FLASH RECAP:
Zack Crockett and Jerry Rice score touchdowns to help Oakland (4-10) defeat Baltimore (8-6) before an announced crowd of 45,398 at Network Associates Coliseum on Dec. 14, 2003.
Oakland's maligned defense forces three turnovers, allows only 12 pass completions and holds NFL-rushing leader Jamal Lewis to 125 yards on 24 carries. The Raiders enter the game ranked 29th in total defense and 31st aginst the run.
"The effort that we gave on the field today and the way we generated turnovers just speaks volumes for the pride we got in that (locker) room," Raiders coach Bill Callahan tells reporters after Oakland ends a three-game losing streak.
The Raiders never trail after Crockett scores on a 1-yard run set up by Phillip Buchanon's 29-yard interception return on the Ravens' opening drive. Rick Mirer throws a 21-yard TD pass to Rice to increase Oakland's lead to 17-6 with 1 minute, 20 seconds left in the second quarter. Sebastian Janikowski adds field goals of 37 and 23 yards for Oakland, which had lost eight of its past nine games.
Matt Stover kicks field goals of 32 and 28 yards and Todd Heap has 13-yard TD reception for the Ravens, who averaged 39.7 points in winning their three previous games.
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS:
WR Jerry Rice - Gives the Raiders a 17-6 lead late in the first half on a 21-yard TD catch on third-and-7. Rice also has a 17-yard catch on third-and-15 late in the game.
CB Phillip Buchanon - His 29-yard interception return on the game's third play sets up Zack Crockett's 1-yard TD run.
DT Rod Coleman - Has two of the Raiders three sacks on Ravens QB Anthony Wright.
P Shane Lechler - Averages 43.4 yards on nine punts. After his 59-yard punt is negated by an Oakland face mask penalty with 1:45 remaining, Lechler booms a 54-yarder to the Baltimore 21.
OLB Napoleon Harris - Forces an Anthony Wright fumble after the Ravens advance to the Raiders 27-yard line early in the fourth quarter. Harris also contributes a team-high seven tackles (four solo).
RB Jamal Lewis - Rushes for 125 yards on 24 carries, but he doesn't impact the outcome.
TE Todd Heap - His 13-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter narrows the Ravens' deficit to 17-12. Heap finishes with a game-high six catches for 93 yards.
K Matt Stover - Hits first-half field goals of 32 and 28 yards to extend his streak to 21 straight, but his 50-yard attempt falls inches short of the crossbar with four seconds left in the second quarter.
KEY STAT:
The Raiders score 10 points off two Ravens turnovers - a first-quarter interception by Anthony Wright and Wright's fourth-quarter lost fumble.
TURNING POINT:
After DE Tyler Brayton recovers a fumble by Ravens QB Anthony Wright at the Oakland 32 four minutes into the fourth quarter, the Raiders drive 63 yards to set up Sebastian Janikowski's 23-yard field goal for a 20-12 Oakland lead.
BY THE NUMBERS:
0: Catches for Ravens WR Marcus Robinson, who had six TD receptions the past three games.
1: Touchdown catches for Raiders WR Jerry Rice, who had one TD catch the previous 13 games this season.
45,398: Announced attendance at Network Associates Coliseum, the smallest for a Raiders home game since 44,716 fans watched Oakland beat Seattle 30-21 Dec. 5, 1999.
THEY SAID IT:
Ravens CB Chris McAlister
"I hate to lose to anybody. And to lose to a 3-10 team is ridiculous, to tell you the truth."
"It feels good to get a win, but you just wonder where that's been. It should have been this way a long time ago."
Raiders CB Charles Woodson
"This was a capable Raiders team, playing at home with their season over, and they came out fighting. They played pretty much mistake-free and we didn't. Simple as that. In this league, anytime you give people things, early and they capitalize, you can get beat."
Ravens LB Ray Lewis
DID YOU KNOW?:
The Raiders get their first-ever victory over the Ravens in four tries. The Ravens beat host Oakland 16-3 in the 2000 AFC Championship Game after winning regular-season meetings in 1996 (19-14) and 1998 (13-10), both in Baltimore.
Raiders safety Derrick Gibson, back,
sacks Ravens quarterback Anthony Wright (2).
