FLASH RECAP:
Running backs Charlie Garner and Tyrone Wheatley (above) combine for 182 yards rushing and two touchdowns to help Oakland defeat Arizona before an announced crowd of 58,814 fans at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. on Nov. 24, 2002. In winning their third straight, the Raiders (7-4) never trail and have a season-high 520 total yards. Rich Gannon throws for 340 yards and three touchdowns.
Despite a three-touchdown victory, the Raiders have a flawed performance. They commit 13 penalties for 105 yards and surrender 132 yards rushing. Two Oakland's penalties negate touchdowns by Garner and Tim Brown.
Quarterback Jake Plummer (two touchdown passes, two interceptions) has another erratic performance for Arizona, which suffers its fifth straight loss. In the first quarter, Jake The Snake is 0-for-4 passing, loses a fumble and throws an interception. The Raiders score touchdowns after the Cardinals' first two turnovers to build a 14-0 advantage. Running back Marcel Shipp rushes for a career-high 135 yards for Arizona (4-7).
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS:
RB Charlie Garner - Rushes for 100 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. Two more carries for 22 yards and a second touchdown are negated by penalty. Garner also has five catches for 82 yards.
QB Rich Gannon - Completes 27 of 45 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns.
WR Jerry Poter - He beats Arizona CB Duane Starks for 7- and 14-yard touchdown catches. After his first score, Porter races for the goal post, leaps and dunks the football over the crossbar.
WR Jerry Rice - Catches seven passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. Rice abuses Arizona SS Adrian Wilson on a 37-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter.
LB Eric Barton - Has 11 tackles (eight solo) and his interception sets up Oakland's second touchdown, an 8-yard run by Charlie Garner.
RB Marcel Shipp - Rushes for 135 yards on 16 carries in his first NFL start. "We made him look like a star," Oakland CB Charles Woodson tells reporters after the game.
WR Arnold Jackson - Contributes his first NFL touchdown on an 11-yard pass from Jake Plummer early in the fourth quarter.
SS Kwamie Lassiter - Has 10 total tackles (five solo), an interception and two passes defensed.
KEY STAT:
Oakland rushes for 187 yards, its first 100-yard performance in seven weeks and only third of the season.
GOAT:
Cardinals defense. The Raiders gain 520 total yards, Rich Gannon throws for 340 yards and three touchdowns and Charlie Garner and Tyrone Wheatley each average 6.3 yards rushing on a combined 19 carries.
TURNING POINT:
Oakland scores 17 unanswered points in the third quarter to build a 38-14 advantage. The Raiders open the second half with a 62-yard, 11-play drive that ends with Tyrone Wheatley's 2-yard touchdown run. On Oakland's next possession, Rich Gannon throws a 37-yard scoring pass to Jerry Rice. Sebastian Janikowski kicks a 37-yard field goal three plays after a 14-yard touchdown pass from Rich Gannon to Tim Brown is negated because of an offside penalty on Jerry Porter.
BY THE NUMBERS:
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4: Receptions needed by the Raiders' Tim Brown to become only the third player in league history (Jerry Rice & Cris Carter are the others) with 1,000 career catches.
13: Rushing yards by Arizona's Marcel Shipp in the second half, who gains 122 rushing yards in the first half.
87: Rushing yards by Oakland's Tyrone Wheatley, his most productive showing in 30 games.
340: Yards passing by Oakland's Rich Gannon, his eighth 300-yard performance this season (one shy of the league record shared by Dan Marino, Warren Moon & Kurt Warner).
THEY SAID IT:
Raiders WR Tim Brown
"We did what we needed to do. We obviously didn't play a perfect game."
"It is frustrating and I know guys are upset. I wish I could say something that would make everything better, but there is nothing that can be said."
Cardinals DT Russell Davis
DID YOU KNOW?:
With 13 penalties for 105 yards against the Cardinals, the Raiders exceed 100 penalty yards for the fifth time this season. The most galling infraction is 12 men on the field late in the second quarter on an Arizona punt. Because it's fourth-and-three, the penalty gives the Cardinals a first down, and they go on to score their second touchdown.
The Raiders' Tyrone Wheatley (47) gains yards against the Cardinals.
By Associated Press
