The taking of San Francisco
The odds makers and everyone except a small group of committed professionals thought this would be a blow-out. How on earth could a 1 and 11 Oakland Raiders team hope to vanquish their cross-Bay, 7 & 5 San Francisco 49er rivals? By out-playing them of course.
On the very first play of their first possession, the 49er play-callers gambled on a long pass to Michael Crabtree…a bold move. They sought to establish the tone of the game. Be careful what you wish for boys. Unfortunately, Colin Kaepernick’s pass did not reach his intended receiver. Instead, the Raider’s Brandian Ross snagged the interception and continued out of bounds giving Oakland the ball at mid-field.
Oakland’s Derek Carr took the wheel and drove to the SF 28-yard line by running and with a short pass of Mardel Reece. It was as if Oakland was running San Francisco’s playbook. Were it not for a 15-yard penalty which forced a retreat to the SF 39, the drive might have ended in a touchdown. It was left to Sebastian Janikowski to make a 57-yard field goal to put the Raiders up 3-0.
After equally dismal possessions (with Oakland wallowing near their own 20), a Raider punt placed the 49ers near mid-field at the SF 40. The 49ers responded with what was their finest series of the game with a seven play, 60-yard drive to the end zone. Passes to Vernon Davis, Anquan Boldin and Bruce Miller along with rushing by Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde cut through the Oakland defense. With Phil Dawson’s extra point, the 49ers felt back on track with a 7-3 lead.
Having proved – at least to themselves – that the 49er’s defense could be breached, the Raider’s next possession set about proving the point. Utilizing a balance of rushing by Latavius Murray and Marcel Reece and passing from Carr to Vincent Brown, Mychal Rivera and Latavius Murray, it took 11 plays, but the silver and black forced their way through the opposition to the end zone. Now with a 10-7 lead, their demeanor changed. No more would they be disregarded. On this day, they had demonstrated that they were equals.
I’m sure both teams were shocked…but for different reasons. The rest of the second half played out as if an impenetrable wall was present at the 50-yard line…except for a last minute 49er drive which yielded a 52-yard field goal as time ran out. With the score even at 10-10, both teams retired to the locker rooms.
The third quarter began for Oakland with an all-too-familiar inability to advance the ball. Their punt, which sailed to the SF 31 and was returned by Bruce Ellington to the Oakland 46, gave the 49ers the starting position they needed. But all that San Francisco could manage with a Phil Dawson field goal to regain the lead 13-10.
Oakland’s offense returned to work beginning at their own 20. Could they do it again? Yes they could. That same pattern of short passes and short runs proved San Francisco’s undoing. Receivers Andre Holmes, Marcel Reece and Mychal Rivera found the places the defenders were not. It was now Oakland’s lead, 17-13.
San Francisco’s response? A three-play drive that went no-where. Oakland’s response? If it worked last time….maybe we could do the same thing…and it did. In 11 plays and spanning 80 yards, the Raiders again found the end zone making it 24-13 with 10:43 left.
Now if you have followed the 49ers this season, this will seem an all-too-familiar position for the team to be in. Down about the same number of points and with about the same amount of time left on the clock. And the outcomes have hinged on what San Francisco’s offense can create…which in turn has depended on how Colin Kaepernick plays.
So it began with a feeling of hope when San Francisco started at their own 20 and moved down the field with measured yet relative ease. Passes and Runs. The tick, tick, tick of the well-oiled machine…that is, up until the Oakland 25 yard line. Oakland’s defense dug in – halting the Niners in their tracks and forcing a field goal attempt. When Phil Dawson’s kick veered wide left, it was not a good sign.
With 5:03 left it was still a bit early for running out the clock. But Oakland couldn’t buy a first down. The punt to San Francisco positioned the 49ers on their 23 with 3:22 remaining. There was still time.
On first down, Kaepernick was sacked for a loss of 5. On second down, the short pass to Michael Crabtree was incomplete. On third down a short pass up the middle intended for Vernon Davis instead found the hands of veteran Charles Woodson. 1, 2 and 3 – it was now Oakland’s ball.
To the ground they went, running out the clock. A first down extended the effort somewhat but the Raiders were obliged to run over the ball on downs with 31 seconds remaining. The 9-yard sack on the final play of the game only highlighted the ignominy (for SF)/exaltation (for Oakland).