Raiders Get Total Team Effort in Late Win Over Bengals
Oakland (2-2) 29 - Cincinnati (1-3) 19
Cincinnati, OH (Week 4, 2006) – Over the first three weeks of the season, the Oakland Raiders have not looked like a strong football team. Their offence has been inconsistent, their defence have not done enough in every game to help the team win, and their special teams have made some costly mistakes. New Head Coach Brent Marlin has fallen under a hail of criticism for his play calling and decision making during key moments this season. As such, it was important for the Raiders to play a strong game in their third straight road game, this one against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Raiders were able to do just that, as they came out for the game flying. On the opening drive of the game, the Oakland offence was able score on a 5-yard touchdown pass from QB Kerry Collins to WR Ronald Curry. The drive spanned 10 plays, 70 yards, and used up 6:31 of the first quarter. “It was very important for us to come out with a good series,” said Collins. “After everything that happened last week against the Titans, we knew that we had to make a statement as soon as this game started. It says something about the team that we were able to do it.”
The Oakland defence came out to play as well, as they hounded QB Carson Palmer, and kept RB Rudi Johnson largely contained. The Cincinnati offence were unable to gain a lot of ground on the Raiders, and were held to two field goals in the first half, allowing the Raiders to take a 7-6 lead into the locker room at half time. While the Raiders’ offence did not put up any more points in the first half, they were able to control the clock and keep the Bengals’ defence on the field.
Cincinnati came to life as the second half got underway, as they were able to block a punt by P Shane Lechler, giving the Bengals possession of the ball on the Oakland 33-yard line. That seemed to spur the Bengals’ offence on, as Palmer completed four straight passes, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Rudi Johnson. Oakland worked to come back on the next series with a 9-play drive, but the last play was an interception thrown by Collins to CB Keiwan Ratliff.
The Raiders’ defence stepped up on the ensuing series, forcing the Bengals to punt. Collins wasted no time as soon as the ball was back in his hands, dropping back, and looking to pass. He was sacked by DE Justin Smith on the first play, but rebounded back with a 6-yard pass to TE Courtney Anderson, then went deep to WR Doug Gabriel, who took the pass 79 yards for the touchdown, and gave the Raiders the 14-13 lead.
As the fourth quarter got underway, the Bengals could feel time slipping away, and, bolstered by good field position after a Ratliff punt return, took the lead back on a 5-yard touchdown run by Rudi Johnson. The Bengals attempted the two point conversion but were unsuccessful, and had to settle for a 19-14 lead.
With 4:35 left in the game, Collins again went with a play he has been known for over the past few seasons, the long ball. This time, he found Curry for a 71 yard touchdown pass. The Raiders also decided to go for the two point conversion, and they were successful as Collins hit RB Lamont Jordan in the end-zone for the deuce. The Bengals, down by only three and will all of their time outs remaining, showed no panic as they went back to the running game to gain yards, but Rudi Johnson was stripped of the ball by SS Tank Williams and the ball was recovered by LB DeLawrence Grant and returned 38 yards for the touchdown.
With time now running out for the Bengals, they went to the air, but Palmer was intercepted by FS Stuart Schweigert, and on their last series, was intercepted by LB Sam Williams, to give the Raiders the victory. Unfortunately, the interception by Williams was run back 10 yards before he was tackled at the knee and went down in pain. It was discovered after the game that Williams had torn his ACL in his right knee, and that it would require surgery. At this time, doctors are saying that he will not be ready to play until late next season, or even the 2008 season, if he can return at all.
“It was a good game for us,” said Brent Marlin. “The entire team came to play, and it was great to see. But while we feel really good about the game, our locker room was pretty downcast after the game. The injury Sam suffered is definitely serious, and while it is still too early to say what the future holds, it looks like he is going to be out for a long time. He most definitely will not be back this season. All we can do is send out our prayers for him and hope that he can get back on the field next year.”
The Raiders had a number of strong performances during the game on both sides of the ball. Collins ended up going 20 for 29 with 324 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He was able to spread the ball around as WR Jerry Porter collected 89 yards, Gabriel had 91 yards and a touchdown, and Curry finished with 87 yards and two touchdowns. Lamont Jordan was solid, collecting 109 yards on 26 carries. T Robert Gallery and G Ron Stone were dominant on the offensive line, and DE Derrick Burgess had two sacks this game, his second two sack performance of the season.
The Raiders are now set to finally return to Oakland, where they will face the Baltimore Ravens next week. It is expected that DE Ryan Denney will return to the line-up after sustaining a high ankle sprain in the preseason. Also joining the team, due to the loss of Sam Williams, will be LB Keith Adams, signed to a one year contract worth a reported $590,000. Adams played for the Philadelphia Eagles last season, and was with the Arizona Cardinals for two games this season before being released.
Box Score
Attendance: 54,500 (65,600).
Weather: 80 degrees, stormy.
1Q: 08:29 OAK - Ronald Curry 5 pass from Kerry Collins.
1Q: 08:29 OAK - Herb Mallory extra point.
2Q: 12:16 CIN - Shayne Graham 44 field goal.
2Q: 03:05 CIN - Shayne Graham 44 field goal.
3Q: 07:42 CIN - Rudi Johnson 1 run.
3Q: 07:42 CIN - Shayne Graham extra point.
4Q: 13:04 OAK - Doug Gabriel 79 pass from Kerry Collins.
4Q: 13:04 OAK - Herb Mallory extra point.
4Q: 05:10 CIN - Rudi Johnson 5 run.
4Q: 05:10 CIN - Rudi Johnson run for conversion failed.
4Q: 03:43 OAK - Ronald Curry 71 pass from Kerry Collins.
4Q: 03:43 OAK - Kerry Collins pass to LaMont Jordan for conversion
4Q: 02:35 OAK - DeLawrence Grant 38 fumble return.
4Q: 02:35 OAK - Herb Mallory extra point.
Game MVP: OAK 5 Kerry Collins
Oakland 7 0 0 22 - 29
Cincinnati 0 6 7 6 - 19
Team Statistics OAK CIN
First Downs 18 14
Total Rushes 29 23
Rushing Yards 111 67
Yards Per Carry 3.8 2.9
Pass Attempts 29 32
Completions 20 15
Passing Yards 324 193
Yards Per Attempt 11.1 6.0
Sacked 2 2
Yards Lost 10 10
Interceptions 1 2
Fumbles/Lost 2/1 1/1
Total Plays 60 57
Total Yards 425 250
Yards Per Play 7.0 4.3
3rd Down Plays 6/14 4/13
Avg. YTG on 3rd 8.3 7.4
4th Down Plays 0/0 1/1
Penalties 4 2
Penalty Yards 30 10
Avg. Drive Start OWN 27 OWN 33
Time Of Possession 32:04 27:56
Oakland Individual Statistics
Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD
34 Jordan 26 109 4.1 24 0
22 Kuehler 2 4 2.0 2 0
5 Collins 1 -2 -2.0 -2 0
Passing Att Comp Yards Yd/Att Long TD Int Sckd
5 Collins 29 20 324 11.1 79 3 1 2
Receiving Catch Yards Avg YAC Long TD
84 Porter 7 89 12.7 7 16 0
83 Anderson 4 32 8.0 3 10 0
34 Jordan 3 18 6.0 6 8 0
81 Curry 3 87 29.0 50 71 2
85 Gabriel 2 91 45.5 72 79 1
44 Grier 1 7 7.0 0 7 0
Punt Returns Att Yards Avg TD
34 Jordan 1 2 2.0 0
Kick Returns Att Yards Avg TD
27 Washington 3 68 22.6 0
25 Walker 1 18 18.0 0
85 Gabriel 1 17 17.0 0
Punting Punts Yards Avg Long In20
9 Lechler 6 212 35.3 50 1
Kicking FG FGA Long PAT Att
2 Mallory 0 1 0 3 3
Defense Tackle Assist Sack Int IntYds IntTD
55 Clark 9 4 0.0 0 0 0
35 Williams 6 2 0.0 0 0 0
91 Burgess 3 0 2.0 0 0 0
25 Walker 3 1 0.0 0 0 0
45 Robinson 3 1 0.0 0 0 0
58 Rainer 3 0 0.0 0 0 0
95 DeLoach 3 0 0.0 0 0 0
56 Davis 2 1 0.0 0 0 0
21 Asomugha 2 1 0.0 0 0 0
51 Brayton 2 0 0.0 0 0 0
27 Washington 2 0 0.0 0 0 0
30 Schweigert 1 3 0.0 1 18 0
98 Hamilton 1 1 0.0 0 0 0
54 Williams 1 0 0.0 1 10 0
71 Rucker 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
84 Porter 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
59 Grant 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
76 Gallery 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
Miscellaneous Fumb FForc Recov MiscTD KeyRBlk SckAlwd
76 Gallery 0 0 0 0 4 0
68 Williams 0 0 0 0 0 1
62 Treu 0 0 0 0 1 1
67 Stone 0 0 0 0 3 0
59 Grant 0 0 1 1 0 0
84 Porter 1 0 0 0 0 0
34 Jordan 1 0 0 0 0 0
35 Williams 0 1 0 0 0 0
83 Anderson 0 0 1 0 0 0
Cincinnati Individual Statistics
Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD
32 Johnson 19 47 2.4 7 2
26 Perry 3 15 5.0 9 0
9 Palmer 1 5 5.0 5 0
Passing Att Comp Yards Yd/Att Long TD Int Sckd
9 Palmer 32 15 193 6.0 38 0 2 2
Receiving Catch Yards Avg YAC Long TD
85 Johnson 6 107 17.8 13 38 0
82 Kelly 4 24 6.0 5 15 0
84 Bradford 2 41 20.5 5 25 0
88 Wade 2 19 9.5 1 10 0
32 Johnson 1 2 2.0 3 2 0
Punt Returns Att Yards Avg TD
22 Herring 1 -3 -3.0 0
29 Ratliff 1 16 16.0 0
Kick Returns Att Yards Avg TD
36 Rhodes 4 106 26.5 0
Punting Punts Yards Avg Long In20
19 Larson 6 286 47.6 59 3
Kicking FG FGA Long PAT Att
17 Graham 2 2 44 1 1
Defense Tackle Assist Sack Int IntYds IntTD
56 Simmons 7 1 0.0 0 0 0
90 Smith 6 0 2.0 0 0 0
24 O'Neal 6 0 0.0 0 0 0
54 Thurman 5 3 0.0 0 0 0
59 Johnson 5 2 0.0 0 0 0
97 Thornton 4 3 0.0 0 0 0
22 Herring 3 3 0.0 0 0 0
94 Edwards 3 2 0.0 0 0 0
45 Azumah 3 0 0.0 0 0 0
29 Ratliff 2 0 0.0 1 0 0
71 Jasper 1 1 0.0 0 0 0
21 Townsend 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
85 Johnson 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
36 Rhodes 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
87 Washington 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
26 Perry 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
58 Miller 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
39 Earl 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
99 Pollack 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
75 Yamada 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
Miscellaneous Fumb FForc Recov MiscTD KeyRBlk SckAlwd
65 Steinbach 0 0 0 0 1 1
74 Braham 0 0 0 0 0 1
22 Herring 0 0 1 0 0 0
56 Simmons 0 1 0 0 0 0
24 O'Neal 0 1 0 0 0 0
32 Johnson 1 0 0 0 0 0
76 Jones 0 0 0 0 1 0
69 Ghiaciuc 0 0 0 0 1 0
64 Duffy 0 0 0 0 1 0
67 Angel 0 0 0 0 1 0