.

They added three more before halftime, including a meaningless 26-yard completion from quarterback Fran Tarkenton to Foreman before time expired, which ended up being their longest gain of the entire game.

An 18-yard run by Davis and a 10-yard reception by wide receiver Cliff Branch set up a 40-yard Mann field goal, increasing the Raiders' lead to 19–0.

However, instead of another three-and-out, Oakland linebacker Ted Hendricks received a roughing the kicker penalty for a late hit on Minnesota punter Neil Clabo.

Vikings defensive tackle Alan Page sacked Stabler for an 11-yard loss to start the fourth quarter, leading to an Oakland punt.

After both teams turned the ball over on downs, a four-score Minnesota comeback was considered impossible and the Vikings brought in backup quarterback Bob Lee.

Oakland wide receiver Mike Siani recovered Minnesota's ensuing onside kick to end the game and secure the Raiders' first Super Bowl title.

Of Davis' 16 carries, 11 were runs to the left side, which is where the blocking of guard Gene Upshaw, tackle Art Shell and Casper dominated defensive end Jim Marshall and linebacker Wally Hilgenberg.

Fred Biletnikoff earned MVP honors after his 4 receptions for 79 yards; his selection has been widely praised historically because the voters recognized that while his overall numbers weren't overwhelming (until Cooper Kupp was the MVP of Super Bowl LVI, Biletnikoff was the only wide receiver to earn such an honor despite not having at least 100 yards of catches), it was recognized that his plays both produced the majority of Oakland's points and were the key to making the game a rout for the Raiders.

"[20] The win was particularly satisfying for Brown, who scored a Super Bowl touchdown and earned his first championship ring after 14 years of professional football.

In 2015, on the occasion of Super Bowl 50, Slate webpage writer Justin Peters watched all of the first 49 games over a two-month period.

The Raiders would fall to mediocrity in the latter part of the 1980s and most of the 1990s when they were affected by stadium problems that saw them again playing in Oakland in 1995 – although they did reach the AFC Championship in 1991 and be demolished 51–3 by the Bills – before a 33–15 three-season record between 2000 and 2002 saw them return to the Super Bowl for the first time in 19 seasons, losing out to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.