Oakland rushes 26 times for only 46 yards against Broncos as Jordan
gains 12, Fargas -6 yards
By PHIL BARBER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
OAKLAND - All week long, the Raiders talked about the need to establish
a running game. LaMont Jordan said it, fellow halfback Justin Fargas
seconded it, some of the offensive linemen joined the chorus and coach
Art Shell gave the notion his stamp of approval.
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So what happened at McAfee Coliseum? Twenty-six carries for 46 yards, an
anemic average of 1.8 yards per attempt. The yardage and average both
were the team's second lowest of the season.
"It hurts," Shell said afterward. "Get on your guy, stay on your guy and
the back will have a crack someplace."
Sunday, those cracks rarely materialized. Jordan and Fargas were
supposed to be a solid one-two punch for the Raiders, but Jordan ran for
12 yards on 10 carries, and Fargas had a putrid minus- 6 on eight
carries. The only running play that worked was the short inside handoff
to fullback Zack Crockett, who had 40 yards on seven attempts. But even
that play saw diminishing returns as Denver began to expect it.
The Broncos entered the game ranked sixth in the NFL against the rush,
and did nothing to tarnish their reputation - despite not having
first-team defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban and linebacker Ian Gold.
"Gotta take your hat off to that D," Fargas said. "They played really
tough, even without Ian Gold. But I think it's really more about us, not
what the defense does. ... And tonight, we didn't get it done."
AND GROVE, TOO
The Raiders came into the game missing the left side of their offensive
line. Left guard Barry Sims is out with an abdominal strain, and left
tackle Robert Gallery went down with a groin strain late in the week.
Neither was active for the Broncos game.
And if that wasn't bad enough, center Jake Grove hyperextended his left
elbow in the first quarter. "I came out, got it taped up, and then I was
able to play pretty good," Grove said. "But it just kept getting worse
and worse. I couldn't block to my left very good, so just had to come out."
Grove finally departed for good in the fourth quarter. Veteran Adam Treu
replaced him on each occasion.
WILLIAMS UP, ANDERSON DOWN
Randal Williams has been a surprisingly significant player for the
Raiders this season. He has played a lot in two-tight-end sets, and
lately had been rotating fairly evenly with starter Courtney Anderson.
Sunday, Williams was the main man. He played most of the game, with
Anderson getting the backup work.
Williams led all Raiders receivers with five catches for 61 yards, both
career highs. He left before the end of the game, though, when he began
to cramp. Anderson did not catch a pass.
PUNTER WITH PRECISION
Everyone knows Shane Lechler can punt the ball about as far as anyone in
the game. The two-time Pro Bowl selection also knows how to get it done
with touch when necessary. Lechler is adept at putting a backspin on his
punts when he wants them downed inside the 10-yard line, and he was at
his best Sunday.
He had two punts downed at the Denver 2, and just missed a third that
was ruled to have crossed the goal line after Jarrod Cooper tapped it
out of the end zone. On replays, it was hard to see that the ball
touched any white chalk.
"It just barely hit," Cooper said. "It might have been an inch over. But
it was a good call."
EXTRA POINTS
Sebastian Janikowski tied his own team record with a 55-yard field goal
in the second quarter. Janikowski also hit a 20-yarder, though he missed
wide right from 51 yards.
After failing to get an interception in his first 20 NFL games (and 15
starts), CB Fabian Washington now has three in his past three games.
The Raiders had only three penalties for 25 yards, both season lows.
The Broncos' 63 rushing yards were the second-fewest allowed by the
Oakland defense this season, and their 2.4-yard average was the Raiders'
best yield.
Not a single pass went to WR Jerry Porter.
Denver WR Rod Smith raised his career totals to 104 receptions for 1,342
yards against the Raiders, both records for an Oakland opponent.
The Raiders had exactly 244 yards of offense in both games against
Denver this season.
