TE Brandon Myers' (83) fumble recovery helped the Raiders defeat the Benglas in Oakland in 2009. Photo by Tony Gonzales.
Complete Press Release | Statistics | Updated Bios | Supplemental Bios
THIS WEEK'S NOTABLE STORYLINES:
- The Raiders will travel to Cincinnati this week, marking the fourth of five games in the Eastern Time Zone for the Silver and Black this season.
- QB Carson Palmer will return to face his former team on Sunday. Palmer entered the NFL with the Bengals as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, and spent eight seasons in Cincinnati before arriving in Oakland via a 2011 trade.
- Palmer is producing one of the most prolific passing campaigns of his career, as he reached 3,000 yards on the season in just his 10th game of 2012 last week. He became the first Raider quarterback since Kerry Collins in 2005 (3,759) to surpass the 3,000-yard mark in a season.
- Palmer has passed for 300 yards in three consecutive games for the first time in his career.
- The Raiders will see a familiar face in Cincinnati assistant special teams/assistant defensive backs coach Hue Jackson. Jackson served as head coach for the Silver and Black last season, and was Oakland's offensive coordinator in 2010.
- FB Marcel Reece fell just short of becoming the second player in Raiders history to record 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game last week vs. New Orleans. Reece set career highs with 19 rushing attempts for 103 yards, and added four receptions for a team-high 90 yards.
- TE Brandon Myers ranks fifth among NFL tight ends with 50 receptions for 554 yards, and is tied for second in the NFL with 25 catches in the fourth quarter.
RAIDERS TRAVEL TO CINCINNATI FOR WEEK 12 CONTEST:The Raiders travel for a road contest at Cincinnati on Sunday, marking the Silver and Black's fourth trip to the Eastern Time Zone this season. Oakland looks to snap a three-game skid after falling to New Orleans at home last week, 38-17, while the 5-5 Bengals are coming off a 28-6 victory at Kansas City.
THE SERIES:The Raiders and Bengals have played 26 times since Cincinnati joined the American Football League (AFL) as an expansion team in 1968. The Silver and Black holds an 18-8 advantage in the all-time regular-season series, and has won the two postseason meetings between the teams. The Raiders pulled out a thrilling victory in Oakland the last time the two teams played, scoring 10 points in the game's final 41 seconds to post a 20-17 win on Nov. 22, 2009. This weekend's game will mark the Raiders' first visit to Cincinnati since the 2006 season.
PALMER RETURNS TO CINCY:QB Carson Palmer will be playing against his former team on Sunday. He was selected No. 1 overall by the Bengals in the 2003 NFL Draft and spent eight seasons in Cincinnati before coming to Oakland via a 2011 trade. Palmer earned two Pro Bowl selections (2005, 06) and led the Bengals to two playoff appearances (2006, 09) during his time in Cincinnati.
CP 3,000:QB Carson Palmer passed for 312 yards vs. New Orleans last week to eclipse the 3,000-yard mark for the season in just 10 games, the fastest he has reached that milestone. Palmer is the first Raider quarterback since Kerry Collins in 2005 (3,759) to reach the 3,000-yard mark. He is the first AFC quarterback to reach 3,000 yards and his total of 3,035 yards already ranks 14th on the Raiders' single-season list.
300 AGAIN:Palmer passed for 300 yards for the third straight game in the Raiders Week 11 contest vs. New Orleans, marking the first time in his career that he has reached that total three consecutive times. Palmer has passed for 300 or more yards five times this season and nine times in a Raider uniform.
TOGETHER AGAIN:The Silver and Black's starting offense vs. New Orleans on Sunday featured the team's five projected starters on the offensive line for the first time since Week 2 of the regular season. RT Khalif Barnes returned to the lineup for the first time since suffering a groin injury on Sept. 16, at Miami. C Stefen Wisniewski missed a start in the season opener, while LT Jared Veldheer, LG Cooper Carlisle and RG Mike Brisiel have each started all 10 games this season.
REECE BY LAND AND AIR:FB Marcel Reece made his second straight start at RB vs. New Orleans last week, and racked up 103 yards rushing and 90 yards receiving. His 193 yards from scrimmage are the most by a Raider this season, and the most since RB Michael Bush totaled 242 yards on Nov. 10, 2011, at San Diego. Reece narrowly missed becoming the first Raider since Marcus Allen (Sept. 7, 1986 at Den.) to record 100 rushing and receiving yards in a single game.
AMONG THE 20 LEADERS:The Raider offense has recorded 41 pass plays of 20 or more yards, which is tied for third in the league.
TRAVELING FAR AND WIDE:The Raiders will play their fourth of five games in the Eastern Time Zone on Sunday at Cincinnati, most in franchise history. The Raiders this season will fly a league-high 28,692 miles, more than the 25,000-mile trek around the globe. The good news is none of their East Coast trips are on consecutive weeks, and they leave California just once – at Carolina Dec. 23 – over the season's final five weeks. The Raiders, Seahawks and Chargers will all travel "around the world" at least once this season (25,000 miles).
MYERS AMONG TOP TIGHT ENDS:TE Brandon Myers continued his breakout 2012 campaign with a team-high six receptions for 55 yards and one touchdown vs. New Orleans last week. Myers enters Week 12 ranked fifth among NFL tight ends with 50 receptions.
AIR YARDS vs. YAC:The Raiders rank first in the NFL with 1,449 yards after the catch (YAC).
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS:QB Carson Palmer played for Cincinnati from 2003-10, entering the NFL as the No. 1 overall selection by the Bengals in the 2003 NFL Draft...Bengals assistant special teams/assistant defensive backs coach Hue Jackson was head coach (2011) and offensive coordinator (2010) for the Raiders... LB Philip Wheeler and Bengals DE Michael Johnson were teammates at Georgia Tech...LB Keenan Clayton and Bengals TE Jermaine Gresham played together at Oklahoma...LB Rolando McClain played at Alabama with Bengals CB Dre Kirkpatrick and T Andre Smith...TE David Ausberry, QB Matt Leinart and C/G Alex Parsons went to USC and played with LB Rey Maualuga and S Taylor Mays...DE Matt Shaughnessy and Bengals FB Chris Pressley were teammates at Wisconsin...DE Jack Crawford and C/G Stefen Wisniewski played at Penn State with Bengals DT Devon Still...S Mike Mitchell attended Ohio University and is from Ft. Thomas, Ky., just outside of Cincinnati...QB Terrelle Pryor attended Ohio State...CB Brandian Ross went to Youngstown State...Bengals QB Bruce Gradkowski played for the Raiders from 2009-10, playing in 13 games with eight starts...Bengals LB Thomas Howard, who is on injured reserve, was the Silver and Black's second-round draft pick in 2006 and played for the Raiders from 2006-10...Special teams coach Steve Hoffman was an assistant with the Dallas Cowboys from 1989-2004, sharing a sideline with Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who was secondary coach and defensive coordinator for the Cowboys from 1994-2006...Senior offensive assistant Al Saunders was on staff with Hue Jackson with the Baltimore Ravens in 2009...Bengals defensive line coach Jay Hayes coached outside linebackers and special teams at Cal from 1992-94...Bengals WR Marvin Jones attended Cal...Bengals WR Ryan Whalen is from Alamo, Calif., and attended Stanford...Whalen went to Monte Vista High School in Danville, Calif.
LAST MEETING VS CINCINNATI: at Oak. 20, Cin. 17 (Nov. 22, 2009):Current Bengals QB Bruce Gradkowski led the Raiders to 10 points in the final 41 seconds to defeat Cincinnati in Oakland, 20-17. WR Louis Murphy caught a 29-yard TD pass to tie the game with 33 seconds left, and TE Brandon Myers forced and recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff to set up K Sebastian Janikowski's game-winning 33-yard field goal.
