NFL Recap (Oakland-Arizona)
Posted: Sun October 4, 1998 at 9:59 p.m. EDT
OAKLAND 23, ARIZONA 20
TEMPE, Arizona (Ticker) - Jeff George and Napolean
Kaufman did not finish the game after suffering injuries, but Charles Woodson and the
Oakland defense stepped up to spark the Oakland Raiders to a
23-20 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Woodson, last year's Heisman Trophy winner, returned a Jake Plummer interception
46 yards for a touchdown to give the Raiders (3-2) a 16-14 lead with 5:14
left in the first half. Donald Hollas, who took
over when George left with a pulled groin late in the first quarter, added
a 1-yard TD run to make it 23-14 with 2:18 left in the half.
The Cardinals (2-3) pulled within 23-20 on a pair of field goals by Joe Nedney but missed a
chance for a last-second victory when time expired on Plummer's two-yard
swing pass to Eric
Metcalf at the Raiders' 36.
"We lost our quarterback, we lost Napolean Kaufman, but we kept
playing and fighting," said Oakland coach John Gruden. "It wasn't pretty,
but we'll take the win."
George was just 4-of-10 for 16 yards while Kaufman gained 58 yards on
16 carries before leaving late in the third quarter with hamstring and
ankle injuries. Hollas connected on 12-of-22 for 104 yards.
"George is very doubtful for next week," added Gruden. "It might be an
injury that lingers. We'll see how he responds to treatment."
The Arizona defense came up big when it appeared Oakland would be able
to run out the clock as defensive end Andre Wadsworth knocked
the ball loose while sacking Hollas. Corner back J.B. Brown recovered the
fumble at the Cardinals' 31 with 1:50 left.
With no timeouts remaining, Plummer desperately tried to drive the
Cardinals into range for an attempt at a game-tying field goal, converting
two fourth-down plays into first downs.
Plummer, who was 23-of-39 for 208 yards with three interceptions, hit
Frank Sanders for a
14-yard gain on 4th-and-3 from the Arizona 38. He then scrambled for a
four-yard gain on fourth-and-3 from the Raiders' 42.
After Plummer spiked the ball with five seconds left, Nedney was sent
out to attempt a 56-yard field goal. But Arizona coach Vince Tobin changed
his mind, sending his signal-caller back on the field.
"That was my call," said Tobin. "We had five seconds and it was a
56-yard field goal. If we could have gotten another three or four yards, we
had a better chance of making the field goal. I thought we could throw a
real quick out. "
Plummer tried a sideline pass, hoping to conserve one second for a
shorter kick. But the decision back-fired when the final second ticked off
the clock as Metcalf was trying to get out of bounds.
"We had a 56-yard attempt into a little breeze," said Nedney. "Coach
Tobin thought we could get a quick out. He wanted to give me a little more
help. I live for those opportunities. It's just unfortunate I didn't get a
chance. It's a heartbreaker."
Plummer thought the Cardinals should have gotten some help from the
clock operator.
"You'd like to think at home with your own timekeeper that they would
at least give you a shot," said the Cardinals' quarterback.
All of Oakland's three wins have come against NFC East opponents. The
Raiders also defeated the New York Giants and
Dallas. The Cardinals fell one game behind the first-place Cowboys.
Plummer burned the Oakland defense for early TD passes to tight end Johnny McWilliams and Rob Moore, but the
Cardinals were shut down after opening a 14-6 advantage early in the second
period.
After Plummer opened the scoring on a 2-yard TD pass to McWilliams
with 8:57 left in the first quarter, Oakland pulled within 7-6 on a pair of
field goals by Greg Davis. The Cardinals extended the lead on Plummer's
12-yard TD toss to Moore with 13:40 left in the half.
Oakland's defense took over as Woodson's return put the Raiders ahead
for good.
"It was great to be able to go out and make a play for the team," said
Woodson. "It was big because it was a real spark for the whole team."
Cornerback Marquis
Walker returned an interception 28 yards to the Arizona 4 to set up
Hollas' score that extended the Raiders' advantage.
"If you look at the replay, I closed my eyes and stretched out and
hoped for the best," said Hollas. "I think the ball just got over the line.
It took a long time for the referee to put up his hands."
Arizona got a chance to get back in the game late in the third quarter
when linebacker Jamir
Miller stripped Hollas and defensive end Andre Wadsworth recovered the
fumble at the Raiders' 18.
But Plummer's pass to running back Larry Centers was
underthrown and picked off in the end zone by Eric Allen, who recorded
his 40th career interception. Arizona had two more trips inside the
Raiders' 30 but settled for field goals each time.
After Nedney's 29-yard field goal pulled Arizona within 23-20 with
8:16 left, the Raiders chewed six minutes off the clock before Hollas'
fumble gave the Cardinals a final opportunity.
"I'll be the first to say I didn't play the best I could," said
Hollas. "It was a far cry from the days of Jim Plunkett, but it was a win
nonetheless."
While Sanders had 10 catches for 118 yards, Adrian Murrell rushed for
just 28 yards on 13 carries as the Cardinals were held to just 49 yards on
the ground.
© 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
|
