With a victory and losses from the right teams, the 1986 New York Giants had a shot at making the Super League championship game. Instead they ran into one of the hottest teams in the league.

The 1983 Los Angeles Raiders rushed for 187 yards and Greg Pruitt returned a punt for a touchdown to pull out a 33-24 victory and send the Giants home. New York finished 8-7 while the Raiders rebounded from a 1-8 start to finish 6-9.

The Giants took a 10-0 first-quarter lead, but the Raiders took a 14-10 lead on a Frank Hawkins touchdown run and Pruitt's 68-yard punt return. Two field goals and a touchdown pass from Jim Plunkett to Todd Christensen increased the lead to 27-10 after three quarters.

Phil Simms threw for 263 yards for the Giants.