Carolina 17 — Oakland 6
Live Blog Recap — Laurence Scott, Oakland
Another week without a touchdown at home results in another loss to a visiting NFC South team as the Oakland Raiders drop another offensively-challenged game — this time to the visiting Carolina Panthers 17-6.
The Raiders defense did its best to keep it close, using a much more aggressive approach against the Panthers than we saw last Sunday with Atlanta here in Oakland.
One bright spot… Sebastian Janikowski is now Oakland’s all-time leading scorer with 865 career points.
He passed George Blanda with a 45-yard FG at 8:55 in the 3rd Quarter.
###
Carolina QB Jake Delhomme had a nightmarish day, picked four times — twice by safety Rashad Baker, in the second and third quarters.
In the first quarter, Delhomme was victimized by corner Nnamdi Asomugha… (it was Nnamdi’s first pick of the year — noteworthy, considering he’s only faced around 20 passes to his side of the field this season)… and in the third quarter linebacker Sam Williams nabbed a ball that bounced off a Carolina receiver.
###
To start the second half… Baker’s interception of Delhomme resulted in a 38-yard Janikowski FG.
To that point, the Raiders offense had been shutout for 7 straight quarters (going back to the game in Baltimore).
###
An electric touchdown blast by Carolina running back DeAngelo Williams — 69 yards to the Black Hole end zone with 3 minutes left in the half gave the Panthers a two TD lead at the break.
###
The Raiders tried throwing it deep… Andrew Walter’s arm not the question in single coverage… just positioning by the receivers — one bomb was just out of reach for Ashley Lelie… another long heave to Javon Walker was even closer… but Walker couldn’t reel it in.
Another, much more costly miss, came as Panthers corner Richard Marshall picked off Walter in the end zone with 5:34 in the first quarter after the Raiders started on the Carolina 39 following Asomugha’s pick.
###
Late in the first quarter, LT Kwame Harris came to the rescue (momentarily, that is… he was lifted in the 2nd Q for Mario Henderson)… as Andrew Walter was lit up by Julius Peppers… fumbled… but Harris plucked it out of the air for the recovery. Best use of his hands this season.
###
Raiders were on the move on their first drive, but punted… It took just two plays for the Raiders to get a first down… last week it took over two quarters.
Ugly opening kickoff… Raiders return man Johnnie Lee Higgins fumbled the ball away at the Oakland 16… thus, the Panthers set up shop in the red zone and scored four plays later on a Jake Delhomme to Muhsin Muhammad 3 yard TD pass.
###
The pregame story in Oakland was who would not be playing for the Raiders.
Quarterback JaMarcus Russell, running back Darren McFadden, wide receiver Ronald Curry and defensive end Derrick Burgess headlining the inactive list.
