After their big Thursday-night victory against San Diego put them in first place in the AFC West, it was expected that the 5-4 Oakland Raiders would go to Minnesota and defeat the 2-7 Vikings for their sixth win. Despite 11 penalties, and a poor second-half effort that nearly cost them the game, the Raiders were able to steal a win in Minnesota Sunday with a 27-21 victory at Mall of America Field.
The victory gave the Silver and Black a 6-4 record on the season – their best mark after 10 games since they began the 2001 season with an 8-2 record – and more importantly, it kept Oakland all alone at the top of the AFC West.
Carson Palmer threw for 164 yards on 17-23 passing and one touchdown to go along with one on the ground, and Michael Bush became the first back to gain over 100 yards or more against the Minnesota defense this season with 109 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries to lead the Raiders on offense. On defense, the Silver and Black intercepted quarterback Christian Ponder three times, had five sacks, and forced three fumbles, recovering two, to help seal the victory.
This game nearly turned into a historic collapse. After getting out to a 27-7 lead after three quarters, boneheaded penalties and a lack of production allowed the Vikings to get back in the game, and nearly win it.
The Vikings opened up the scoring at the 5:17 mark of the first quarter with the help of the officials. The Raiders were flagged for 42 yards on Minnesota’s 12-play, 77-yard drive, and all three of the penalties were questionable at best.
On third-and-seven from the Minnesota 41, Tommy Kelly bull-rushed through the line and sacked Ponder with one arm for an eight-yard loss. Since his one-armed sack, done while being blocked by a Vikings lineman, included scraping Ponder’s helmet, Kelly was flagged for unnecessary roughness – giving the Vikings a new set of downs.
Minnesota would get another four plays to convert first down on the very next play. Ponder, under pressure, completed a two-yard pass to Kyle Rudolph who was blasted by linebacker Aaron Curry just after the catch. Curry’s helmet hit Rudolph’s on the tackle, and officials didn’t hesitate to throw a flag for an unnecessary roughness penalty, helmet-to-helmet hit.
On third-and-eight, from the Oakland 33, safety Tyvon Branch was flagged for a facemask that didn’t happen. Scatback Percy Harvin caught a pass and was on his way to a first down when Branch grabbed the receiver by his shoulders and spun him around on the tackle. On review, it was clear that Branch’s hand never touched Harvin’s facemask, but penalties are non-reviewable for reversal.
With a first down on the Raiders’ 12 yard line, a give to tailback Adrian Peterson sealed the drive and opened the scoring. Peterson took the handoff from Ponder straight up the middle and to the end zone untouched to give the Vikings an early lead.
The Raiders promptly answered the Vikings on their next possession.
Rookie tailback Taiwan Jones, covering for injured receiver Jacoby Ford on kick returns, took the kickoff from a yard into the end zone back to the Raiders’ 45 yard line for a 46-yard return – giving the Raiders good field position for the series. Nine plays and 44 yards later, Sebastian Janikowski put the Silver and Black on the board with a 29-yard field goal to cut the Vikings’ lead to 7-3 with 57 seconds to go in the first quarter.
On the possession, the Raiders rushed five times for 31 yards and passed for 13 yards before being stopped at the Vikings’ 11-yard line.
With the lead and still retaining some momentum after their defense held the Raiders out of the end zone, the Vikings’ offense was able to move the ball despite setbacks caused by the Oakland defense. On the first play of the possession, defensive tackle Desmond Bryant broke through the line and sacked Ponder, who was attempting a wide receiver screen throw to his left. The momentum of Bryant’s tackle forced the pass behind the quarterback, turning the incompletion into a fumble out of bounds for a 10-yard loss.
The long odds didn’t stop the Vikings from moving the ball. Peterson took a handoff for 12 yards, and injured his ankle when safety Michael Huff tackled him – rolling the star tailback’s ankle on the play. The injury took Peterson out of the game, but Ponder would provide enough offense to keep the chains moving. On the next play, the quarterback scrambled from the pocket, and ran for 28 yards to midfield.
A 24-yard pass to Harvin put the Vikings in position to score at the Oakland 26 yard line. Minnesota gained just five yards on two runs, forcing Ponder to the air, and giving the Raiders the ball back. Ponder, who finished the game with 211 yards passing on 19-33-3 passing suffered his first of three interceptions on a pass to the Oakland five yard line. Raiders’ safety Matt Giordano jumped the route, intercepted the pass, and returned the ball back to the Raiders’ 47 yard line.
The pick boosted the Oakland sideline – and their offense. Palmer put the offense on his shoulders and completed four of five passes for 48 yards – capping the drive with a jump-ball touchdown throw to receiver Chaz Schillens in the right corner of the end zone. The touchdown put the Raiders on top 10-7, with 9:50 remaining in the half.
Big plays for both teams marked the Vikings’ next possession. Again, Minnesota was able to move the chains following another good kick return – a 35-yarder by Marcus Sherels that placed the ball on the Vikings’ 45 yard line. On third-and-eight from their own 47, Ponder scrambled from the pocket for a 17-yard gain, but he wouldn’t be able to move the chains again on the series.
Despite the end of the drive, Minnesota was close enough to bring out kicker Ryan Longwell for a 48-yard field goal attempt. Branch, rushing from the left end, thwarted the attempt. The snap was good, the hold went to plan, but Branch got around the edge so quickly that Longwell held up on the kick – allowing Branch to tackle holder Chris Kluwe for a 12-yard loss and a change in possession at the Raiders’ 43 yard line, with 4:42 remaining in the half.
Oakland wouldn’t waste the opportunity.
Bush, covering for Darren McFadden, gained 33 yards on three carries, and his final carry of the drive resulted in a two-yard touchdown run that put the Raiders up by 10, 17-7, with 1:20 to go before the break. On the drive, Jones (2 carries for 3 yards) and fullback Marcel Reece (1 reception for 12 yards) also contributed to set up Bush’s scoring plunge up the middle.
On the ensuing kickoff, Vikings’ running back Lorenzo Booker coughed up the ball when being tackled by tight end Brandon Myers at the 19 yard line. After Myers’ helmet forced the fumble, rookie cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke recovered the ball at the Minnesota 16 yard line –affording the Raiders another opportunity to score before the end of the half.
Palmer and the Raiders’ offense would take care of the rest.
After a four-yard rush by Bush, Palmer connected with tight end Kevin Boss to move the ball to the Minnesota one yard line. On the play, center Samson Satele left the game with a concussion, forcing rookie Stefan Wisniewski to move to center and Stephon Heyer to come in at guard.
The injury to Satele didn’t prevent the Raiders from completing the successful drive, it just made the drive last one-play longer. It took two attempts from the one, but the second quarterback-keeper over backup center Wisniewski helped the Raiders to their 24th unanswered point of the half.
Palmer finished the first half with a meager 109 yards passing, but he was 11 for 14 with a touchdown throw, for a quarterback rating of 122.9. Ponder, despite the interception thrown, was arguably having the better game. At the half, Ponder had completed nine of 11 throws for 67 yards and led all rushers with 54 yards on four attempts.
The second half became a series of failed possessions for both teams, with position becoming the main battle on the field. In the first three possessions by the Raiders, the result was 10 plays for 26 yards, and just one first down. The Vikings, on two possessions, gained 11 yards and a first down on nine plays.
On Minnesota’s third possession of the second half, the Raiders finally took the advantage on the battle for field position.
Ponder, with plenty of time, moved left out of the pocket and threw across his body late to receiver Michael Jenkins. Veteran cornerback Lito Sheppard jumped over Jenkins’ left shoulder and nearly picked off the pass – but the ball came bouncing out of the veteran cornerback’s hands. Before the ball could land incomplete, Kelly turned towards the ball and snatched it out of the air at the Minnesota 25 yard line.
Kelly was tackled immediately after returning the interception one yard, and the Raiders would start their next drive just four-yards shy of the red zone.
Only a mistake by right tackle Khalif Barnes would keep Oakland out of the end zone. On second-and-two from the Vikings’ four yard line, Barnes was called for a false start to move the ball back to the Vikings’ nine yard line. The new distance proved too much for the Raiders’ offense to convert. However, the Raiders didn’t come away empty handed. A Janikowski 26-yard field goal increased the lead to 27-7, with 15:55 left in the game.
Down by 20 points with a quarter to go, Minnesota wasn’t ready to throw in the towel – and they didn’t.
After a four-yard rushing gain by tailback Toby Gerhart and an incomplete pass to tight end Kyle Rudolph, Ponder connected two times for 68 yards with a touchdown score. On third-and-six from their own 32, Ponder found an open Devin Aromashodu for a 42-yard gain, then followed that play with a 26-yard touchdown screen pass to Harvin. The touchdown inched the Vikings closer to victory, 27-14, with 14:52 left on the clock.
The Raiders, who haven’t scored in the fourth quarter since their week-five victory over the Houston Texans the day after the death of owner Al Davis, were on the verge of changing that early in the period – but a blocked Janikowski field goal stopped prevented the end of the five-game streak. Oakland moved the ball 33 yards on eight plays to get to the Minnesota 31 yard line, but they were unable to convert another first down. Janikowski’s 49-yard attempt was low, enabling a Viking defender to get their hand on the ball and knock it down.
The blocked field goal helped fuel the Vikings’ comeback. Aided by four Raiders penalties for 32 yards Minnesota was again knocking on the door of the end zone. A pass interference call on Sheppard, an illegal contact on middle linebacker Rolando McClain, an unnecessary roughness on Bryant, and a holding call on safety Mike Mitchell helped put the Vikings on the Oakland five yard line.
Once again, a Raiders’ defensive back made a play to turn the tide. Veteran cornerback Stanford Routt showed why Davis gave him a big contract at the end of last season, by coming up big on third and five in the red zone. Ponder attempted a scoring pass to Aromashodu at the right-front corner of the end zone, but Routt got in the way of those plans and picked off the pass to save the score.
It didn’t take long for the Raiders’ offense to give the ball right back to the home team.
Bush, who had just become the first running back to gain over 100 yards rushing against the NFL’s sixth-best rushing defense since Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw of the New York Giants did it Dec. 13, of last season, coughed up the ball on a rush up the middle. Bush clearly looked as though he wasn’t expecting the handoff from Palmer, but he appeared to recover and made a move forward to the line. While changing hands, the ball slipped out from under his arm, Minnesota defenders pounced on the loose ball.
The fumble gave the Vikings the ball on the Raiders’ 38 yard line, and this time the Purple and Gold offense would capitalize on the possession.
It took just two plays for 38 yards to close the scoring gap to six points, 27-21, with 5:08 left to play in the game. Ponder, on a play-action fake, guided a laser-like pass over the middle to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe for 37 yards, then rolled to his right the following play, and connected with Kluwe right of center of the end zone for the score.
Oakland, anemic on offense the entire second half, was unable to put the game away. A nine-yard sack of Palmer on third and four from the Raiders’ 39 yard line, ended their drive and gave the ball back to Minnesota with 3:01 left in the game.
The Vikings would move the ball to their 46 yard line, but at the two-minute warning, they were faced with a fourth-and-eight play with just one timeout. Rather than punt the ball back to the Raiders, head coach Leslie Frazier chose to go for the first down.
Again, a defensive back for the Raiders came up big.
On the play, Branch deflected Ponder’s pass out of Harvin’s hands at the Raiders’ 45 yard line – forcing the turnover on downs.
Despite having the ball with just 1:52 remaining in the game, the Oakland offense was still unable to keep the ball out of Minnesota’s hands by going three and out for the third time of the second half.
The Vikings would get one last chance with two seconds to go, but failed to make anything happen with a final hook-and-ladder play that resulted in a fumble recovered by linebacker Aaron Curry.
NOTES:
- Richard Seymour didn’t start but did come in on a situational basis throughout the day.
- Huff was suited up, but Matt Giordano got the start in his place. Huff came into the game and played the majority of the snaps on defense.
- Samson Satele was back starting at Center, but left at the end of the first half with a concussion.
- Darrius Heyward-Bey left the game early in the fourth quarter after catching a knee to his head on a four-yard reception. He was strapped to a stretcher and carted off the field. A receiver often criticized for his hands, held onto the ball throughout the hit.
- The Raiders reached the century mark in penalties for the season when Bryant was flagged for a late hit on Gerhart. The penalty was the ninth of the day, and the Raiders finished the game committing 11, to increase their season total to 101.
- Kelly’s interception was his first of his career. Giordano’s pick was his third of the season and sixth of his career, and Routt’s interception was his second of the season and eighth of his career.
- On the season, the Raiders are 4-1 on the road and 2-3 at home. They next play the Chicago Bears at the Coliseum Sunday, Nov. 27th.
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