FLASH RECAP:
Bruce Gradkowski throws an 11-yard touchdown pass to Louis Murphy with 11 seconds remaining to lift Oakland (4-8) to a stunning victory over defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburg (6-6) before an announced crowd of 61,820 at Heinz Field on Dec. 6, 2009.
Gradkowski, a Pittsburgh native, becomes the first Raiders quarterback to throw three fourth-quarter touchdown passes since Ken "The Snake" Stabler in 1979.
The Raiders and Steelers combine for five touchdowns during the game's final 8 minutes, 21 seconds.
Gradkowski finishes 20-of-33 passing for 308 yards and three TDs. In two previous career starts against the Steelers in Pittsburgh, the former Toledo star had no TD passes and five interceptions.
After the Steelers take a 24-20 lead on a Ben Roethlisberger 11-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward with 1:56 left, a poised Gradkowski engineers an 88-yard, 10-play drive culminated by his third TD pass of the fourth quarter.
On the game's final play from midfield, Roethlisberger's Hail Mary pass is knocked down by Raiders safety Hiram Eugene in the end zone as time expires.
"That was so exciting, I can't even put into words how I feel," Gradkowski tells reporters after Oakland ends a four-game road losing streak.
"My past four years, some ups and some downs, and this is the most exciting game I have been a part of. It was just very exciting it came down to the end and it was good because it was a team win."
The Raiders' Murphy has four catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns, all in the fourth quarter, as Oakland rallies for victory for the second time in three games.
The Steelers lose their fourth straight game for the first time since 2003.
Pittsburgh can't hold a fourth-quarter lead for the fifth time in six games this season. Oakland erases deficits of 10-6, 17-13 and 24-20.
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS:
QB Bruce Gradkowski — Throws for 308 yards and three TDs with no interceptions and a passer rating of 121.8. Through the season's first 11 games, Oakland had only five TD passes.
WR Louis Murphy — Has 75-yard and 11-yard TD catches during the final 5:28. On Oakland's final drive, Murphy has receptions of 19 and 17 yards to set up his 11-yard game-winning TD catch.
S Hiram Eugene — Bats away a Ben Roethlisberger pass in the end zone on the game's final play. Eugene also makes a leaping, one-handed interception of a Roethlisberger pass in the end zone that stops a promising Pittsburgh drive late in the first half.
QB Ben Roethlisberger — Is 18-of-24 passing for 278 yards and two TDs. Big Ben engineers two touchdown drives during the final quarter as Pittsburgh erases 13-10 and 20-17 deficits.
WR Santonio Holmes — Has eight receptions for 149 yards and a TD.
RB Rashard Mendenhall — Contributes 103 rushing yards on 20 carries. His 3-yard TD run with 7:13 left gives Pittsburgh a 17-13 lead.
KEY STATS:
The Raiders score 27 points against Pittsburgh after totaling only 49 points during the season's first five road games.
The Raiders have 109 rushing yards on 28 attempts. The Steelers enter the game ranked first in the NFL against the run, allowing 74.9 yards per game.
Raiders wide receivers combine for 12 catches for 248 yards and three TDs — led by Louis Murphy (4 receptions, 128 yards, 2 TDs), Johnnie Lee Higgins (4 receptions, 63 yards), Chaz Schillens (3 receptions, 45 yards, 1 TD) and Todd Watkins (1 reception, 12 yards).
The Raiders are 2-for-2 on fourth-down conversions. The first leads to a Sebastian Janikowski 43-yard field goal in the second quarter and the second leads to a Chaz Schillens 17-yard TD catch in the fourth quarter.
THEY SAID IT:
Raiders WR Todd Watkins
"Our receivers coach (Sanjay Lal) gave us a message, and he brought up the Miracle on Ice, Buster Douglas knocking out (Mike) Tyson, and things that were just unbelievable but the people that did it believed they could."
"I can't even describe how frustrating it is right now to be 6-6. We thought we'd be doing a lot better at this point. But we are what our record says we are."
Steelers LB James Farrior
"The boys went in there and ran it hard. I don’t think anyone has ran for 100 yards against them in a long time, so that’s a big accomplishment for us. That’s a great time and that’s what we want to get back to, the old tradition of the Raiders and Steelers. I know people watched."
Raiders OT Cornell Green
“It was a shootout in the fourth quarter. They hit us, we hit them again, they hit us back, at the end we hit them with that one last blow to win the game. Nobody panicked.”
Raiders MLB Kirk Morrison
BY THE NUMBERS:
2: Touchdown catches for Raiders WR Louis Murphy, equaling his TD receptions during the first nine games of his NFL Career.
14: Combined catches by Pittsburgh's Santonio Holmes (eight receptions) and Hines Ward for 226 yards and two TDs.
35: Combined points by Oakland and Pittsburgh during the final 8:21.
DID YOU KNOW?:
For only the third time in NFL history, and the second time during the 2009 season, a game features five go-ahead touchdowns during the fourth quarter. The others: Dolphins 31, Jets 27 on Oct. 12, 2009 and Giants 31, Cardinals 28 on Nov. 4, 1962.
The Raiders improve to 5-4 against the Steelers in regular-season games in Pittsburgh. Oakland is 0-2 against the Steelers in playoffs games in Pittsburgh.
