Raiders Come Up Short in a Winnable Game

“Obviously we are very disappointed in this performance,”---Head Coach Tom Cable

By Barbara Mason 11/29/10
Raiderdrive.com/Bay Area Sports Drive

The Oakland Raiders put the Miami Dolphins on notice with an opening kickoff return by Jacoby Ford for a 101 yard touchdown.  After a drubbing at the hands of the Pittsburg Steelers last week, this opening drive for Oakland was exactly the way the team wanted to start the game Sunday.  The question would be, could they finish the same way?

The Dolphins took over on the second drive of the game; this drive culminating in a 49 yard field goal for a 7-3 score.  Except for one pass completion, the Raider defense pretty much stuffed the Miami offense.  The slow start for Miami quickly turned around as the Dolphins began to move downfield with ease taking the lead 10-7 on a 29 yard pass from Miami quarterback Chad Henne to Patrick Cobbs for the strike.  Oakland had an answer of their own as they drove down into Miami territory.  Coming up empty, the Raiders did pin the Dolphins inside their own fifteen as the first quarter came to an end.

The second quarter saw Miami dig their way out of that hole driving deep into Oakland territory.  That drive came to an end when Oakland intercepted the ball starting their drive on the Miami eleven.    The Dolphins returned the favor intercepting a Gradkowski pass to take over on downs.  An attempted field goal by the Dolphins fell short and Oakland took over again.  Once again it was Jacoby Ford coming up big when he caught a Gradkowski pass for 44 yards and a touchdown as Oakland took back the lead 14-10.  With four seconds left in the half,  Miami kicked a 23 field goal.  Oakland took the 14-13 lead into the locker room after a  fairly successful first half on the defensive side of the ball.  While the defense let a few by, they came away with two sacks in the half putting a lot of pressure on Chad Henne. 

Miami opened the second half with a 57 yard strike from Henne to Marlin Moore taking the lead 20-14.  The Dolphins built on that lead with a successful 44 yard field goal, and a 23-14 score.  The closing minutes of the third quarter saw Oakland on the move, driving into Miami territory only to have the ball picked off in the end zone.  Gradkowski went back to work when Miami came up empty on the ensuing series.  Throwing another long ball, the Oakland quarterback was able to connect with Jacoby Ford.  The Raiders desperately needed 7 points but had to settle for three off a 30 yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski.

With four minutes left in the fourth quarter the game looked to be a wrap as the Dolphins kicked a 25 yard field goal to go ahead 26-l7.    Leaving nothing to chance, Miami tacked on another touchdown for a 33-17 final as Ricky Williams romped for 45 yards, untouched, into the end zone.

A number of injuries were reported by Coach Tom Cable after the game.  Quarterback Bruce Gradkowski injured his shoulder, Zach Miller has an issue with his fibula and Langston Walker injured his wrist.

“Obviously we are very disappointed in this performance.  They played hard but they did not play very good,” said Cable in the post game press conference.  “There was 21 minutes difference in time of possession and three turnovers and you really put yourself in a tough way trying to win a football game in this league,” he said. 

The one bright spot in this loss was the play of wide receiver Jacoby Ford.  His opening kickoff return for 101 yards for the touchdown was exactly what the Raiders were looking for to start the game.  He had 13 yards rushing, 108 yards receiving and 101 yards on kickoff returns.  It was a bell ringer of a day for the young rookie.  Unfortunately the caliber of play that Oakland opened with was not sustained.

While Cable had said all along that, once completely healthy, Bruce Gradkowski would take over at the helm.  The question remains why?  At the helm, Gradkowski has won a single game against the Rams and he has lost four.  On the other hand, veteran Jason Campbell has won four games, three of them division games, and lost two games at Tennessee and S.F.  Should Campbell start next Sunday in San Diego, which looks like a very real possibility, a win would go a long way in providing insight into just who should be playing quarterback in this controversy.  A win will be a tall order especially considering the strides that San Diego has taken.  Next Sunday the Raiders travel to the Southland for what may prove to be their biggest challenge yet this season.