OAKLAND, Calif. — Lane Kiffin showed he's a quick learner at NFL
coaching strategy.
A week after a late timeout wiped out Sebastian Janikowski's
game-winning kick for Oakland, Kiffin successfully used the same
strategy to help the Raiders beat the Cleveland Browns 26-24 Sunday when
Tommy Kelly blocked Phil Dawson's last-second field goal attempt.
Derek Anderson had driven the Browns (1-2) from their own 9 to the
Oakland 23 in the final 1:04 without a timeout to set up Dawson's
40-yard try. Right before the snap, Kiffin called timeout just as Denver
coach Mike Shanahan did to him a week ago in the Broncos' 23-20 overtime
win.
Like Janikowski a week ago, Dawson split the uprights with the kick that
did not count. His attempt when it did was low and blocked by Kelly,
setting off a midfield celebration by the Raiders following their first
win since last Oct. 29 against Pittsburgh. Kiffin, the NFL's youngest
coach in more than four decades at age 32, got his first win.
LaMont Jordan ran for 121 yards and a go-ahead touchdown late in the third
quarter after Daunte Culpepper relieved an injured Josh McCown to lead
the Raiders (1-2). McCown threw a 41-yard TD pass to Ronald Curry in the
first half and Janikowski made all four field goal attempts after
missing four the first two weeks -- including last week's potential
game-winner from 52 yards after Shanahan's timely timeout.
The late-game dramatics overshadowed another big performance by Jordan,
who has 350 yards rushing after three games. He carried nine times on an
80-yard drive after Cleveland had taken the lead, and put Oakland back
on top 23-17 with a 1-yard run with 10 seconds left in the third quarter.
Jordan also scampered 27 yards on a screen pass on third-and-23 to set
up Janikowski's 48-yard field goal that made it 26-17 midway through the
fourth.
The Raiders defense made Anderson look ordinary a week after tying a
team record with five TD passes in a 51-45 win over Cincinnati. Anderson
was intercepted twice in the first half and finished 18-for-37 for 248
yards and a touchdown. He also scored on a 1-yard run with 3:33
remaining to cut Oakland's lead to 26-24.
The Browns, who trailed 16-0 late in the first half, took the lead
midway through the third quarter when they capitalized on a fumble by
Mike Williams. The turnover gave Cleveland the ball at its 48, and four
plays later Anderson hit Braylon Edwards on a 21-yard score that made it
17-16.
Culpepper then led a methodical 15-play drive that included a 3-yard run
by Jordan on fourth-and-1. Culpepper completed both his passes on the
drive and drew penalties on two more throws.
The Raiders fans made their preference for Culpepper to start at
quarterback known, booing McCown after he was sacked on the first play
and cheering when he left for one play late in the first quarter after
getting nicked up. Culpepper was greeted with a standing ovation before
throwing a 5-yard pass to Jordan that did not gain enough for a first
down. Janikowski followed with a 32-yard field goal for the first score
of the game.
McCown finished the first half but was replaced by Culpepper in the
second half because of a sore left foot.
The Raiders controlled most of the first half, turning a pair of
interceptions by Anderson into short field goals by Janikowski and
getting the long TD from McCown to Curry on third-and-inches.
But just when it seemed as if the Raiders would take a 16-0 lead into
halftime, Joshua Cribbs returned a kick 99 yards for a score. Simon
Fraser recovered a botched handoff between McCown and Jordan on
Oakland's first play from scrimmage after the score, setting up a
23-yard field goal by Dawson with 11 seconds left in the half that made
it 16-10.
