NFL Week 7 Arizona Cardinals, 24 – Oakland Raiders, 13
Beginning the day with a 0-5 record, nobody had to tell the Raiders that their season was on the line. Only one team in the 2013 playoffs had seven losses. None had eight. If ever there was a time to win, this would be a good time to start. Oakland won the coin toss and elected to receive…unfortunately they got more than they bargained for.
The first quarter pitted the Oakland offense against a strong Arizona defense which permitted only 4 yards and 7 yards in the Raiders first two possessions. But the Cardinals’ offense experienced no such malaise. After a brief first possession, they drove 88 yards on their second series to a touchdown. Quarterback Carson Palmer lobbed a short, 2-yard pass to Stephan Taylor for 6 and Chandler Catanzaro’s extra point made it 7-0.
In the second quarter – and following a Derek Carr sack which pinned the Raiders back at their own 9 – the fourth down punt handed Arizona excellent field position at the 50. It took only three plays for Palmer and company to find the end zone and claim a 14 point margin.
This prompted the Raiders to bounce right back with a score of their own as Derek Carr threw a beautiful bomb to Brice Butler for a 55 yard gain followed shortly by a Darren McFadden one yard rush for the score. Sebastian Janikowski provided the extra point to make it 14-7, Cardinals. The silver and black were on their way back.
Still in the second quarter, Charles Woodson’s interception of Carson Palmer’s pass intended for Cardinal John Carlson…and his 30-yard return…brought the raiders to within 13 yards of yet another score with 1:40 remaining. One 2-yard rush and two incomplete passes later, Janikowski booted the field goal to tighten the gap to 14-10. At halftime it seemed that a win was still within reach.
Oakland’s first possession in the third quarter closed the gap to 14-13 when, after a 49-yard drive, Janikowski struck again with a crushing 53-yard field goal. This left 7:17 on the clock.
The Cardinals’ next series was critical. They played it as if they were already ahead by two touchdowns and were simply running out the clock…by switching to a running game. Credit Arizona’s Andre Ellington for his 5,16,4,13,5 and 6 yard carries. Stepfan Taylor’s 4-yard touchdown rush made it 21-14 with 2:55 remaining.
Was there time for the Raiders to come back? Yes. But on their next three possessions, Oakland was unable to move the ball beyond their own 50. The minutes ticked by as the inevitability loomed. Arizona’s final drive in the fourth quarter to a 41-yard field goal to make it 24-13 was, by now, an afterthought.
Oakland now faces a week by week sudden death / playoff elimination challenge. At 0-6, the next game will either be the start of the greatest comeback in franchise history or a season-ender.