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Stabler's career hit its stride in the mid-1970s. He led the Raiders to the AFC Championship Game and achieved remarkable personal success. In 1974, he earned NFL MVP honors, culminating in a Super Bowl victory in 1977 against the Minnesota Vikings—his crowning achievement.
However, Stabler's life off the field was steeped in excess. He developed a reputation for his fun-loving and often wild lifestyle, famously indulging in heavy drinking. These personal choices began attracting criticism and overshadowing his athletic accomplishments, especially as the Raiders' performance waned in the late 1970s.