The Raiders jumped to an early lead on the Philadelphia Eagles, carried
it into the second half and held on for an improbable 13-9 victory in
front of a half-empty Coliseum on Sunday.
The Eagles' final gasp came on a fourth-and-4 play from the Raiders
43-yard line with 2 minutes, 21 seconds left in the game.
A pass from Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb short-hopped wide receiver
DeSean Jackson, and the Raiders took over on downs. The Raiders ran out
the clock for their second victory of the season.
The Raiders grounded the Eagles' high-flying offense by throwing an
array of blitzes at McNabb and daring him to find open receivers in less
time than he is accustomed to receiving.
The Raiders turned the tables on an Eagles team that blitzed more often
than any other team through the first five weeks.
Oakland defensive coordinator John Marshall dialed up seemingly more
blitzes Sunday than he did the first five games, when the Raiders were
the team that blitzed less often than any other team. They blitzed
McNabb time and again, with great results.
Defensive end Trevor Scott and defensive lineman Richard Seymour
recorded two sacks each in the first half. McNabb never settled into a
rhythm and rushed most of his passes. The Raiders notched six sacks overall.
Few gave the 1-4 Raiders a chance at upsetting the 3-1 Eagles. Yet, it
was the Raiders who dictated the tempo from the outset.
Fans booed quarterback JaMarcus Russell and the Raiders three plays into
the game after the offense failed to get a first down.
Russell turned those boos to cheers late in the first quarter when he
connected with tight end Zach Miller on a short pass that Miller turned
into an 86-yard catch-and-run play for a touchdown.
Rookie wide receiver Louis Murphy made the last half of the play
possible by, first, flattening Eagles safety Quintin Mikell, and then
obstructing cornerback Ellis Hobbs as Miller negotiated his way down the
right sideline and into the end zone.
The Raiders tacked on a field goal midway through the second quarter and
entered the locker room leading 10-6.
Philadelphia's lone first-half points came on field goals on drives
after interceptions of Russell.
The first interception came on a high pass for Murphy that hit off
Murphy's hands and into the hands of Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel.
Russell overthrew Miller on a seam route on a pass that Mikell snagged
without difficulty.
The Raiders squandered a golden opportunity to blow open the game midway
through the third quarter.
Russell sold the Eagles on a run on a fourth-and-one play from the
Eagles 40-yard line. Murphy sprinted past an Eagles defender and into
the open at the 15.
Russell failed to spot Murphy right away. However, he still had time to
get the ball to Murphy in plenty of time but his eventual throw
short-hopped Murphy, and the Eagles took possession.
In all, this counts as an impressive effort from a Raiders team that
allowed 96 points the three games before Sunday's contest and scored
only 16 in three straight lopsided defeats.
The Eagles entered the game 3-1, with the second-highest-scoring offense
and the third ranked defense in terms of average yards allowed.
The Raiders surpassed the 200-yard mark offensively for the first time
in five games. They amassed more yards by halftime, 198, than they did
in any of those four outings.
Russell completed a high percentage of his passes, and running back
Justin Fargas jump-started a running game that sputtered in recent games.
