2006 Oakland Raiders season
Encyclopedia
The 2006
Oakland Raiders
season, which was supposed to improve on a lackluster 4–12 record from 2005
, ended with the Raiders suffering through a 2–14 campaign, the worst record in the 2006 NFL season, the worst season since the club went 1–13 in 1962 and their worst since the National Football League
went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, thus earning the right to the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NFL Draft
. Since losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
in Super Bowl XXXVII
, the Raiders have a four-year aggregate record of 15–49, the worst in the NFL over that span.
, frequently regarded as one of the greatest offensive linemen in NFL history, and who won two Super Bowls and went to multiple Pro Bowls as a member of the Raiders, received an interview. Since firing Shell in 1994, Davis had said numerous times that he regretted the decision. Shell was renamed head coach on February 11, 2006.
Shell's staff for the 2006 season consists of new offensive coordinator Tom Walsh
(who was assistant head coach under Shell during his earlier tenure with the Raiders) and new offensive line coach Jackie Slater. Irv Eatman
, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs, will assist Slater in coaching the offensive line. Special teams coach Joe Avezzano
, who took the position in 2004, was replaced; Rob Ryan
returns to the team for his third season as defensive coordinator. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2341992 http://www.insidebayarea.com/raiders/ci_3523101
Quarterback Kerry Collins
, who was 7–21 as a starter over two seasons, was released to create salary cap space http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/10/SPGTAHM96P2.DTL&feed=rss.raiders. He was replaced by free agent Aaron Brooks, previously of the New Orleans Saints. Andrew Walter
and Marques Tuiasosopo
are the backups.
One of the biggest losses of the offseason was cornerback Charles Woodson
. First round draft pick of 2006 Michael Huff
will use his number (#24) and is set to be the new star of the defense. Linebacker Thomas Howard
(2nd round pick) and offensive lineman Paul McQuistan
will both start as well. Wide receiver Doug Gabriel
was traded to the New England Patriots on September 2, 2006. They brought back Jeff George
during the last week of the 2006 pre-season, but he did not make the team. Other notable additions for 2006 are Tyrone Poole
(cornerback), Duane Starks
(also corner), undrafted free agent John Madsen (wide receiver but converted to tight end) and the return of Lance Johnstone
(defensive end). Marcellus Rivers
and Rod Smart
were signed before training camp but did not make the final 53-man roster.
, and faced former division rival Seattle Seahawks
in a prime time game as well. They also had a chance of playing in up to two more prime time games by virtue of the NFL's newly implemented flexible scheduling system.
They made their debut on NBC Sunday Night Football
in Denver against the division rival Broncos. They returned to Monday Night later in the season against the Seattle Seahawks where the Raiders played at Qwest Field
for the first time. On Christmas Week, the Raiders made their debut on the NFL Network
at home against the Kansas City Chiefs
.
, Oakland, California
The Raiders started the regular season with a 27–0 shut-out home loss at the hands of the San Diego Chargers
on September 11, during the second game of a Monday Night Football
doubleheader
on opening weekend. The team was shut out at home for only the second time in the franchise's history, the first one being a 17–0 loss to the division rival Denver Broncos
on October 4, 1981.
, Baltimore, Maryland
The Raiders traveled to Baltimore, Maryland to take on the Ravens
. Oakland could only muster six points, however, all of them coming from Kicker Sebastian Janikowski
(34-yard field goal in the second quarter and a 51-yard field goal in the fourth quarter), while Baltimore maintained their lead throughout the game. With the loss, the Raiders fell to 0–2.
, Oakland, California
Not even their Week 3 Bye could help out Oakland. Despite jumping out to a 21–3 lead and going into halftime ahead 21–10, and despite a touchdown by linebacker Sam Williams and two interceptions by cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha
, the Raiders failed to shut down the Browns
' offense, allowing 14 third quarter points. In the days after the game, coach Art Shell
said that Raider higher-ups responsible for deciding whether or not a challenge is worthwhile told him that one was not following a third and 16 play from the Cleveland Browns' 45-yard-line that went for fifteen yards in the fourth quarter. Shell said that after reviewing the telecast of the game, "I was miffed, because we should have challenged it."http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/15664841.htm{} Following that, a fourth and 1 hand-off to LaMont Jordan was stopped in the backfield for a loss of two, resulting in a turnover on downs.
The Raiders traveled across the bay to Monster Park
in San Francisco to take on the 49ers
.
The 49ers got on the board first with an Alex Smith
to Arnaz Battle
touchdown pass midway through the first quarter. The Raiders responded with a 33 yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski
. Janikowski then converted a 36 yarder early in the second quarter. Randy Moss
scored his 100th career touchdown reception on a 22 yard pass from Andrew Walter
, as the Raiders went into halftime with a 13–7 lead.
The 49ers then went on to score 24 unanswered points in the second half, as Smith connected on touchdown passes with Battle once again, and Maurice Hicks
in the third quarter. Joe Nedney
converted a chip shot 19 yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. On the next Raiders play from scrimmage, Melvin Oliver
recovered a fumble for a touchdown, as Walter tried to lateral a pass to LaMont Jordan
, who let it hit the ground, and assumed it was an incomplete pass. Marques Tuiasosopo
hit Courtney Anderson
with a touchdown pass late in the game, but it was too little too late. Nedney completed the scoring with a 39 yard field goal.
, Denver, Colorado
The Raiders travelled to INVESCO Field at Mile High
in Denver to face the division rival Broncos
on Sunday Night Football
.
An excellent assessment of the Raiders' futility thus far in the season was provided by a reader of ESPN.com
's Bill Simmons
. In Simmons' NFL Week 6 preview, "Dave from Washington" submitted: "The Raiders suck so bad that they are 15-point underdogs to a team that scores 12.2 points a game. This has to be a sports first."http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/061013
For the third time in the season, Oakland failed to score a touchdown, falling to the Broncos in a 13–3 loss. Surprising Week 6 victories by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
and Tennessee Titans
left the Raiders as the NFL's sole winless team.
, Oakland, California
On October 22, 2006, the Raiders hosted the Arizona Cardinals
in Oakland on the Fox Television Network.
In a game where former Raiders coach John Madden received his Hall of Fame
ring in a pregame ceremony, the Raiders jumped out to an early 7 point lead after a Cardinal drive ended in a missed field goal. The long drive, capped by a ReShard Lee
rush for a touchdown was their second drive of the game.
On another 1st Quarter Cardinal drive, Derrick Burgess
tipped a Matt Leinart
pass and the ball was intercepted by Terdell Sands
. This set up a one play drive in which Andrew Walter
tossed a 32 yard pass to Randy Moss
for their second touchdown.
After the teams traded field goals in the 2nd quarter, the Raiders defense stiffened in the 3rd . Michael Huff
, the player the Raiders took instead of Leinart in April's draft, tackled running back Marcel Shipp
in the end zone for a safety. The safety was preceded by an incomplete pass and 2 consecutive sacks for losses by the Raiders defense.
Andrew Walter finished with 17 of 30 for 260 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT and left the game with a mild hamstring injury.
While containing the Cardinals to 9 points from field goals, the Raiders ended their 11-game losing streak dating back 364 days, to October 23, 2005 and finally got their first win of the season.
, Oakland, California
On October 29, 2006, the Raiders hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers
in Oakland on CBS
. The color commentator for the game was former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon
.
The game was all defense as the Raiders' and Steelers' offenses struggled to gain yardage. It wasn't until the 4th quarter when the Steelers fought to come back from a 7-point deficit and got their yardage total to over 300.
Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger
struggled to pass the ball, getting intercepted twice in the first quarter. Fabian Washington
got his first career interception and Nnamdi Asomugha
got his third, which he returned for a touchdown to give the Raiders a 7–0 lead. The Steelers put up 6 points on two field goals in the second quarter. The Raiders then moved downfield in the final two minutes of the first half. The drive seemed promising after Raiders QB Andrew Walter
completed a 19-yard pass to Jerry Porter
. It was Porter's first catch of the season in his first game of the season. However the drive stalled and the Raiders settled for a field goal to end the half up 10–6.
The Raiders moved downfield to start the second half, with the help of two Steelers penalties. The drive also stalled and the Raiders settled for another field goal for a 13–6 lead. Raiders middle linebacker Kirk Morrison
got his second interception of the season (and his career) later in the game.
The Raiders offense completely struggled to move the ball and had several three and outs, mainly due to penalties and dropped passes (notably by Randy Moss
who got booed after his second dropped pass) and it looked like it would come back to haunt them as the Steelers moved down midway through the fourth quarter and it looked like they would surely tie the game. However, on third and goal, cornerback Chris Carr
would intercept Roethlisberger's pass and return it 100 yards for a touchdown. It was the second longest interception return in Raiders history. This gave the Raiders a 20–6 lead. However they couldn't hold it long, as the Steelers quickly moved downfield and scored the only offensive touchdown of the game, a 25-yard completion to Willie Parker
.
Despite the Raiders' offensive problems, they were on pace to have their first game without a turnover. That changed when Steelers LB Joey Porter
intercepted an Andrew Walter pass at midfield. The Steelers again moved to the red zone. However the Raiders defense made an unbelievable effort and stopped the Steelers on four goal line situations giving the ball back to the Raiders offense with less than 2 minutes left. However a three-and-out gave the Steelers offense the ball back with 39 seconds left and a chance to tie the game. After a sack by Raiders DT Warren Sapp
, Big Ben attempted a hail mary
pass to Nate Washington
. The pass was complete, but Nate was tackled at the 4 yard line, short of the end zone as time ran out.
Walter only threw 5-for-14 for 51 yards. His five sacks made the net yardage 17 yards. It was the Raiders lowest offensive yardage (98 yards) in history that they came out victorious. With the win, the Raiders won back-to-back games for the first time since 2005, which also occurred in Weeks 7 and 8. They are now 2–5 after starting the season 0–5.
The Raiders are tied third in interceptions (10), doubling last year's total of 5 (an NFL record low in a 16 game season). However they are tied dead last in turnover ratio with −9. The defense is ranked #5 in the NFL. Contrast with the offense, which is dead last. The offense failed to score a TD in four of their seven games.
Interesting fact: It was the Steelers first visit to Oakland since December 1995. The Steelers clobbered the Raiders 29–10. Ironically, the only touchdown the Raiders scored that game was also on an interception return.
The Raiders move to 9–8 against the Steelers in regular season matchups. The Raiders are also now 4–2 (Since 2001) against opponents that were in the Super Bowl the previous season. Both losses came last year when they lost to the New England Patriots
and the Philadelphia Eagles
(both on the road). In 2004, the Raiders defeated the Super Bowl runner up Carolina Panthers
in Carolina, defeated the Patriots at home in 2002 and beat the New York Giants
at Giants Stadium
in 2001.
, Seattle, Washington
Hoping to continue building off of their two-game win streak, the Raiders flew to Qwest Field
for a Monday Night showdown with the Seattle Seahawks
. In the first quarter, Oakland's woes continued to haunt them as QB Seneca Wallace
completed a 22-yard TD pass to WR Deion Branch
and kicker Josh Brown kicked a 20-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Brown continued to make the Raiders visit terrible with a 25-yard field goal for the only score of the period. After a scoreless third quarter, Brown would put the game away with another 20-yard field goal.
This game marked the first time in Monday Night Football
history that a team got shut out twice in one year. Also, QB Andrew Walter
got sacked 9 times and Oakland's overall offense was just 185 yards.
, Oakland, California
Trying to rebound from their Monday Night road loss to the Seahawks, the Raiders went home for an AFC West rematch with the Denver Broncos
. In the first quarter, the Raiders struck first. Following an interception by cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha
, RB LaMont Jordan
plunged in for a 1-yard TD run. The Broncos would respond with QB Jake Plummer
completing a 39-yard TD pass to Javon Walker
. In the second quarter, Oakland would regain the lead with kicker Sebastian Janikowski
getting a 55-yard and a 20-yard field goal. However, after a scoreless third quarter, Denver would retake the lead and win with Plummer completing a 1-yard TD pass to FB Kyle Johnson and kicker Jason Elam
getting a 24-yard field goal. Despite a strong defensive effort, including two interceptions from cornerback Fabian Washington
, the Raiders lost the game and fell to 2–7.
, Kansas City, Missouri
Trying to rebound from two-straight losses, the Raiders flew to Arrowhead Stadium
for a fierce AFC West fight with the Kansas City Chiefs
. For this game, QB Aaron Brooks fully recovered from his earlier injuries and returned to the starting lineup. In the first quarter, Chiefs RB Larry Johnson got a 5-yard TD run, while the Raiders responded with kicker Sebastian Janikowski
getting a 41-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Oakland had the Kansas City on the run with Janikowski kicking a 36-yard field goal and Brooks completing a 2-yard TD pass to TE Courtney Anderson
. In the third quarter, the Chiefs came within three points with kicker Lawrence Tynes
getting a 37-yard field goal for the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, Johnson delivered the death blow with a 1-yard TD run. With the loss, the Raiders fell to 2–8.
, San Diego, California
Trying to end a three-game skid, the Raiders flew to Qualcomm Stadium
for an AFC West rematch with the San Diego Chargers
. After a scoreless first quarter, RB ReShard Lee
helped the Raiders strike first with a 1-yard TD run. The Chargers would respond with RB LaDainian Tomlinson
with a 4-yard TD run. In the third quarter, Oakland got the lead with QB Aaron Brooks completing a 2-yard TD pass to rookie WR John Madsen for the only score of the period. However, in the fourth quarter, San Diego took control for the win, as Tomlinson threw a successful 19-yard TD pass to TE Antonio Gates
on an HB Option. Afterwards, Tomlinson would end the game with a 10-yard TD run. With the loss, the Raiders fell to 2–9.
, Oakland, California
Trying to end a four-game losing streak, the Raiders went home for a Week 13 fight with the Houston Texans
. In the first quarter, Oakland trailed early with DB Demarcus Faggins
returning a fumble 58 yards for a touchdown, along with the score of the period. In the second quarter, the Raiders climbed back into the game and into the lead with RB Justin Fargas
' 3-yard TD run, along with MLB Kirk Morrison
returning a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown. In the third quarter, Oakland's lead vanished with RB Wali Lundy
's 3-yard TD run for the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, the Texans wrapped up the game with kicker Kris Brown
nailing a 42-yard, a 47-yard, and a 39-yard field goal. The Oakland Raiders secondary (which is ranked #1 in the NFL) held the Texans to −5 yards passing, yet the Raiders were unable to pull out the win. With their fifth-straight loss, the Raiders fell to 2–10.
, Cincinnati, Ohio
Trying to snap a five-game losing streak, the Raiders flew to Paul Brown Stadium
for a Week 14 fight with the Cincinnati Bengals
. On the third play of the game, QB Carson Palmer
was intercepted by cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha
, only for the Raiders to fumble the ball on the next play from scrimmage. In the first quarter, the Raiders trailed early as QB Carson Palmer
completing an 8-yard TD pass to WR Chris Henry, while RB Rudi Johnson
got a 1-yard TD run. In the second quarter, following another interception by Asomugha, Oakland managed to get on the board with kicker Sebastian Janikowski
getting a 33-yard field goal for the only score of the period. In the third quarter, Cincinnati's dominance continued with Rudi getting a 6-yard TD run, while Palmer hooked up with WR T. J. Houshmandzadeh
for a 20-yard TD strike, which was followed up with a missed PAT. In the fourth quarter, the only form of a comeback the Raiders could do was QB Aaron Brooks completing a 5-yard TD pass to WR Ronald Curry
. With their sixth-straight loss, the Raiders fell to 2–11.
, Oakland, California
Trying to end a six-game losing streak, the Raiders went home for an interconference fight with the St. Louis Rams
(who, just like the Raiders, used to play in Los Angeles, California
). After a scoreless first quarter, Oakland's struggles continued as Rams' kicker Jeff Wilkins
nailed a 24-yard and a 34-yard field goal. In the third quarter, the Raiders' problems continued with RB Stephen Jackson
getting a 4-yard TD run for the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, St. Louis wrapped up the game with Jackson getting a 19-yard TD run. With their seventh-straight loss, the Raiders fell to 2–12.
This marked the third time this season that the Raiders got shut out.
, Oakland, California
Trying to end a seven-game skid, the Raiders played their final home game of the season against the Kansas City Chiefs
in an AFC West rematch on Saturday night. In the first quarter, Oakland struck first with kicker Sebastian Janikowski
getting a 25-yard field goal. However, the Chiefs responded with QB Trent Green
's 6-yard TD pass to WR Eddie Kennison
, along with kicker Lawrence Tynes
' 29-yard field goal. In the second quarter, the Raiders responded with Janikowski's 37-yard field goal. Unfortunately, K.C. RB Larry Johnson got a 1-yard TD run. In the third quarter, Oakland managed to get the only score of the period with Janikowski's 53-yard field goal. However, the Chiefs wrapped the game up in the fourth quarter with Tynes' 28-yard field goal. With their eighth-straight loss, the Raiders fell to 2–13. Also with the loss, they lost 13 games for the first time since 1961 and it even marked the first time in Raiders history that they lost eight consecutive games to one team (the Chiefs).
Some of causes to Oakland's loss came from five turnovers (two interceptions and three lost fumbles), continuous penalty problems (6 penalties for 45 yards), and a year-long lack of offense.
, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Trying to end their disastrous season on a high note, the Raiders flew to The Meadowlands
for a Week 17 fight with the New York Jets
. In the first quarter, more of Oakland's lacklusterness flowered as Jets QB Chad Pennington
completed a 1-yard TD pass to TE Chris Baker for the only score of the period. In the second quarter, the Raiders got their only score of the game with kicker Sebastian Janikowski
nailing a 35-yard field goal. Afterwards, offensive struggles continued to haunt the Raiders as kicker Mike Nugent
nailed a 35-yard field goal. Then, in the second half, New York wrapped up the game Nugent's 22-yard field goal in the third quarter, along with RB Leon Washington
's 15-yard TD run and Nugent's 35-yard field goal. With the loss and the Lions win over the Cowboys, Oakland ended up at 2–14, along with the first pick in the 2007 NFL Draft
.
On January 4, 2007, Shell was released from his position as head coach, joining Red Conkright
and Joe Bugel
as the only coaches in franchise history to be fired after only one season as head coach. Shell was fired despite owner Al Davis
saying a year ago that it was a mistake to fire Shell in 1994.
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
season, which was supposed to improve on a lackluster 4–12 record from 2005
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
, ended with the Raiders suffering through a 2–14 campaign, the worst record in the 2006 NFL season, the worst season since the club went 1–13 in 1962 and their worst since the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, thus earning the right to the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
. Since losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
in Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 2002 regular season...
, the Raiders have a four-year aggregate record of 15–49, the worst in the NFL over that span.
Offseason
Former Raiders head coach Art ShellArt Shell
Arthur "Art" Shell is an American former collegiate and professional football player in the American Football League and later in the NFL, a Hall of Fame offensive tackle, and a two-time former head coach of the Oakland Raiders...
, frequently regarded as one of the greatest offensive linemen in NFL history, and who won two Super Bowls and went to multiple Pro Bowls as a member of the Raiders, received an interview. Since firing Shell in 1994, Davis had said numerous times that he regretted the decision. Shell was renamed head coach on February 11, 2006.
Shell's staff for the 2006 season consists of new offensive coordinator Tom Walsh
Tom Walsh (coach)
Tom Walsh is a former NFL assistant coach, most recently with the Oakland Raiders. He was hired in February, 2006, as offensive coordinator by head coach Art Shell but demoted before the end of the 2006 season and replaced by John Shoop...
(who was assistant head coach under Shell during his earlier tenure with the Raiders) and new offensive line coach Jackie Slater. Irv Eatman
Irv Eatman
Irving Humphrey Eatman is a former American football offensive tackle, who played professionally for 2 seasons in the United States Football League and 11 seasons with the National Football League ....
, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs, will assist Slater in coaching the offensive line. Special teams coach Joe Avezzano
Joe Avezzano
Joe Avezzano is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Oregon State University from 1980 to 1984, compiling a record of 6–47–2...
, who took the position in 2004, was replaced; Rob Ryan
Rob Ryan
Rob Ryan is the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He is the son of former defensive coordinator and head coach Buddy Ryan and the twin brother of current head coach of the New York Jets, Rex Ryan.-Early life:When his parents, Doris and Buddy Ryan,...
returns to the team for his third season as defensive coordinator. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2341992 http://www.insidebayarea.com/raiders/ci_3523101
Quarterback Kerry Collins
Kerry Collins
Kerry Michael Collins is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers with the fifth overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft, the first choice in the franchise's history...
, who was 7–21 as a starter over two seasons, was released to create salary cap space http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/10/SPGTAHM96P2.DTL&feed=rss.raiders. He was replaced by free agent Aaron Brooks, previously of the New Orleans Saints. Andrew Walter
Andrew Walter
Andrew Scott Walter is a former American football quarterback in National Football League. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft after playing college football at Arizona State....
and Marques Tuiasosopo
Marques Tuiasosopo
Marques Tavita Tuiasosopo is a former American football quarterback who is currently a strength coach for the University of Washington football team. He was drafted in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders...
are the backups.
One of the biggest losses of the offseason was cornerback Charles Woodson
Charles Woodson
Charles C. Woodson is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Michigan for the Michigan Wolverines. In 1997, Woodson led the Wolverines to a national championship...
. First round draft pick of 2006 Michael Huff
Michael Huff
Michael Wayne Huff II. is an American Football Free Safety for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He played collegiately as a CB/S for The University of Texas Longhorns.-High school career:...
will use his number (#24) and is set to be the new star of the defense. Linebacker Thomas Howard
Thomas Howard (football player)
Thomas Howard is an American football linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Raiders in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
(2nd round pick) and offensive lineman Paul McQuistan
Paul McQuistan
Paul McQuistan is an American football offensive lineman for the Seattle Seahawks. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
will both start as well. Wide receiver Doug Gabriel
Doug Gabriel
Douglas Gabriel is an American football wide receiver currently playing for the Orlando Predators an Arena Football League team in Orlando Florida. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
was traded to the New England Patriots on September 2, 2006. They brought back Jeff George
Jeff George
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" George is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts with the first overall pick of the 1990 NFL Draft...
during the last week of the 2006 pre-season, but he did not make the team. Other notable additions for 2006 are Tyrone Poole
Tyrone Poole
Tyrone Poole is a retired American professional football player who played 13 seasons as a cornerback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers 22nd overall of the 1995 NFL Draft...
(cornerback), Duane Starks
Duane Starks
Duane Lonell Starks is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens 10th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft...
(also corner), undrafted free agent John Madsen (wide receiver but converted to tight end) and the return of Lance Johnstone
Lance Johnstone
Lance Johnstone is a former American football defensive end. He was a four-year letterman for Temple University, playing his final three seasons at linebacker and serving as team captain in 1994 and 1995...
(defensive end). Marcellus Rivers
Marcellus Rivers
Marcellus Rivers is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football at Oklahoma State....
and Rod Smart
Rod Smart
Rod Smart is a former professional American football player. He played college football for the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers, and began his professional career in the short-lived XFL league, where he played running back for the Las Vegas Outlaws and was known by the nickname "He Hate Me"...
were signed before training camp but did not make the final 53-man roster.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 11, 2006 | San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 27–0 | |
|
| 2 | September 17, 2006 | at Baltimore Ravens Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his... |
L 28–6 | |
|
| 3 | Bye | ||||
| 4 | October 1, 2006 | Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 24–21 | |
|
| 5 | October 8, 2006 | at San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... |
L 34–20 | |
|
| 6 | October 15, 2006 | at Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 13–3 | |
|
| 7 | October 22, 2006 | Arizona Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 22–9 | |
|
| 8 | October 29, 2006 | Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... |
W 20–13 | |
|
| 9 | November 6, 2006 | at Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... |
L 16–0 | |
|
| 10 | November 12, 2006 | Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 17–13 | |
|
| 11 | November 19, 2006 | at Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a... |
L 17–13 | |
|
| 12 | November 26, 2006 | at San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 21–14 | |
|
| 13 | December 3, 2006 | Houston Texans Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 23–14 | |
|
| 14 | December 10, 2006 | at Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL... |
L 27–10 | |
|
| 15 | December 17, 2006 | St. Louis Rams St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,... |
L 20–0 | |
|
| 16 | December 23, 2006 | Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a... |
L 20–9 | |
|
| 17 | December 31, 2006 | at New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 23–3 | |
|
Regular season
The Raiders played all three of their divisional opponents at least once during prime timePrime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
, and faced former division rival Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
in a prime time game as well. They also had a chance of playing in up to two more prime time games by virtue of the NFL's newly implemented flexible scheduling system.
They made their debut on NBC Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football is a weekly television broadcast of Sunday evening National Football League games on NBC that began airing on Sunday, August 6, 2006 with the pre-season opening Hall of Fame Game. Al Michaels serves as the play-by-play announcer, with Cris Collinsworth as the color...
in Denver against the division rival Broncos. They returned to Monday Night later in the season against the Seattle Seahawks where the Raiders played at Qwest Field
Qwest Field
CenturyLink Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It serves as the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer...
for the first time. On Christmas Week, the Raiders made their debut on the NFL Network
NFL Network
NFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation...
at home against the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
.
Week 1: vs. San Diego Chargers
at McAfee ColiseumMcAfee Coliseum
O.co Coliseum is a multi-purpose stadium, located in Oakland, California, in the Coliseum Industrial area...
, Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
The Raiders started the regular season with a 27–0 shut-out home loss at the hands of the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on September 11, during the second game of a Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
doubleheader
Doubleheader (television)
Doubleheader is used by network television to refer to two games in any sport aired back-to-back on the same network, even though they do not involve the same two teams . A doubleheader purposely coincides with a league's scheduling of "early" and "late" games...
on opening weekend. The team was shut out at home for only the second time in the franchise's history, the first one being a 17–0 loss to the division rival Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on October 4, 1981.
Week 2: at Baltimore Ravens
at M&T Bank StadiumM&T Bank Stadium
M&T Bank Stadium is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. The stadium is immediately adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the home of the Baltimore Orioles. Served by the Hamburg Street station of...
, Baltimore, Maryland
The Raiders traveled to Baltimore, Maryland to take on the Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
. Oakland could only muster six points, however, all of them coming from Kicker Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski is a left-footed Polish placekicker who plays for the National Football League's Oakland Raiders. He is nicknamed The Polish Cannon because he is considered to have one of the strongest kicking legs in the league, and leads the NFL in kickoffs for touchbacks. He lives in...
(34-yard field goal in the second quarter and a 51-yard field goal in the fourth quarter), while Baltimore maintained their lead throughout the game. With the loss, the Raiders fell to 0–2.
Week 4: vs. Cleveland Browns
at McAfee ColiseumMcAfee Coliseum
O.co Coliseum is a multi-purpose stadium, located in Oakland, California, in the Coliseum Industrial area...
, Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
Not even their Week 3 Bye could help out Oakland. Despite jumping out to a 21–3 lead and going into halftime ahead 21–10, and despite a touchdown by linebacker Sam Williams and two interceptions by cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha
Nnamdi Asomugha
Nnamdi Asomugha is an American cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders and played college football for the Golden Bears at the University of California, Berkeley...
, the Raiders failed to shut down the Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
' offense, allowing 14 third quarter points. In the days after the game, coach Art Shell
Art Shell
Arthur "Art" Shell is an American former collegiate and professional football player in the American Football League and later in the NFL, a Hall of Fame offensive tackle, and a two-time former head coach of the Oakland Raiders...
said that Raider higher-ups responsible for deciding whether or not a challenge is worthwhile told him that one was not following a third and 16 play from the Cleveland Browns' 45-yard-line that went for fifteen yards in the fourth quarter. Shell said that after reviewing the telecast of the game, "I was miffed, because we should have challenged it."http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/15664841.htm{} Following that, a fourth and 1 hand-off to LaMont Jordan was stopped in the backfield for a loss of two, resulting in a turnover on downs.
Week 5: at San Francisco 49ers
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
The Raiders traveled across the bay to Monster Park
Monster Park
Candlestick Park is an outdoor sports and entertainment stadium located in San Francisco, California, in the Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally built as the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 until moving into Pacific Bell Park in 2000...
in San Francisco to take on the 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
.
The 49ers got on the board first with an Alex Smith
Alex Smith
Alexander Douglas Smith is a professional American football player and starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Smith was drafted with the 1st-overall pick in the 1st round of the 2005 NFL Draft by San Francisco from the University of Utah...
to Arnaz Battle
Arnaz Battle
Arnaz Jerome Battle is an American football wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
touchdown pass midway through the first quarter. The Raiders responded with a 33 yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski is a left-footed Polish placekicker who plays for the National Football League's Oakland Raiders. He is nicknamed The Polish Cannon because he is considered to have one of the strongest kicking legs in the league, and leads the NFL in kickoffs for touchbacks. He lives in...
. Janikowski then converted a 36 yarder early in the second quarter. Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
scored his 100th career touchdown reception on a 22 yard pass from Andrew Walter
Andrew Walter
Andrew Scott Walter is a former American football quarterback in National Football League. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft after playing college football at Arizona State....
, as the Raiders went into halftime with a 13–7 lead.
The 49ers then went on to score 24 unanswered points in the second half, as Smith connected on touchdown passes with Battle once again, and Maurice Hicks
Maurice Hicks
Maurice Hicks is an American football running back for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. He was originally signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2002...
in the third quarter. Joe Nedney
Joe Nedney
Joseph Thomas Nedney is an American football placekicker who is currently a free agent. Born and raised in San Jose, California, Nedney played college football at San Jose State and signed as an undrafted player with the Miami Dolphins in 1996...
converted a chip shot 19 yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. On the next Raiders play from scrimmage, Melvin Oliver
Melvin Oliver
Melvin Deontae Oliver is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana State.-External links:**...
recovered a fumble for a touchdown, as Walter tried to lateral a pass to LaMont Jordan
LaMont Jordan
LaMont Damon Jordan is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
, who let it hit the ground, and assumed it was an incomplete pass. Marques Tuiasosopo
Marques Tuiasosopo
Marques Tavita Tuiasosopo is a former American football quarterback who is currently a strength coach for the University of Washington football team. He was drafted in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders...
hit Courtney Anderson
Courtney Anderson
Courtney Jerome Anderson is a former American football tight end. Born in Greenville, Texas, Anderson attended high school in Richmond, California and played college football at Contra Costa College and San Jose State University. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the...
with a touchdown pass late in the game, but it was too little too late. Nedney completed the scoring with a 39 yard field goal.
Week 6: at Denver Broncos
at Invesco Field at Mile HighINVESCO Field at Mile High
Sports Authority Field at Mile High, previously known as Invesco Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, is a multi-purpose stadium, in Denver, Colorado. It replaced the identically sized, but commercially obsolete Mile High Stadium in 2001...
, Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
The Raiders travelled to INVESCO Field at Mile High
INVESCO Field at Mile High
Sports Authority Field at Mile High, previously known as Invesco Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, is a multi-purpose stadium, in Denver, Colorado. It replaced the identically sized, but commercially obsolete Mile High Stadium in 2001...
in Denver to face the division rival Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football is a weekly television broadcast of Sunday evening National Football League games on NBC that began airing on Sunday, August 6, 2006 with the pre-season opening Hall of Fame Game. Al Michaels serves as the play-by-play announcer, with Cris Collinsworth as the color...
.
An excellent assessment of the Raiders' futility thus far in the season was provided by a reader of ESPN.com
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's Bill Simmons
Bill Simmons
William J. "Bill" Simmons III is a sports columnist, author, and podcaster. He currently writes columns and hosts podcasts for Grantland.com, which is affiliated with ESPN.com. He is a former writer for ESPN The Magazine and Jimmy Kimmel Live!...
. In Simmons' NFL Week 6 preview, "Dave from Washington" submitted: "The Raiders suck so bad that they are 15-point underdogs to a team that scores 12.2 points a game. This has to be a sports first."http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/061013
For the third time in the season, Oakland failed to score a touchdown, falling to the Broncos in a 13–3 loss. Surprising Week 6 victories by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
and Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
left the Raiders as the NFL's sole winless team.
Week 7: vs. Arizona Cardinals
at McAfee ColiseumMcAfee Coliseum
O.co Coliseum is a multi-purpose stadium, located in Oakland, California, in the Coliseum Industrial area...
, Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
On October 22, 2006, the Raiders hosted the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in Oakland on the Fox Television Network.
In a game where former Raiders coach John Madden received his Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
ring in a pregame ceremony, the Raiders jumped out to an early 7 point lead after a Cardinal drive ended in a missed field goal. The long drive, capped by a ReShard Lee
ReShard Lee
ReShard Lee is an American football running back in the National Football League who is currently a free agent. He played college football for Middle Tennessee State University....
rush for a touchdown was their second drive of the game.
On another 1st Quarter Cardinal drive, Derrick Burgess
Derrick Burgess
Derrick Lee Burgess is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Mississippi....
tipped a Matt Leinart
Matt Leinart
Matthew Stephen Leinart , is an American professional football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League...
pass and the ball was intercepted by Terdell Sands
Terdell Sands
Terdell Sands is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
. This set up a one play drive in which Andrew Walter
Andrew Walter
Andrew Scott Walter is a former American football quarterback in National Football League. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft after playing college football at Arizona State....
tossed a 32 yard pass to Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
for their second touchdown.
After the teams traded field goals in the 2nd quarter, the Raiders defense stiffened in the 3rd . Michael Huff
Michael Huff
Michael Wayne Huff II. is an American Football Free Safety for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He played collegiately as a CB/S for The University of Texas Longhorns.-High school career:...
, the player the Raiders took instead of Leinart in April's draft, tackled running back Marcel Shipp
Marcel Shipp
Marcel Cornelius Shipp is an American football running back for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League. He played in the NFL from 2001-2008 for the Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2001, and played with them...
in the end zone for a safety. The safety was preceded by an incomplete pass and 2 consecutive sacks for losses by the Raiders defense.
Andrew Walter finished with 17 of 30 for 260 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT and left the game with a mild hamstring injury.
While containing the Cardinals to 9 points from field goals, the Raiders ended their 11-game losing streak dating back 364 days, to October 23, 2005 and finally got their first win of the season.
Week 8: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
at McAfee ColiseumMcAfee Coliseum
O.co Coliseum is a multi-purpose stadium, located in Oakland, California, in the Coliseum Industrial area...
, Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
On October 29, 2006, the Raiders hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
in Oakland on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. The color commentator for the game was former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon
Rich Gannon
Richard Joseph Gannon is a former football quarterback, who achieved most of his success late in his career with the Oakland Raiders in the National Football League...
.
The game was all defense as the Raiders' and Steelers' offenses struggled to gain yardage. It wasn't until the 4th quarter when the Steelers fought to come back from a 7-point deficit and got their yardage total to over 300.
Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
struggled to pass the ball, getting intercepted twice in the first quarter. Fabian Washington
Fabian Washington
-Oakland Raiders:During his rookie year he played all 16 games with 11 starts and recorded 40 tackles. In his second season with the Raiders, Washington started in all 14 games he played in and had 43 tackles and four interceptions . During his third season with the Raiders in 2007 he played in 15...
got his first career interception and Nnamdi Asomugha
Nnamdi Asomugha
Nnamdi Asomugha is an American cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders and played college football for the Golden Bears at the University of California, Berkeley...
got his third, which he returned for a touchdown to give the Raiders a 7–0 lead. The Steelers put up 6 points on two field goals in the second quarter. The Raiders then moved downfield in the final two minutes of the first half. The drive seemed promising after Raiders QB Andrew Walter
Andrew Walter
Andrew Scott Walter is a former American football quarterback in National Football League. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft after playing college football at Arizona State....
completed a 19-yard pass to Jerry Porter
Jerry Porter (football player)
Jerry Porter is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft, after playing college football at West Virginia...
. It was Porter's first catch of the season in his first game of the season. However the drive stalled and the Raiders settled for a field goal to end the half up 10–6.
The Raiders moved downfield to start the second half, with the help of two Steelers penalties. The drive also stalled and the Raiders settled for another field goal for a 13–6 lead. Raiders middle linebacker Kirk Morrison
Kirk Morrison
Kirk David Morrison is an American football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
got his second interception of the season (and his career) later in the game.
The Raiders offense completely struggled to move the ball and had several three and outs, mainly due to penalties and dropped passes (notably by Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
who got booed after his second dropped pass) and it looked like it would come back to haunt them as the Steelers moved down midway through the fourth quarter and it looked like they would surely tie the game. However, on third and goal, cornerback Chris Carr
Chris Carr (football player)
Chris Carr is an American football cornerback, punt returner, and kick returner for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
would intercept Roethlisberger's pass and return it 100 yards for a touchdown. It was the second longest interception return in Raiders history. This gave the Raiders a 20–6 lead. However they couldn't hold it long, as the Steelers quickly moved downfield and scored the only offensive touchdown of the game, a 25-yard completion to Willie Parker
Willie Parker
"Fast" Willie Everette Parker Jr. is an American football running back for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at North Carolina...
.
Despite the Raiders' offensive problems, they were on pace to have their first game without a turnover. That changed when Steelers LB Joey Porter
Joey Porter
Joseph "Joey" Eugene Porter is an American football linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Colorado State.A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Porter earned a...
intercepted an Andrew Walter pass at midfield. The Steelers again moved to the red zone. However the Raiders defense made an unbelievable effort and stopped the Steelers on four goal line situations giving the ball back to the Raiders offense with less than 2 minutes left. However a three-and-out gave the Steelers offense the ball back with 39 seconds left and a chance to tie the game. After a sack by Raiders DT Warren Sapp
Warren Sapp
Warren Carlos Sapp is a retired American football player who played defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders during his 13 year professional career, and college football for the University of Miami Hurricanes. He was then...
, Big Ben attempted a hail mary
Hail Mary pass
A Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary route in American football refers to any very long forward pass made in desperation with only a small chance of success, especially at or near the end of a half....
pass to Nate Washington
Nate Washington
Nate Washington is an American football wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
. The pass was complete, but Nate was tackled at the 4 yard line, short of the end zone as time ran out.
Walter only threw 5-for-14 for 51 yards. His five sacks made the net yardage 17 yards. It was the Raiders lowest offensive yardage (98 yards) in history that they came out victorious. With the win, the Raiders won back-to-back games for the first time since 2005, which also occurred in Weeks 7 and 8. They are now 2–5 after starting the season 0–5.
The Raiders are tied third in interceptions (10), doubling last year's total of 5 (an NFL record low in a 16 game season). However they are tied dead last in turnover ratio with −9. The defense is ranked #5 in the NFL. Contrast with the offense, which is dead last. The offense failed to score a TD in four of their seven games.
Interesting fact: It was the Steelers first visit to Oakland since December 1995. The Steelers clobbered the Raiders 29–10. Ironically, the only touchdown the Raiders scored that game was also on an interception return.
The Raiders move to 9–8 against the Steelers in regular season matchups. The Raiders are also now 4–2 (Since 2001) against opponents that were in the Super Bowl the previous season. Both losses came last year when they lost to the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
and the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
(both on the road). In 2004, the Raiders defeated the Super Bowl runner up Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
in Carolina, defeated the Patriots at home in 2002 and beat the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
at Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
in 2001.
Week 9: at Seattle Seahawks
at Qwest FieldQwest Field
CenturyLink Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It serves as the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer...
, Seattle, Washington
Hoping to continue building off of their two-game win streak, the Raiders flew to Qwest Field
Qwest Field
CenturyLink Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It serves as the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer...
for a Monday Night showdown with the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
. In the first quarter, Oakland's woes continued to haunt them as QB Seneca Wallace
Seneca Wallace
Seneca Isayha Wallace is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
completed a 22-yard TD pass to WR Deion Branch
Deion Branch
Anthony Deion Branch, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville.He has also played for the Seattle Seahawks...
and kicker Josh Brown kicked a 20-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Brown continued to make the Raiders visit terrible with a 25-yard field goal for the only score of the period. After a scoreless third quarter, Brown would put the game away with another 20-yard field goal.
This game marked the first time in Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
history that a team got shut out twice in one year. Also, QB Andrew Walter
Andrew Walter
Andrew Scott Walter is a former American football quarterback in National Football League. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft after playing college football at Arizona State....
got sacked 9 times and Oakland's overall offense was just 185 yards.
Week 10: vs. Denver Broncos
at McAfee ColiseumMcAfee Coliseum
O.co Coliseum is a multi-purpose stadium, located in Oakland, California, in the Coliseum Industrial area...
, Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
Trying to rebound from their Monday Night road loss to the Seahawks, the Raiders went home for an AFC West rematch with the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. In the first quarter, the Raiders struck first. Following an interception by cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha
Nnamdi Asomugha
Nnamdi Asomugha is an American cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders and played college football for the Golden Bears at the University of California, Berkeley...
, RB LaMont Jordan
LaMont Jordan
LaMont Damon Jordan is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
plunged in for a 1-yard TD run. The Broncos would respond with QB Jake Plummer
Jake Plummer
Jason Steven "Jake" Plummer is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State....
completing a 39-yard TD pass to Javon Walker
Javon Walker
Javon Lataff Walker is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers 20th overall of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State....
. In the second quarter, Oakland would regain the lead with kicker Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski is a left-footed Polish placekicker who plays for the National Football League's Oakland Raiders. He is nicknamed The Polish Cannon because he is considered to have one of the strongest kicking legs in the league, and leads the NFL in kickoffs for touchbacks. He lives in...
getting a 55-yard and a 20-yard field goal. However, after a scoreless third quarter, Denver would retake the lead and win with Plummer completing a 1-yard TD pass to FB Kyle Johnson and kicker Jason Elam
Jason Elam
Jason Elam is a retired American football placekicker. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Hawaii....
getting a 24-yard field goal. Despite a strong defensive effort, including two interceptions from cornerback Fabian Washington
Fabian Washington
-Oakland Raiders:During his rookie year he played all 16 games with 11 starts and recorded 40 tackles. In his second season with the Raiders, Washington started in all 14 games he played in and had 43 tackles and four interceptions . During his third season with the Raiders in 2007 he played in 15...
, the Raiders lost the game and fell to 2–7.
Week 11: at Kansas City Chiefs
at Arrowhead StadiumArrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium is a stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri and home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs....
, Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
Trying to rebound from two-straight losses, the Raiders flew to Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium is a stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri and home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs....
for a fierce AFC West fight with the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
. For this game, QB Aaron Brooks fully recovered from his earlier injuries and returned to the starting lineup. In the first quarter, Chiefs RB Larry Johnson got a 5-yard TD run, while the Raiders responded with kicker Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski is a left-footed Polish placekicker who plays for the National Football League's Oakland Raiders. He is nicknamed The Polish Cannon because he is considered to have one of the strongest kicking legs in the league, and leads the NFL in kickoffs for touchbacks. He lives in...
getting a 41-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Oakland had the Kansas City on the run with Janikowski kicking a 36-yard field goal and Brooks completing a 2-yard TD pass to TE Courtney Anderson
Courtney Anderson
Courtney Jerome Anderson is a former American football tight end. Born in Greenville, Texas, Anderson attended high school in Richmond, California and played college football at Contra Costa College and San Jose State University. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the...
. In the third quarter, the Chiefs came within three points with kicker Lawrence Tynes
Lawrence Tynes
Lawrence James Henry Tynes is an American football placekicker for the New York Giants. He was originally signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2001.-Early years:...
getting a 37-yard field goal for the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, Johnson delivered the death blow with a 1-yard TD run. With the loss, the Raiders fell to 2–8.
Week 12: at San Diego Chargers
at Qualcomm StadiumQualcomm Stadium
Qualcomm Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in San Diego, California, in the Mission Valley area....
, San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
Trying to end a three-game skid, the Raiders flew to Qualcomm Stadium
Qualcomm Stadium
Qualcomm Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in San Diego, California, in the Mission Valley area....
for an AFC West rematch with the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. After a scoreless first quarter, RB ReShard Lee
ReShard Lee
ReShard Lee is an American football running back in the National Football League who is currently a free agent. He played college football for Middle Tennessee State University....
helped the Raiders strike first with a 1-yard TD run. The Chargers would respond with RB LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tramayne Tomlinson is an American football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers fifth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas Christian.Tomlinson, often referred to by his initials, L...
with a 4-yard TD run. In the third quarter, Oakland got the lead with QB Aaron Brooks completing a 2-yard TD pass to rookie WR John Madsen for the only score of the period. However, in the fourth quarter, San Diego took control for the win, as Tomlinson threw a successful 19-yard TD pass to TE Antonio Gates
Antonio Gates
Antonio Gates is an American football tight end for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003 after playing college basketball at Kent State University...
on an HB Option. Afterwards, Tomlinson would end the game with a 10-yard TD run. With the loss, the Raiders fell to 2–9.
Week 13: vs. Houston Texans
at McAfee ColiseumMcAfee Coliseum
O.co Coliseum is a multi-purpose stadium, located in Oakland, California, in the Coliseum Industrial area...
, Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
Trying to end a four-game losing streak, the Raiders went home for a Week 13 fight with the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. In the first quarter, Oakland trailed early with DB Demarcus Faggins
Demarcus Faggins
DeMarcus Faggins is an American football cornerback for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
returning a fumble 58 yards for a touchdown, along with the score of the period. In the second quarter, the Raiders climbed back into the game and into the lead with RB Justin Fargas
Justin Fargas
Justin Fargas is an American football running back who is a Free Agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
' 3-yard TD run, along with MLB Kirk Morrison
Kirk Morrison
Kirk David Morrison is an American football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
returning a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown. In the third quarter, Oakland's lead vanished with RB Wali Lundy
Wali Lundy
Wali Sultan Lundy is a rapper and former American football running back who played for the National Football League. He is currently a free agent. Lundy was drafted in round six, pick 1 of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at the University of Virginia...
's 3-yard TD run for the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, the Texans wrapped up the game with kicker Kris Brown
Kris Brown
Kristopher "Kris" Clayton Brown is an American football placekicker who is currently a free agent.He was originally drafted in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the first six years of his NFL career, he has converted 132 of 173 field goals and scored 573 points...
nailing a 42-yard, a 47-yard, and a 39-yard field goal. The Oakland Raiders secondary (which is ranked #1 in the NFL) held the Texans to −5 yards passing, yet the Raiders were unable to pull out the win. With their fifth-straight loss, the Raiders fell to 2–10.
Week 14: at Cincinnati Bengals
at Paul Brown StadiumPaul Brown Stadium
Paul Brown Stadium is an American sports stadium located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home venue of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. It opened on August 19, 2000. The stadium was named after Bengals' founder Paul Brown. The stadium is located on approximately of land and...
, Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
Trying to snap a five-game losing streak, the Raiders flew to Paul Brown Stadium
Paul Brown Stadium
Paul Brown Stadium is an American sports stadium located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home venue of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. It opened on August 19, 2000. The stadium was named after Bengals' founder Paul Brown. The stadium is located on approximately of land and...
for a Week 14 fight with the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
. On the third play of the game, QB Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer is an American professional football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002...
was intercepted by cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha
Nnamdi Asomugha
Nnamdi Asomugha is an American cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders and played college football for the Golden Bears at the University of California, Berkeley...
, only for the Raiders to fumble the ball on the next play from scrimmage. In the first quarter, the Raiders trailed early as QB Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer is an American professional football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002...
completing an 8-yard TD pass to WR Chris Henry, while RB Rudi Johnson
Rudi Johnson
Burudi Ali "Rudi" Johnson is a former American football running back who played professionally from 2001 - 2008. Rudi was born in Petersburg, Virginia approximately 30 miles south of Richmond. His first name "Burudi" is Swahili and means "cool'" and his middle name "Ali" represented his family's...
got a 1-yard TD run. In the second quarter, following another interception by Asomugha, Oakland managed to get on the board with kicker Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski is a left-footed Polish placekicker who plays for the National Football League's Oakland Raiders. He is nicknamed The Polish Cannon because he is considered to have one of the strongest kicking legs in the league, and leads the NFL in kickoffs for touchbacks. He lives in...
getting a 33-yard field goal for the only score of the period. In the third quarter, Cincinnati's dominance continued with Rudi getting a 6-yard TD run, while Palmer hooked up with WR T. J. Houshmandzadeh
T. J. Houshmandzadeh
T. J. Houshmandzadeh, Jr. is an American football wide receiver who currently plays for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon State. Houshmandzadeh is of mixed...
for a 20-yard TD strike, which was followed up with a missed PAT. In the fourth quarter, the only form of a comeback the Raiders could do was QB Aaron Brooks completing a 5-yard TD pass to WR Ronald Curry
Ronald Curry
Ronald Antonio Curry is an American football wide receiver, currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft after playing college football at North Carolina....
. With their sixth-straight loss, the Raiders fell to 2–11.
Week 15: vs. St. Louis Rams
at McAfee ColiseumMcAfee Coliseum
O.co Coliseum is a multi-purpose stadium, located in Oakland, California, in the Coliseum Industrial area...
, Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
Trying to end a six-game losing streak, the Raiders went home for an interconference fight with the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
(who, just like the Raiders, used to play in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
). After a scoreless first quarter, Oakland's struggles continued as Rams' kicker Jeff Wilkins
Jeff Wilkins
For the American basketball player, see Jeff Wilkins .Jeffrey Allen Wilkins nicknamed "Money" is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and St Louis Rams. He played college football at Youngstown State University...
nailed a 24-yard and a 34-yard field goal. In the third quarter, the Raiders' problems continued with RB Stephen Jackson
Stephen Jackson
Stephen Jesse Jackson is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks. Jackson is a 6'8" guard-forward.-Early life, high school, and college:Jackson was born in Houston and grew up in Port Arthur, Texas...
getting a 4-yard TD run for the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, St. Louis wrapped up the game with Jackson getting a 19-yard TD run. With their seventh-straight loss, the Raiders fell to 2–12.
This marked the third time this season that the Raiders got shut out.
Week 16: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
at McAfee ColiseumMcAfee Coliseum
O.co Coliseum is a multi-purpose stadium, located in Oakland, California, in the Coliseum Industrial area...
, Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
Trying to end a seven-game skid, the Raiders played their final home game of the season against the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
in an AFC West rematch on Saturday night. In the first quarter, Oakland struck first with kicker Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski is a left-footed Polish placekicker who plays for the National Football League's Oakland Raiders. He is nicknamed The Polish Cannon because he is considered to have one of the strongest kicking legs in the league, and leads the NFL in kickoffs for touchbacks. He lives in...
getting a 25-yard field goal. However, the Chiefs responded with QB Trent Green
Trent Green
Trent Jason Green is a retired professional American football quarterback. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Indiana University....
's 6-yard TD pass to WR Eddie Kennison
Eddie Kennison
Edward Joseph "Eddie" Kennison, III is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams 18th overall in the 1996 NFL Draft...
, along with kicker Lawrence Tynes
Lawrence Tynes
Lawrence James Henry Tynes is an American football placekicker for the New York Giants. He was originally signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2001.-Early years:...
' 29-yard field goal. In the second quarter, the Raiders responded with Janikowski's 37-yard field goal. Unfortunately, K.C. RB Larry Johnson got a 1-yard TD run. In the third quarter, Oakland managed to get the only score of the period with Janikowski's 53-yard field goal. However, the Chiefs wrapped the game up in the fourth quarter with Tynes' 28-yard field goal. With their eighth-straight loss, the Raiders fell to 2–13. Also with the loss, they lost 13 games for the first time since 1961 and it even marked the first time in Raiders history that they lost eight consecutive games to one team (the Chiefs).
Some of causes to Oakland's loss came from five turnovers (two interceptions and three lost fumbles), continuous penalty problems (6 penalties for 45 yards), and a year-long lack of offense.
Week 17: at New York Jets
at Giants StadiumGiants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
, East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
Trying to end their disastrous season on a high note, the Raiders flew to The Meadowlands
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
for a Week 17 fight with the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. In the first quarter, more of Oakland's lacklusterness flowered as Jets QB Chad Pennington
Chad Pennington
James Chadwick "Chad" Pennington is an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for ten years. He is currently a football analyst with FOX Sports though he plans to return to playing after recovering from an injury...
completed a 1-yard TD pass to TE Chris Baker for the only score of the period. In the second quarter, the Raiders got their only score of the game with kicker Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski is a left-footed Polish placekicker who plays for the National Football League's Oakland Raiders. He is nicknamed The Polish Cannon because he is considered to have one of the strongest kicking legs in the league, and leads the NFL in kickoffs for touchbacks. He lives in...
nailing a 35-yard field goal. Afterwards, offensive struggles continued to haunt the Raiders as kicker Mike Nugent
Mike Nugent
Mike Nugent is an American football placekicker for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
nailed a 35-yard field goal. Then, in the second half, New York wrapped up the game Nugent's 22-yard field goal in the third quarter, along with RB Leon Washington
Leon Washington
Leon Washington is an American football running back for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State. He is married to Charity Washington with whom he has a son...
's 15-yard TD run and Nugent's 35-yard field goal. With the loss and the Lions win over the Cowboys, Oakland ended up at 2–14, along with the first pick in the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
.
Fallout
Despite the Raiders' pathetic showing on offense, the defense jumped from 27th in 2005 to 3rd place out of 32 NFL teams. The Raiders also had eight halftime leads, including their two wins as well as five 4th quarter leads (Arizona, Pittsburgh, Denver, @ Kansas City, @ San Diego).On January 4, 2007, Shell was released from his position as head coach, joining Red Conkright
Red Conkright
Red Conkright was the third head coach of the American Football League's Oakland Raiders. He took over the team on October 16, 1962, following the firing of Marty Feldman. Under Conkright, the Raiders posted a 1-8 record. He was replaced in 1963 by Al Davis.He was born William Frank Conkright...
and Joe Bugel
Joe Bugel
Joseph John 'Buges' Bugel was the Offensive line coach for the Washington Redskins from 1981 to 1989 and from 2004 to 2009...
as the only coaches in franchise history to be fired after only one season as head coach. Shell was fired despite owner Al Davis
Al Davis
Allen "Al" Davis was an American football executive. He was the principal owner of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League from 1970 to 2011...
saying a year ago that it was a mistake to fire Shell in 1994.