FLASH RECAP:
Darren Sproles' 5-yard touchdown run with 18 seconds remaining elevates visiting San Diego to a victory over Oakland in their 2009 season opener Sept. 14, the Chargers' 12th consecutive win over the arch rival Raiders.
The former American Football League teams combine for 21 points in the final 7:22 before a revved-up announced sellout crowd at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
Philip Rivers engineers his 10th fourth-quarter comeback by leading the Chargers to touchdowns on their final two drives. After a Rivers TD pass puts San Diego head 17-13, Oakland responds on a 57-yard scoring pass from JaMarcus Russell to Louis Murphy on fourth-and-14 with 2:34 remaining.
On San Diego's final drive, Rivers dissects the Oakland defense on 6-of-7 passing for 79 yards to set up Sproles' game-winner.
The prime-time game isn't without controversy as a 19-yard TD catch by Murphy with 50 seconds left in the first half is overturned by referee Carl Cheffers. The TV replay shows Murphy losing the ball after hitting the turf.
"I had no idea I lost the ball, honestly," Murphy tells reporters after Oakland opens a season with a loss for the seventh straight season. "I came down and when I was pushing myself up, that’s the only time I really felt the ball come out, when I was getting up to celebrate. All my teammates said they thought it was a touchdown; both feet and my rear end land in the end zone."
Raiders coach Tom Cable tells reporters: "I'm disappointed. (Murphy) came down with both feet, his rear end hit the ground and the ball came out. (Cheffers) said he has to come down on the ground with possession of the ball. I don't believe that's the rule, but we'll see."
Instead of a 14-7 lead, Oakland settles for the first of two Sebastian Janikowski field goals and a 10-7 advantage.
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS:
QB Philip Rivers — Is 6-for-7 passing for 79 yards on the Chargers’ game-winning drive. On his final two drives, Rivers completes 10 of 12 passes for 142 yards, throws for a touchdown and sets up Darren Sproles’ 5-yard scoring run with 18 seconds left.
RB/KR/PR Darren Sproles — His game-winning 5-yard TD run caps a Herculean effort. He finishes with 246 all-purpose yards: 9 rushes for 23 yards, five receptions for 43 yards, three punt returns for 10 yards and five kickoff returns for 170 yards.
WR Vincent Jackson — His 15-yard TD catch with 7:22 left erases a 13-10 Chargers deficit. Jackson is one of four Chargers with five receptions.
WR Louis Murphy — Has four catches for 87 yards and a TD in his NFL debut. His 19-yard TD catch late in the first half is overturned.
DE Richard Seymour — Has two of three Oakland sacks in his Raiders debut.
RBs Darren McFadden & Michael Bush — They combine for 123 rushing yards on 29 carries.
GOAT:
New Oakland defensive coordinator John Marshall has his unit playing prevent defense on San Diego’s final possession. Facing soft coverage, Philip Rivers is 6-of-7 passing for 79 yards as the Chargers drive 89 yards for the winning touchdown.
KEY STATS:
LaDainian Tomlinson has 55 of the Chargers' 77 rushing yards. In 19 previous career games against Oakland, L.T. rushed for 1,906 yards and 19 TDs.
Oakland’s JaMarcus Russell is 12-of-30 passing for 208 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions for an abysmal 47.6 quarterback rating. At one point, Russell has eight straight incompletions.
The Raiders out-gain the Chargers 217-74 in the first half, but the teams are tied 10-all at halftime.
Tomlinson’s lost fumble during the first quarter is his first since Oct. 22, 2006 against Kansas City.
THEY SAID IT:
Raiders DE Richard Seymour
"We had them and they drove it down on us. Defensively, you can’t win games like that, but I am encouraged by what I saw."
"We didn't play as well as we should have. But who says in this league you're supposed to win by a certain amount of points? We just battled.”
Chargers QB Philip Rivers
"I’ve been here since 2007 and this is the first time we’ve lost a game that we really felt in our gut. And that’s a good thing."
Raiders coach Tom Cable
BY THE NUMBERS:
6-31: Raiders win-loss record against AFC West opposition the past 37 games.
7-0: Philip Rivers' win-loss record against Oakland as a San Diego starter.
11: Consecutive Raiders losses in prime-time games.
96: Career-high receiving yards for Raiders TE Zach Miller on 6 catches.
DID YOU KNOW?:
The Raiders drop their seventh straight game on Monday Night Football, including four in a row in Oakland.
Oakland DE Greg Ellis (99) hits San Diego's
LaDainian Tomlinson, forcing a fumble.
By Paul Sakuma/Associated Press
09-15-2009
