Dominance in Denver

The Oakland Raiders only needed three quarters to set a franchise record for points scored in Denver today with their 59 point performance. This game is the epitome of what this team is capable of when they are clicking as a unit. The defense was absolutely dominant today in addition, allowing only two back-to-back scoring drives, one to close out the second quarter and the other to open the third quarter.

The Raiders got impressive performances from the highly questioned quarterback, Jason Campbell, and the quarterback of the defense, Rolando McClain. Campbell completed 12 of 20 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns with a QB rating of 127.3. A vast improvement from last week’s 10.7 rating accumulated in San Francisco. Meanwhile, McClain got his first sack of the year coming unblocked and combining with Trevor Scott to take down Kyle Orton. McClain was only credited for one tackle and one assist with a half sack, but he also took on blockers well and batted a few balls, nearly picking one off at the end of the game on a 4^th-and-goal pass attempt from the Broncos.

But without a doubt, the best performance of the day came from returning running back Darren McFadden who had a career day. He would finish with 16 carries for 165 yards and three rushing touchdowns. I hope those of you who fantasy drafted McFadden remember to put him in the starting line-up. McFadden added two catches for 19 and an additional touchdown, giving him four on the day which ties a Raiders’ all-time record for touchdowns in a game.

Teammate Michael Bush also added a rushing touchdown as he ran for 52 yards on 15 carries. Bush also had one catch for 13 yards. Fullback Marcel Reece got seven carries for 39 yards and a touchdown and also had a nice third down conversion catch that went for 19 yards. All told, the Raiders runners combined for 328 rushing yards at a rate of 6.3 yards per carry.

This was truly a complete game, perhaps one of the best in Raiders history, and certainly the best game in the last seven seasons of ineptitude. Sebastian Janikowski set a franchise record with eight extra points and also added one field goal. The defense accumulated a combined four sacks and held the Broncos to 240 total net yards. One of the best passing offenses in the NFL was absolutely shut down today in Denver by a team that seems may have shown a glimpse of their potential.

What did Tom Cable have to say? “We’re not gonna let down, we’re gonna get after this.”

But this win, as impressive as it may have been, won’t mean so much if the Raiders follow it up with their ninth straight loss following a win next week against Seattle at home. That’s why one of the first things out of Cable’s mouth when talking to the media following the game was this statement, “Raider Nation—hear this, we need you in those stands, we need you there to be our twelfth man. We’re doing our part, so come out and support us.”

Cable was referring to next week’s game against the Seahawks…already looking past the win in Denver.

The Raiders improve to 2-0 in the division with this win over the Broncos. The Chiefs also had an impressive win today against the Jacksonville Jaguars 44-20. The San Diego Chargers would lose on a missed field goal late in their game against New England, 23-20, their first home loss this year. The division is within reach of the Raiders as they look towards improving to .500 for the second time this year. Here are the division standings after week 7:

Kansas City Chiefs     4-2 (1-0)

Oakland Raiders        3-4 (2-0)

Denver Broncos         2-5 (0-1)

San Diego Chargers   2-5 (0-1)

Scoring Summary

FIRST QUARTER				OAK	DEN
	TD	10:44	Zach Miller 43 Yd Pass From Jason Campbell (Sebastian Janikowski Kick)	7	0
	TD	10:36	Chris Johnson 30 Yd Interception Return (Sebastian Janikowski Kick)	14	0
	TD	08:58	Darren McFadden 4 Yd Run (Sebastian Janikowski Kick)	21	0
	FG	04:20	Sebastian Janikowski 31 Yd	24	0
SECOND QUARTER				OAK	DEN
	TD	14:36	Darren McFadden 19 Yd Pass From Jason Campbell (Sebastian Janikowski Kick)	31	0
	TD	07:58	Darren McFadden 4 Yd Run (Sebastian Janikowski Kick)	38	0
	TD	01:56	Knowshon Moreno 7 Yd Pass From Kyle Orton (Matt Prater Kick)	38	7
THIRD QUARTER				OAK	DEN
	TD	13:34	Knowshon Moreno 27 Yd Pass From Kyle Orton (Matt Prater Kick)	38	14
	TD	07:33	Marcel Reece 1 Yd Run (Sebastian Janikowski Kick)	45	14
	TD	05:28	Darren McFadden 57 Yd Run (Sebastian Janikowski Kick)	52	14
	TD	00:27	Michael Bush 1 Yd Run (Sebastian Janikowski Kick)	59	14

Team Stat Comparison

	OAK	DEN
1st Downs	29	11
Passing 1st downs	9	7
Rushing 1st downs	18	2
1st downs from Penalties	2	2
3rd down efficiency	6-13	2-11
4th down efficiency	1-1	0-2
Total Plays	74	50
Total Yards	508	240
Passing	180	165
Comp-Att	12-20	12-29
Yards per pass	9.0	5.7
Rushing	328	75
Rushing Attempts	52	17
Yards per rush	6.3	4.4
Red Zone (Made-Att)	5-6	1-2
Penalties	10-94	5-64
Turnovers	0	3
Fumbles lost	0	2
Interceptions thrown	0	1
Defensive / Special Teams TDs	1	0
Possession	38:40	21:20

Also see: First Half Recap

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