NFL 2013 Week 5 Recap
Here is the NFL 2013 Week 5 Recap.
Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns was the Thursday night game. These teams have been bad for so long but have been revitalized in 2013 thanks to quarterbacks EJ Manuel and Brian Hoyer. Yet while this was a fine football game, injuries to both quarterbacks in this game led backups Tuel and Brandon Weeden to finish things.
Fred Jackson ran it in from one yard out and Dan Carpenter kicked a 52 yard field goal to make it 10-0 Bills after the first quarter. Hoyer was knocked out with Cleveland trailing 7-0 and Weeden played the rest of the way.
In the second quarter the game turned as Billy Cundiff kicked a 30 yard field goal and former Bills running back Willis McGahee ran it in from one yard out to tie things for the Browns. Benjamin returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown to give the Browns a 17-10 lead going into the locker rooms.
In the third quarter the game changed again as CJ Spiller broke off a 54 yard touchdown run to tie the game. Manuel then got knocked out and Tuel came in with Buffalo driving. Jackson again ran it in from one yard out as it was the Bills in the lead again 24-17. Weeden came back with a 37 yard touchdown pass to Gordon to tie the game for the third time 24-24 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter Cleveland took the lead but could not put the game out of reach as they had to settle for Billy Cundiff field goals of 24 and 44 yards to lead 30-24 with 2 minutes left. Buffalo had good field position and a chance to drive for the win, but from the Buffalo 40, Tuel was intercepted by Ward. Ward took it 44 yards for the clinching touchdown. Cleveland has now won three straight games, but both of these teams are concerned about losing their quarterbacks. 37-24 Browns
Kansas City Chiefs at Tennessee Titans—Kansas City is 4-0, and giving them free points is not a way to win. The Titans did not have one turnover in their first 4 games in building a 3-1 record. The Titans fumble a punt, the Chiefs recover in the end zone, and just like that Kansas City leads 7-0, making Andy Reid a very happy Walrus Lite. Reid still needs to win a Super Bowl to get upgraded to full walrus status.
Alex Smith, like every NFL quarterback, hates being called a “game manager.” Yet that is exactly what a quarterback is supposed to do in Andy Reid’s West Coast Offense. Smith led the Chiefs to a 29 yard Ryan Succup field goal. Then Smith led a 94 yard drive but the Chiefs had to settle for a 25 yard Succup field goal. The offense has 0 touchdowns, but Smith has not made mistakes as dinking and dunking and defense had the Chiefs up 13-0 at the half over a good Titans team.
With Jake Locker out, Ryan Fitzpatrick could not get anything going. Yet a 2 yard dumpoff pass to Chris Johnson went for a 49 yard touchdown as the Titans got to within 13-7 of the Chiefs early in the third quarter. Fitzpatrick led the Titans to the Chiefs 5 yard line but they settled for a 22 yard Rob Bironas field goal. Fitzpatrick brought the Titans back again with a short field at the Chiefs 42. Fitzpatrick ran it in from 9 yards out as the Titans had a 17-13 lead early in the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs fought back as a 66 yard drive saw Jamal Charles crash in from one yard out to put the Chiefs back on top 20-17. Succop added a 33 yard field goal to make it 23-17 Chiefs. With 2 1/2 minutes to go from their own 39, Fitzpatrick was intercepted.
A fourth field goal by Ryan Succop puts the game out of reach with 90 seconds left as the Chiefs beat the Titans 26-17 in a hard fought physical game that saw the Chiefs lead 13-0, trail 17-13, and get 13 more points. Andy Reid and the Chiefs are 5-0 only one year after going 2-14. Reid is already on his way to being coach Walrus Lite of the year.
Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins —Baltimore is struggling on offense but an early field goal put them up 3-0. Justin Tucker’s 42 yarded was answered by Sturgis with a 37 yarded as the game was tied 3-3 after the first quarter. The second quarter was instead replay as Tucker hit from 50 and Sturgis from 25 in a 6-6 slugfest. Just before the half Ryan Tannehill hit Clay for a 9 yard score as the Dolphins led 13-6 at the break.
For some reason the Ravens have struggled all year on offense, especially in the first half. Yet in the third quarter Ray Rice ran it in from 2 yards out to cap an 80 yard drive and tie the game against the Dolphins 13-13.
Baltimore got it back and drove 73 yards in 11 plays and 5 1/2 minutes, but this time had to settle for a 25 yard Tucker field goal and a 16-13 lead. Baltimore got it back and Joe Flacco led them 94 yards in 11 plays and 5 1/2 minutes. Rice got the 3 yard touchdown as the Ravens led 23-13 early in the fourth quarter.
Yet Miami changed momentum of the game again as Sturgis hit a 48 yard field goal to get the Dolphins within 23-16. With 8 1/2 minutes left the Ravens faced 3rd and 22 from their own 9. Flacco was intercepted by Jones, who returned it 25 yards for the tying touchdown.
After an exchange of punts, Baltimore took over at their own 40 with 4 minutes left. Flacco hit Torrey Smith for a 14 yard gain and Ray Rice ran for the rest. On 3rd and 2 from the Miami 27, the Ravens fail to convert. The Ravens on 4th and 1 decided to go for the field goal but 1:47 still remained Miami was out of timeouts, and Justin Tucker hit from 44 to give the Ravens the lead.
With 90 seconds left the Dolphins had 4th and 10 at their own 20. Tannehill scrambled and throws a Hail Mary that was caught for a 46 yard gain with one minute left. Tannehill was then sacked to set up 4th and 15. A 57 yard field goal try by Sturgis was no good as the Ravens hung on for the tough win. 26-23 Ravens
Jacksonville Jaguars at St. Louis Rams —The Jaguars have been by far the worst team in football. Yet their top player Justin Blackmon was suspended for a violation of NFL rules. Blackmon is back, and a 67 yard touchdown has Jacksonville leading the Rams 7-0 on the road. Jacksonville led Indy 3-0 before losing a tough one 37-3. Their 7-0 lead over the Rams evaporated as a tie 7-7 game would see if Jacksonville can muster more than one score in this game. Blaine Gabbert has thrown one touchdown pass to each team, the 67 yarder to Blackmon and an 82 yard interception return to Matt Giordano as the Rams tied the game 7-7 without a lick of offense.
Josh Scobee would kick a 48 yard field goal to make it 10-7 Jaguars. In a stunning turn of events, the 10-7 Jaguars lead did not hold as the Rams lead 24-10 at halftime. Greg Zeurlein hit the tying field goal in the second quarter from 32 yards out. Then Jacksonville quickly turned it over. One play and 8 seconds later, Sam Bradford hit Kendricks for a 16 yard touchdown. Bradford then had a much longer drive of 12 plays, 90 yards and 5 minutes as a 4 yarded to Pettis had the Rams cruising at the break. Rarely does one say it with an entire half of football, but that game was over.
In the third quarter the Jaguars kicked a field goal and the Rams added one of their own in the fourth quarter. Chad Henne replaced a dreadful Blaine Gabbert and led the Jaguars 80 yards in 12 plays. A 4 yard touchdown pass to Cecil Shorts only had the Jaguars down 27-20.
Yet Sam Bradford had a great day against football’s worst team with three touchdown passes and 0 interceptions. Bradford found Pettis for a 31 yard touchdown to lock up the win and send the winless Jaguars to only 11 games short of 0-16 and Jadavean Clowney. 34-20 Rams
New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals — Tom Brady was getting belted early on while Red Rifle Andy Dalton threw a red zone interception in a game that was scoreless after the first quarter. The Bengals kicked a field goal and should have taken the lead into the locker rooms. Yet they got way too conservative right before the end of the half, giving Brady one last chance. That was enough for Stephen Gostkowski to hit the tying 42 yard field goal.
In the third quarter the Bengals started inside their own 10 but Dalton led them to a 51 yard Mike Nugent field goal. With 10 minutes left in regulation the Bengals were clinging to a 6-3 lead over the Patriots. Cincy had the ball 3rd and goal inches from the goal line. Benjarvus Green-Ellis, the “Law Firm” used to run for the Patriots but is now with the Bengals. So a touchdown in a win would be extra sweet for him. Yet two carries from the one did not get in as the Bengals prepared for the most critical play of the game. After taking a timeout, the Bengals commit a killer false start penalty. This is an example of why the Bengals do not get to the elite level of the Patriots.
The draw play by Andy Dalton sets up 4th and goal at the 1 and Marvin lewis is going for it. A field goal leaves it open for Tom Brady to throw the winning touchdown pass. This time the Law Firm crashes in and the Bengals had a crucial 13-3 lead.
Tom Brady brought the Patriots right back, as New England avoided a fumble and got to a critical 3rd and goal from the 2. Brady went to Edelman, but he could not hang on. Bill Bellichick decided to kick the field goal as the Patriots still trail 13-6 with 6 1/2 minutes to play. Bellichick made the right call since the ball was on the 2 and not the 1. Cincinnati is a young team and now we see if Dalton can lead a time consuming drive. They cannot give Brady one more chance in the second half like they did in the first half.
Disaster strikes the Bengals. With 3 1/2 minutes left just trying to run down the clock, Cincy fumbles the football and the Patriots recover at the Bengals 44. Yet these may not be the same old Bengals. The offense tried to give the game away but a swarming defense force the Patriots to punt with 2 1/2 minutes left as Bill Bellichick decides to trust his defense. The Bengals are trapped at their own 8 yard line and again will try to put the game away.
The Bengals play it very conservative on 3rd and 2 and run it straight into the line short of the first down. At the 2 minute warning the Bengals will punt it away as Tom Brady will get his chance with one timeout left. It would not be overstating things to say what a milestone it would be for the Bengals to hang on and get this win. Since Dan Dierdorf overstates everything and he is announcing this game, nobody else can overstate anything by comparison.
Brady has 1:48 to work with as the Patriots take over at their own 35 and the rain coming down hard. The Patriot burn a ton of time on 4th and 5, yet as Brady throws incomplete, the Bengals jump offsides and New England stays alive. The Patriots take their last timeout with 36 seconds left in what is now a monsoon. New England is at the Cincy 42. As for the Bengals, they just committed a major blunder as a slap to Tom Brady’s helmet means a personal foul and 15 more yards instead of 3rd and 10. Yet Brady goes for it all and Adam “Pacman” Jones tips it, bobbles it, and catches it while on the ground for the interception. Finally, the Bengals have won.
This was many things, but it was no Da Vinci as the Patriots suffer their first loss. After 52 straight games with a touchdown pass, Brady does not and the record of 54 by Drew Brees remains intact. 13-6 Bengals
Seattle Seahawks at Indianapolis Colts —Steve Hauschka kicked a field goal and Russell Wilson hit Golden Tate for a 10 yard touchdown as the Seahawks took a 10-0 early lead. Seattle is clicking on all cylinders. A blocked punt for a safety had them leading the Colts 12-0. Yet the Colts got right back in it on one play when Andrew Luck hit T.Y. Hilton for a 73-yard touchdown to get within 12-7.
Special teams have been a big deal in the Seahawks-Colts game. Seattle blocked a punt for a safety, and now the Colts block a field goal and Howell returns it for a 61 yard touchdown. Rather than trail 15-7, the Colts led 14-12. These events are why the NFL Hall of Fame committee has to drop it’s anti-special teams bias for players like Steve Tasker and Devon Hester.
Seattle is known for defense with Richard Sherman leading the Legion of Boom. Yet they have an offense under Pete Carroll as Russell Wilson led a 12 play, 82 yard, 7 minute drive. Wilson hit Kearse for a 28 yard touchdown to put the Seahawks back in front 19-14. Adam Vinatieri hit a 41 yard field goal as the Colts trailed 19-17 at halftime.
Hauschka added field goals of 36 and 41 yards in the third quarter as the Seahawks built a 25-17 lead. Yet Luck went deep to Hilton again, this time for a 29 yard touchdown to cap an 80 yard drive. Yet the 2 point conversion failed as the Colts still trail 25-23. Seattle tacked on another field goal to lead 28-23 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter Andrew Luck led a 14 play, 86 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive. Donald Brown ran it in from 3 yards out as the Colts took the lead. Luck hit Reggie Wayne for the 2 point conversion to make it 31-28 Colts. Vinatieri would add a critical 49 yard field goal to extend the lead, but they did not close the door.
Seattle trailed 34-28 with 1:55 left but the Seahawks had the ball at their own 42 and were driving. With 90 seconds left the Seahawks faced 4th and 15 from their 37. Russell Wilson was intercepted and the Seahawks were knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten as the Colts at 4-1 led their division as well. This was expected to be a fine football game, and it was. 34-28 Colts.
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers—The Cheeseheads got on the board first with a pair of field goals by Mason Crosby from 26 and 52 to take a 6-0 lead. Detroit would get a field goal of their own just before the half as they trailed 6-3. A game with 2 high powered offenses was being dominated by the defenses as Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers could not reach the end zone.
Crosby tacked on a third field goal in the third quarter, and then Aaron Rodgers went bombs away to James Jones for an 83 yard touchdown and a 16-3 Packers lead. With the Bears and Lions losing and the Packers winning, order is being restored to the NFC North as stories of the Packers demise and Bears and Lions rise were greatly exaggerated. That is why they play a 16 game season instead of a 4 game season. Crosby added his fourth and fifth field goals from 42 and 45 yards to salt the game away in the fourth quarter. Detroit finally got a garbage touchdown. 22-9 Packers
New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears—Garrett Hartley got the Saints on the board with a 47 yard field goal to make it 3-0 New Orleans. Jay Cutler was hit by Malcolm Jenkins, forcing a fumble that sets the Saints up at the Bears 5 yard line. Everyone knows the Saints have a pinball machine offense. Yet now they have Rob Ryan as the defensive coordinator, and that is a major upgrade. Yet again the offense could not punch it in as the Saints settled for another field goal and a 6-0 lead.
Drew Brees led the Saints 72 yards and hit Pierre Thomas for a 2 yard score to make it 13-0 Saints. Cutler finally got the Bears going as an 80 yard drive was culminated in a 3 yard toss to Jeffery to get Chicago within 13-7. Yet the Saints kept coming. The Saints extended the lead to 20-7 on a perfect 25 yard screen pass to Pierre Thomas. The score was set up by Sean Payton gambling on 4th and 1 earlier in the drive. Payton went for an onsides kick in the Super Bowl, and is a Bill Parcells disciple. He coaches fearless rather than play not to lose. His boldness “go big or go home” strategy often works.
Both Brees and Cutler threw two touchdowns without being intercepted. Cutler was 24 of 33 for 358 yards and Brees was a ridiculous 29 of 35 for 288 yards. Yet the second half produced very few points. Hartley added a 36 yard field goal, Robbie Gould hit a 27 yarded, and Hartley answered with a 48 yarded in the fourth quarter to make it 26-10 Saints.
With 3 minutes left the Bears were at their own 18, yet only 45 seconds later Cutler threw a 2 yard touchdown to Brandon Marshall and Matt Forte ran in the 2 point conversion to make it a one score game. The onsides kick failed and by the time the Bears got it back at their own 20, only 21 seconds remained. A pass over the middle caused the clock to run out as he Saints remained unbeaten at 5-0. 26-18 Saints
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants—This could be the game that finishes Tom Coughlin. There is 0 chance of him being fired, but he may decide to retire rather than oversee a lengthy rebuilding project. Despite being 0-4, the Giants had every chance to win this game against a barely better 1-3 Eagles squad.
David Wilson with a 5 yard touchdown run gave the Giants their first lead since the second quarter of Week 2 as Big Blue led the Eagles 7-0. Philadelphia responded but settled for a field goal.
In the second quarter Alex Henery added to his 40 yarded with a 27 yarded to get the Eagles within 7-6. Leshean McCoy ran it in from one yard out to put the Eagles in front and Henery added 29 and 36 yarders to make it 19-7 Eagles over the lifeless Giants.
Eli Manning had third quarter touchdown passes to Randle of 26 and 6 yards as the Giants have come back from the dead to lead the Eagles 21-19. Alex Henery hit his 5th field goals his latest from 41 yards out as the Eagles took a 22-21 lead after three quarters.
Yet turnovers have killed the Giants all season. A tight game in the fourth quarter again was broken open. No Michael Vick, no problem. Nick Foles threw touchdown passes of 25 yards to Captain Morgan Brent Celek and 5 yards to Desean Jackson as the Eagles pulled away in the fourth quarter. Eli Manning threw 3 more interceptions as the Giants fell to 0-5 with another bad loss. 36-21 Eagles.
Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals — A game virtually nobody cared about was tied 3-3 when Graham Gano hit a 22 yarded in the first quarter and Jay Feely hit a 42 yarded in the second quarter. As the half ended, Gano hit from 51 to make it 6-3 Panthers.
In the third quarter Carson Palmer led a 10 play, 85 yard, 5 1/2 minute drive that culminated in Rashaard Mendenhall running it in from one yard out for the first touchdown of the game. Cam Newton was then sacked in the end zone for a safety as the Cardinals led the Panthers 12-6. Arizona added another field goal to put the game out of reach with 2 1/2 minutes to play. Cam Newton had a miserable day. He was sacked for a safety, saw a red zone interception returned to midfield, and then had an interception returned half the field to the Carolina 9. Carson Palmer hit Dray for a 7 yard touchdown to end it. 22-6 Cardinals
Denver Broncos at Dallas Cowboys —Tony Romo hits Dez Bryant for a short touchdown to make it 7-0 Cowboys. The bad news is Dallas is playing Denver and Peyton Manning and not Jacksonville and Blaine Gabbert. Romo does his impersonation of Houdini to avoid a sack and complete a 12 yard pass. The Denver fumble proves costly as DeMarco Murray runs it in to have the Cowboys stunning the Broncos 14-0 in Denver early on.
Manning then went bombs away to Eric Decker for a 57 yard gain as Denver had 1st and goal at the 4. A shovel pass to Julius Thomas goes for the touchdown as the man who perfected it, John Elway, looked from above.
Romo kept carving up the Denver defense. Yet on 3rd and goal Romo is sacked for a 17 yard loss as Denver finally holds Dallas. Dan Bailey hits the field goal to make it 17-7 Cowboys. Manning quickly brought Denver back 80 yards as a 1 yard toss to Eric Decker got the Broncos within 17-14.
Dez Bryant fumbled, giving Denver a golden opportunity they would capitalize on. A defensive facemask penalty against Dallas set up 1st and goal. Manning reached 19 touchdowns and 0 interceptions with a short touchdown to Julius Thomas. 19-0 is what Manning wants to accomplish at the end of this season. More importantly, Denver had the 21-17 lead.
Late in the half, Manning had the Broncos moving again. A naked bootleg on 3rd and goal from the 1 puts Denver up 28-17. He could have walked it in. Manning fooled the entire Dallas defense and all of the cameramen.
Denver’s defense played it soft at the end of the half and Dallas is moving well on offense. A 48 yard field goal by Dan Carpenter had the Cowboys only down 28-20 at the break. Yet Dallas’s defense has not slowed down Manning. Then again, neither has any other NFL defense this year.
Manning continued his mastery in the third quarter as Manning moved the Broncos 67 yards in 13 plays and 7 minutes. He hit Wes Welker for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 35-20. Romo came right back with an 82 yard touchdown to Williams to get Dallas back within 35-27. Yet Manning kept his foot on the accelerator. A 48 yard field goal by Matt Prater had Denver leading 38-27.
While all the talk is rightfully about Peyton Manning, Tony Romo has also been lighting it up today. He shredded Denver’s defense as a 3 yard touchdown pass to Dez Bryant had Dallas within 38-33. A questionable decision had Jason Garrett going for 2 with the entire fourth quarter to play.
The attempt failed and Dallas remained down by 5. Then the unthinkable happened. Peyton Manning is now human. His first interception finally came. Rumors that Peyton Manning will now be traded by John Fox to the Jacksonville Jaguars straight up for Blaine Gabbert are not true. Yet Dallas now had a short field. Romo threw a 13 yard touchdown pass to Jason Witten. Dallas had the lead, and Dallas again went for 2 points. Had they not gone for it last time they would not have needed to this time. This time Romo hit Williams and Dallas had the lead again 41-38 early in the fourth quarter.
The game of the year had Matt Prater hitting another field goal from 50 yards out as Denver and Dallas were tied 41-41 in what is already an instant NFL classic. This Dallas vs Denver game became officially ridiculous. On 3rd and 6 Romo went deep to Dez Bryant for a 79 yard gain. This is sandlot football pitch and catch as Dallas has 1st and goal inside the 5. A 4 yard touchdown to Beasley put Dallas up 48-41.
7:19 still remained. Romo and Manning both had 5 touchdowns, Romo all 5 through the air and Manning 4 in the air and one on the ground. Romo did not have an interception. On 3rd and goal a one yard touchdown run by Knowshon Moreno tied the game 48-48 with 2:40 to play.
Then it happened. Romo was intercepted with 1:57 to play as Denver had it at the Dallas 24. On 3rd and 1 from the 2, Moreno got the first down. Manning did not even try and score. He took a knee and bled the clock for the field goal. Prater was good from 28 and Denver got to 5-0 with the thrilling win.
Manning finished 33 of 42, 414 yards. Romo was 25 of 36 with 506 yards. Both quarterbacks had 5 touchdowns and one interception although one Manning score came on the ground. 51-48 Broncos
Houston Texans at San Francisco 49ers—This game began with an “Are you kidding me?” moment as now 4 straight weeks has Matt Schaub has throw a pick 6. Before everybody jumps all over Schaub, part of that is on Andre Johnson. Johnson is a Hall of Famer on the 1st ballot, but he did not fight for the football. Johnson deserves more of the blame than Schaub for the 20 yard interception return and 7-0 49ers lead.
The Texans missed a field goal, Frank Gore ran it in for a touchdown, and Schaub was intercepted again to give the 49ers the ball at the Houston 32. Anthony Dixon from 2 yards out made it 21-0 49ers at the half. An exchange of field goals in the third quarter was followed by the icing on the cake as Colin Kaepernick hit Vernon Davis for a 64 yard touchdown to start the fourth quarter. TJ Yates came in as Schaub was benched by Gary Kubiak with the 49ers up 31-3. One play meant one fumble and the 49ers got it again, yet neither Schaub or Yates can be blamed for this one. It led to a field goal. 34-3 49ers
San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders —The Silver and Black showed how to get the Raider Nation home crowd fired up. On 3rd and 10 on the third play of the game, Philip Rivers went bombs away and Young intercepted it as the Raiders started at the San Diego 44. On the first play on offense, Terrelle Pryor goes bombs away and Rod Streater catches the touchdown. 7-0 Raiders. Al Davis is smiling somewhere.
The Raiders held on defense and took over at their own 12. After a false start, they moved forward in a big way. Pryor fooled the San Diego defense to complete the drive. The Chargers were expecting him to run it in from the 2 yard line and instead he fired to Denarius Moore in the back of the end zone as the Raiders had the surprising 14-0 lead after the 13 play, 88 yard, 8 minute drive. Pryor began 8 for 8 for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Rivers finally got the Chargers going on offense, and they moved all the way to a 3rd and goal at the one. Rivers threw incomplete. On 4th and goal at the one the Chargers went for it. Mike McCoy calls a timeout to discuss it. Danny Woodhead got the carry and got buried as the inspired goal line stand kept the home fans cheering.
They cheered even louder when the Chargers fumbled a punt and the Raiders recovered. Oakland took over at the San Diego 38. The Raiders failed to convert on 3rd and 1 but Sebastian Janikowski hit the 47 yard field goal from the infield dirt as the Raiders led 17-0 with 4:13 left in the half.
The third quarter was bizarre. The Raiders had a touchdown called back when Denarius Moore was ruled out of bounds. Then San Diego moved to the red zone where Philip Rivers threw incomplete on 3rd and 1. This time they opted for the field goal, which was blocked. Yet the Chargers picked up the blocked field goal and gained a first down. Then Philip Rivers had a touchdown pass overturned and ruled out of bounds. After all of that came stalemate and the Chargers did get a 36 yard Nick Novak field goal to get within 17-3 with 5 minutes left in the third quarter.
Oakland went 3 and out and San Diego got it back at their own 30 with all the momentum. Then just like that momentum shifted back. Danny Woodhead fumbled, and Charles Woodson returned it 25 yards for a score to put the Raiders up 24-3 late in the third quarter. Charles Woodson tied Rod Woodson and Darren Sharper with 13 defensive touchdowns for the NFL record.
Yet Rivers came right back as a 51 yard bomb set up a 2 yard shovel touchdown pass to Danny Woodhead on the first play of the fourth quarter to get the Chargers within 24-10. The Raiders went 3 and out and went into self-destruction mode on defense with two personal fouls. A 7 yard touchdown to Keenan Allen had San Diego right back in it down 24-17 with over 10 minutes left. Unless the Raiders could get any kind of drive going, this game would be tied. The first 20 minutes of the second half saw the Raiders have only 29 yards of offense. 35 came on the first play and -6 since.
With 3 Chargers about to drag Pryor down on 3rd and 14, he hit Brice Butler for a 20 yard gain by the sidelines. Seabass drilled a 50 yarded off the dirt as the Polis Cannon gave the Silver and Black some desperately needed breathing room up 27-17.
The Raiders would know in 4 1/2 minutes if they have taken a baby step toward growing as a franchise. 2-3 teams have a shot to go 8-8 while 1-4 teams go 4-12. The Raiders need to show they can finish and play a complete game.
3 completions and the Chargers moved 60 yards to the Oakland 20. A mistackle meant 1st and goal at the 10. Yet on 3rd and goal from the 5, Rivers threw to the end zone and was intercepted by DJ Hayden with 1:48 left. Rookie DJ Hayden almost lost his life last year when a football injury threatened his heart. Now he showed a ton of heart as he saves the Raiders and puts the dagger through the Chargers hearts
The Raiders could not gain a first down on 3rd and 2 but the Chargers got it back with only 1:15 left and 0 timeouts at their own 25. One completion meant a 30 yard gain. Rivers was intercepted by Charles Woodson on the next play to close the door.
Both teams are 2-3 as Rivers finished 36 of 49 for 414 yards and 2 touchdowns, along with 3 interceptions. Pryor was 18 of 23 for 221 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. The Raiders just took a giant step toward becoming a real football team. They were outplayed for long stretches, but showed plenty of heart. 27-17 Raiders
New York Jets at Atlanta Falcons
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