Vs.
By Scary Barry Rodriguez October 7, 2013
Oakland , Ca - In a Sunday of upsets the Oakland
Raiders didn't disappoint their fans. The San Diego Chargers and Phillip Rivers
were on the roll coming into this contest but the upstart Raiders led by
Terrelle Pryor were more than their match. It didn't take long for Oakland's
offense to get on the board. Early in the first quarter Pryor hit Rod Streater
with a 44 yard touchdown strike. The Raider defense played strong and Oakland
scored again on a 5 yard Pryor pass to Denarius Moore for another touchdown.
The Chargers were down fourteen points in the first quarter.
San Diego moved the ball through the air but was shutdown on the ground. Going into the second quarter they hadn't scored a point. The Raiders added a 47 yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski to put the score at 17-0 in favor of Oakland at the half. Up to this point in the game Pryor had shown remarkable poise. The defense had Rivers rattled when it counted on third down plays. LBs Kevin Burnett and Nick Roach limited the Charger rushing attack and the corners didn't allow any big plays.
The second half was the story of a Charger resurgence that fell short due to the clutch play of the Raider defense and the no turn over play of their offense. Oakland safety Usama Young caused Danny Woodhead of the Bolts to fumble . Charles Woodson recovered the fumble and returned it 25 yards for a Raider Touchdown. San Diego had scored earlier in the third quarter on a Nick Novak 35 yard field goal. San Diego towards the end of the quarter went on an extended drive.
As the fourth quarter started the score was 24- 3 in favor of Oakland. Then the Chargers scored on a 5 yard pass from Rivers to Danny Woodhead to close the score to 24-10 . The Charger defense held the Raiders in check and the Bolts scored again on a Rivers to Keenan Allen pass from 7 yards out. This reduced the Oakland lead even more to 24-17. The momentum was with San Diego Chargers at this point in the fourth quarter. The thought crossed my mind that Oakland could once again pull an El Foldo and snatch defeat from the jaws of certain victory.
Fortunately for the Raider fans it was not to be. The Oakland offense led by Pryor managed to string some first downs together when it counted. On one third and fourteen play , Pryor scrambled away from the Charger rush and on the run hit a receiver for a 20 yard gain. This was a crucial play. It eventually led to a 50 yard field goal by Janikowski that put the score at 27-17. The Charger's backs were up against the wall !
With four minutes and change left in the game Rivers directed San Diego on another drive. With under two minutes left in the game the Chargers were deep in Oakland territory poised to score again. Then the Raider defense came up with a clutch play to put the game out of reach. Rookie corner D. J. Hayden stepped in front of a San Diego receiver and made a game clinching interception. Then it was just a matter of the Oakland offense running out the game clock.
This game for the Raiders early in the 2013 season represented the realization of the different working parts of the team coming together for a complete team victory ! The offense didn't turn over the ball while the defense caused four turn overs by the San Diego Chargers. Usama Young, Charles Woodson and D.J. Hayden , each had an interception apiece. The Chargers were held to only 32 yards rushing !
Even though Phillip Rivers amassed 411 passing yards , going 36/49 and 2 Tds , this couldn't overcome the three interceptions and 1 fumble. By contrast Terrelle Pryor , in only his fifth NFL start had no turnovers . He went 18/23 for 221 yards and 2 TDs. He did enough to win , without hurting his team. He has improved every game. This game was a glimpse of the future for the Oakland Raiders. Their record now is 2 and 3 . Meanwhile the San Diego Chargers are having an identity crisis. Are they pretenders or contenders ? Only time will tell !
Next the Oakland Raiders travel to the unfriendly confines of Arrowhead stadium to play the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. It doesn't get any easier from this point on. Many good teams in trouble are on the Raider's upcoming schedule after the Chief's game. To mention a few , the Pittsburgh Steelers , Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants. These teams are looking to get back on the track. This presents an opportunity for the Raiders and at the same time a possible disadvantage ! It makes the Scary one glad that he is not a rookie head coach like Dennis Allen !
San Diego moved the ball through the air but was shutdown on the ground. Going into the second quarter they hadn't scored a point. The Raiders added a 47 yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski to put the score at 17-0 in favor of Oakland at the half. Up to this point in the game Pryor had shown remarkable poise. The defense had Rivers rattled when it counted on third down plays. LBs Kevin Burnett and Nick Roach limited the Charger rushing attack and the corners didn't allow any big plays.
The second half was the story of a Charger resurgence that fell short due to the clutch play of the Raider defense and the no turn over play of their offense. Oakland safety Usama Young caused Danny Woodhead of the Bolts to fumble . Charles Woodson recovered the fumble and returned it 25 yards for a Raider Touchdown. San Diego had scored earlier in the third quarter on a Nick Novak 35 yard field goal. San Diego towards the end of the quarter went on an extended drive.
As the fourth quarter started the score was 24- 3 in favor of Oakland. Then the Chargers scored on a 5 yard pass from Rivers to Danny Woodhead to close the score to 24-10 . The Charger defense held the Raiders in check and the Bolts scored again on a Rivers to Keenan Allen pass from 7 yards out. This reduced the Oakland lead even more to 24-17. The momentum was with San Diego Chargers at this point in the fourth quarter. The thought crossed my mind that Oakland could once again pull an El Foldo and snatch defeat from the jaws of certain victory.
Fortunately for the Raider fans it was not to be. The Oakland offense led by Pryor managed to string some first downs together when it counted. On one third and fourteen play , Pryor scrambled away from the Charger rush and on the run hit a receiver for a 20 yard gain. This was a crucial play. It eventually led to a 50 yard field goal by Janikowski that put the score at 27-17. The Charger's backs were up against the wall !
With four minutes and change left in the game Rivers directed San Diego on another drive. With under two minutes left in the game the Chargers were deep in Oakland territory poised to score again. Then the Raider defense came up with a clutch play to put the game out of reach. Rookie corner D. J. Hayden stepped in front of a San Diego receiver and made a game clinching interception. Then it was just a matter of the Oakland offense running out the game clock.
This game for the Raiders early in the 2013 season represented the realization of the different working parts of the team coming together for a complete team victory ! The offense didn't turn over the ball while the defense caused four turn overs by the San Diego Chargers. Usama Young, Charles Woodson and D.J. Hayden , each had an interception apiece. The Chargers were held to only 32 yards rushing !
Even though Phillip Rivers amassed 411 passing yards , going 36/49 and 2 Tds , this couldn't overcome the three interceptions and 1 fumble. By contrast Terrelle Pryor , in only his fifth NFL start had no turnovers . He went 18/23 for 221 yards and 2 TDs. He did enough to win , without hurting his team. He has improved every game. This game was a glimpse of the future for the Oakland Raiders. Their record now is 2 and 3 . Meanwhile the San Diego Chargers are having an identity crisis. Are they pretenders or contenders ? Only time will tell !
Next the Oakland Raiders travel to the unfriendly confines of Arrowhead stadium to play the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. It doesn't get any easier from this point on. Many good teams in trouble are on the Raider's upcoming schedule after the Chief's game. To mention a few , the Pittsburgh Steelers , Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants. These teams are looking to get back on the track. This presents an opportunity for the Raiders and at the same time a possible disadvantage ! It makes the Scary one glad that he is not a rookie head coach like Dennis Allen !
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