Raiders stun Broncos, 20-19

The Oakland Raiders used another fourth quarter comeback to pull off yet another upset in a 20-19 win over the Denver Broncos.

Despite the absence of quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, the Raiders still managed to keep things close, putting them in the position to try and pull off the upset at the end.

Oakland launched the game-winning drive led by JaMarcus Russell of all people, as starting quarterback Charlie Frye had to be removed from the game due to a concussion.

Russell showed why the Raiders made him the No. 1 overall pick, as he marched Oakland down the field and converted on a number of pivotal third downs during the drive.

This Oakland team is the hardest to figure out in the NFL. They have beaten then the Broncos and Steelers on the road and also knocked off the Eagles and Bengals. If they could just beat the bad teams, who knows where they would be.

Saturday, December 26, 2009 at 9:49 am by steve

Raiders fall to Redskins, 34-13

The Oakland Raiders returned to their normal selves in a 34-13 loss to the Washington Redskins.

Quarterback Bruce Gradkowski was knocked out of the game in the first quarter, and with him any hopes for an Oakland win.

Oakland’s defense picked up where it left off last week, surrending a lot of yards to a weak Redskins offense.

The Raiders are going to need to address the defensive side of the ball in the offseason and find some players who can get stops.

Maybe Oakland was still riding high after last week’s win, but they should have come more focused and prepared to play Sunday.

Friday, December 18, 2009 at 5:50 pm by steve

Raiders shock Steelers, 27-24

The Oakland Raiders pulled off their biggest win of the season with a stunning, 27-24 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Raiders held the lead for much of the game until the fourth quarter, when the lead continued to exchange hands.

The Raiders gave up the go-ahead touchdown with just under two minutes to play, and it seemed like all upset hopes were gone.

However, quarterback Bruce Gradkowski marched the Raiders down the field and threw the game-winning touchdown pass with nine seconds remaining.

Gradkowski, a Pittsburgh native, threw for nearly 200 yards and three touchdowns in the decisive fourth quarter.

Friday, December 11, 2009 at 4:08 pm by steve

Raiders Assistant Hanson Returns to Team

Former Raiders defensive assistant Randy Hanson, who was involved in an altercation with head coach Tom Cable in training camp earlier this season, recently returned to work in Oakland’s personnel department.

Hanson accused Cable of assaulting him and breaking his jaw during an altercation that erupted during a meeting in training camp.

Hanson initially resisted police help, but quickly turned a new leaf after consulting with a legal team.

But Cable was cleared of all charges, as Napa County District Attorney Gary Lieberstein refused to press charges against Cable, saying that Hanson’s allegations could not be corroborated with the accounts of other coaches who were present in the room at the time.

Hanson returned to work on Wednesday to the surprise of coach Cable, who didn’t know that Hanson would be returning.

“Sure, but right now my focus is this football team,” Cable said. “That’s behind us and we’re moving forward.”

Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 10:14 pm by bryan

Miracle on Turf? Raiders Shock Steelers, 27-24

The Oakland Raiders have suddenly started looking like a legitimate football team, at the same time the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers have fallen into a slump that could cost them the playoffs.

Raiders QB Bruce Gradkowski tossed three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to lead a huge upset over the Steelers, as the Raiders won 27-24 on Sunday.

Last season in a game against the Steelers, Gradkowski posted a 1.0 QB rating (if a QB throws every pass straight into the ground, incomplete, he gets a passer rating above a 35). This year? Gradkowski finished 20-of-33 for 308 yards and three TDs, the last an 11-yard strike to Louis Murphy with nine seconds left in the game.

“Our receivers coach [Sanjay Lal] gave us a message, and he brought up the Miracle on Ice, Buster Douglas knocking out [Mike] Tyson, and things that were just unbelievable but the people that did it believed they could,” wide receiver Todd Watkins said.

With the teams’ defenses dominating for three quarters, the fourth quarter quickly evolved into an offensive shootout, with the lead changing hands five times on five touchdowns.

“That was so exciting, I can’t even put into words how I feel,” said Gradkowski.

The Raiders have now moved themselves to a semi-respectable 4-8, also meaning they’re likely to not have one of the top five draft picks in the 2010 NFL draft.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 12:17 am by bryan

Raiders fall to Cowboys, 24-7

The Oakland Raiders didn’t have much to be thankful for this year after a 24-7 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Oakland’s defense put forth a strong effort in the early going but simply wore down as the game progressed.

They didn’t get any help from an anemic offense that managed to put together just one scoring drive.

Running back Justin Fargas finished with 64 yards but was effective early in the game. The team eventually had to abandon the run because of the growing deficit.

The lone bit of good news is that the Raiders ran the ball effectively and tight end Zach Miller is once again a bigger part of the offense.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 7:21 pm by steve

Raiders Trounced by Cowboys on Thanksgiving, 24-7

Well, JaMarcus Russell wasn’t necessarily the problem.

A week after shocking the Cincinnati Bengals with a 20-17 upset, the Raiders were back to being…well,, the Raiders, as they were smacked around by the Cowboys on Thanksgiving 24-7.

“Trying to win two games for us has been like trying to climb Mount Everest,” cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. “We haven’t been able to get any momentum going.”

No momentum sums up this game for the Raiders pretty well. QB Bruce Gradkowski never got anything consistently humming in the Raiders’ offense, as he finished 18-of-35 for 200 yards, with one touchdown. Meanwhile, the Cowboys were busy racking up nearly 500 yards of total offense and picking apart the Raiders’ defense any way they imagined.

“There were plays out there to be made early on. We didn’t make them,” Gradkowski said. “I take the blame. I missed a couple early throws on that would have given our team energy.”

The ‘Boys torched the Raiders D, with five plays of over 40 yards, and eight plays that went at least 25 yards.

The only positive that a Raiders fan could find in this game: WR Darrius Heyward-Bay made his first TD grab of the season, proving that the Raiders didn’t completely waste a draft pick on him. (Granted, Michael Crabtree had already made his first TD grab and had sat out for the first half of the season in a holdout, so the pick still looks questionable at best.)

Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 11:08 pm by bryan