David White,Tom FitzGerald, Chronicle Staff Writer
Oakland -- Running back Justin Fargas broke the 1,000-yard mark for the
first time in his career. His reward: a trip to the trainer's table with
a potentially season-ending knee injury.
Fargas said he sprained right knee ligaments during Sunday's 21-14 loss
to the Colts, though coach Lane Kiffin feared it was a much more serious
ACL injury.
What isn't up for dispute is Fargas' rushing total for the season,
whether he plays in the final two games or not: 1,009 yards on 222
carries, making him the ninth different Raiders running back to reach
the four-digit milestone - and only the second in seven years.
"Definitely, it's a good accomplishment," said Fargas, who didn't start
until the seventh game of the season. "It's something as a runner you
shoot for, but it's more of a tribute to our offense and our guys up front."
None of their work would matter if Fargas weren't such a physical and
tireless runner. His trademarks - bursting through a hole and taking
tackles head-on - showed throughout his 26 carries for 89 yards Sunday.
Fargas' final plays of the game defined his entire season. He was
injured early in the fourth quarter on a tackle to his knee. Instead of
leaving the game, Fargas stayed in for the final four snaps of the drive
and scored on a 2-yard run inside right tackle for a 14-13 Raiders lead.
"I was thinking about (coming out), but I could smell the end zone,"
Fargas said. "We had a good drive going and I didn't want to quit on it."
Fargas sprained his left knee as a rookie in 2003 and was put on the
injured-reserve list. He doesn't know if he'll return for Sunday's game
at Jacksonville.
"It should have been a good day for him, going over 1,000 yards," Kiffin
said. "He scored his last touchdown on an ACL (injury). Kind of shows
you who that guy is."
Rhodes in relief: Fargas was replaced by Dominic Rhodes, who was the
Colts' top rusher in their Super Bowl win over the Bears in February.
He had four carries for 18 yards before Fargas was hurt, and finished
with seven rushes for 41 yards and two catches for 9 yards.
"It was exciting to get that opportunity against my old family," Rhodes
said. "I call them my family because I was with them six years."
Rhodes was kicking himself that he didn't score with just less than
three minutes left when he broke free around the right side. Free safety
Matt Giordano, who played at Cal, stopped him at the Colts' 17 after a
19-yard gain.
"I should have scored - that's all I know," Rhodes said.
Howard picks up pace: Outside linebacker Thomas Howard got his team-high
sixth interception of the season, making him the first NFL linebacker
with that many since the Ravens' Ray Lewis had six in 2003.
Howard is two shy of the linebacker record set by the Colts' Stan White
in 1975. Howard had a 1-yard return, giving him 172 yards this season -
second-most in modern NFL history to Tampa Bay's Derrick Brooks (218 in
2002).
Another breakdown: The Raiders gave up a punt-return touchdown for the
second straight game, something they hadn't happened since they entered
the NFL in 1970.
T.J. Rushing was untouched on his 90-yard score, racing past diving
punter Shane Lechler at the Raiders' 40. No one had scored on a punt
return against Oakland in Lechler's eight seasons until now.
Kiffin has to watch the video to see who blew the assignment, but he did
take an unsolicited dig at the previous Sunday's 57-yard touchdown by
Green Bay's Will Blackmon, saying Jon Alston was clipped.
In the bullpen: Quarterback Josh McCown wished he were somewhere else
when rookie JaMarcus Russell played the first three series of the third
quarter.
"It'd be a lot nicer if this was happening in Arizona or someplace a
little warmer," McCown joked about standing in the cold.
Then, he threw out a baseball analogy when asked what it's like to take
a temporary seat to Russell.
"It's very rare you get a chance to be a starter and a closer," he said.
No rush: The Raiders' defense got penalized twice when the Colts
quick-snapped Oakland - once for having 12 men on the field and once
when defensive tackle Terdell Sands didn't get across the line of
scrimmage in time.
The latter penalty gave the Colts a 3rd-and-1, setting up a first-down
run, followed by a 20-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Gonzalez for a
21-14 lead.
Asked if the quick snap was by design, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning
said: "That would be correct."
Briefly: Chris Carr started at free safety and split time with Hiram
Eugene. ... Rookie Johnnie Lee Higgins made his first start when the
Raiders opened with a three-receiver set. ... Wide receiver Chris McFoy
was added to the 53-man roster and lined up several times. He replaced
safety Jarrod Cooper, who had season-ending knee surgery three weeks ago
and finally was put on the injured-reserve list. ... The inactive list
included running back LaMont Jordan, quarterback Daunte Culpepper (quad)
and punt returner Tim Dwight (hamstring).
