K Sebastian Janikowski's 5 FGs powered the Raiders 15-0 win over Kansas City. Photo by Tony Gonzales.
THIS WEEK'S NOTABLE STORYLINES:
- The Raiders travel to face the Carolina Panthers Sunday, marking the Silver and Black's fifth and final trip to the Eastern Time Zone this season.
- Oakland snapped a six-game skid with last week's 15-0 win over Kansas City, only the fifth NFL shutout in 2012 and the first for the Silver and Black since 2002.
- QB Carson Palmer needs just 13 passing yards to become the second Raider to reach 4,000 yards in a single season. Rich Gannon holds the Silver and Black's all-time single-season record with 4,689 passing yards in 2002.
- Palmer currently ranks third on the Raiders' single-season list in attempts (562), third in completions (342) and 14th in touchdowns (22).
- K Sebastian Janikowski was 5-for-6 on field-goal attempts in last week's win over the Chiefs, falling one short of his career high and marking the fifth time that he has kicked five-or-more field goals in a game.
- Two of Janikowski's field goals came from 50-or-more yards out. He has booted 42 career field goals of 50-or-more yards, moving into a tie with John Kasay for second place all-time in field goals of 50-or-more yards.
- For the second straight week, the Raiders will be facing a top-10 rushing offense, as the Panthers rank ninth in the NFL with 4.3 yards per attempt.
RAIDERS TRAVEL TO TAKE ON CAROLINA:After three straight home games, the Raiders travel to face the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium Sunday. The game will mark the fifth this season in the Eastern Time Zone, a franchise high.
THE SERIES:The Raiders and Panthers have met just four times since Carolina joined the NFL as an expansion franchise in 1995, and the series is tied at two victories apiece. The Panthers won the last meeting between the two teams, posting a 17-6 win in Oakland on Nov. 9, 2008. The Raiders took the last decision at Carolina, recording a 27-24 triumph on Nov. 7, 2004.
LOOKING AHEAD:Below are the Raiders' 2013 regular-season opponents, according to the 2012 NFL Record and Fact Book:
Home:Den., KC, SD, Jac., Ten., Phi., Was., AFC North (TBD)
Away:Den., KC, SD, Hou., Ind., Dal., NYG, AFC East (TBD)
PALMER CLIMBING THE CHARTS:QB Carson Palmer is in the midst of one the most prolific passing seasons in Raider history. With two games remaining, Palmer already ranks third on the Raiders' single-season list in attempts (562), third in completions (342), second in yards (3,987) and 14th in touchdowns (22).
RARE 4,000:QB Carson Palmer needs just 13 passing yards to reach 4,000 for the season. Palmer can become just the second quarterback in Raider history to pass for 4,000, joining Rich Gannon, who totaled 4,689 yards in 2002.
AIR YARDS vs. YAC:The Raiders rank first in the NFL with 1,966 yards after the catch (YAC).
FIVE FOR SEABASS:K Sebastian Janikowski went 5-for-6 on field-goal attempts vs. Kansas City last week, marking the fifth time that he has kicked five or more field goals in a game.
STREAKING STREATER:Rookie WR Rod Streater, who totaled just 19 catches as a senior at Temple, needs just two more receptions to pass current Carolina Panther Louis Murphy for the most catches by a Raider rookie WR over at least the last decade.
CLUTCH vs. CAROLINA:K Sebastian Janikowski has played against Carolina just three times during his 13-year NFL career, but he produced notable performances in each of those games.
- Dec. 24, 2000: During his rookie season, Janikowski tied a then-franchise record with seven PATs in a 52-9 victory over the Panthers. Janikowski would break that mark a decade later with eight PATs on Oct. 24, 2010, at Denver.
- Nov. 7, 2004: Janikowski booted two field goals, including the game-winner with six seconds remaining in regulation to lift the Silver and Black to a 27-24 road triumph. It marked Janikowski's sixth career game-winning field goal.
- Nov. 9, 2008: Janikowski kicked two field goals in a 17-6 loss, surpassing George Blanda as the Raiders' all-time leading scorer with 865 career points.
LATE-SCORE LEADERS:K Sebastian Janikowski booted a 57-yard field goal as time expired in the first half vs. Kansas City on Dec. 16, giving the Raiders an NFL-high 82 points at the end of a half.
TRAVELING FAR AND WIDE:Sunday's game will mark the last of five games for the Raiders in the Eastern Time Zone this season, most in franchise history. The Raiders this season will have flown a league-high 28,692 miles, more than the 25,000-mile trek around globe. None of their East Coast trips have come on consecutive weeks, and they will have left California just once – this week at Carolina – over the season's final five weeks. The Raiders, Seahawks and Chargers will all travel "around the world" at least once this season.
GROUND CHALLENGE:For the second straight week, the Raiders will be facing a top-10 rushing attack, as the Panthers rank ninth in the NFL with an average of 4.3 yards per carry. Last week, the Raiders limited the Chiefs, who entered the contest with the league's No. 5 rushing offense, to just 10 yards on the ground, matching a franchise single-game record.
THREE OVER 100:Three Oakland defenders have recorded 100-or-more tackles so far this season, marking the first time since 2006 that three Raiders have reached the century mark. In 2006, LB Kirk Morrison (127), LB Thomas Howard (110) and S Stuart Schweigert (107) all topped 100.
INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS vs. CAROLINA:K Sebastian Janikowski tied a then-franchise record with seven PATs vs. Carolina on Dec. 24, 2000...Janikowski kicked a 19-yard, game-winning field goal in a 27-24 victory at Carolina on Nov. 7, 2004...Janikowski broke George Blanda's career franchise scoring record of 863 points with a 45-yard field goal vs. Carolina on Nov. 9, 2008...DT Tommy Kelly recorded a sack and forced fumble at Carolina on Nov. 7, 2004...Kelly also had a sack vs. the Panthers on Nov. 9, 2008...P Shane Lechler recorded a career-high 11 punts vs. Carolina on Nov. 9, 2008...Lechler averaged a season-high 55.7 yards per punt at Carolina on Nov. 7, 2004...QB Carson Palmer completed 23-of-39 pass attempts for 240 yards and two touchdowns vs. Carolina as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 22, 2006...Palmer completed 19-of-37 pass attempts for 195 yards at Carolina on Sept. 26, 2010...DT Richard Seymour recorded his first-career fumble recovery at Carolina on Jan. 6, 2001 as a member of the New England Patriots...Seymour posted 14 tackles (four solo) as a member of the Patriots vs. Carolina on Sept. 18, 2005.
Notable connections
Raiders RB Mike Goodson was the Panthers' fourth-round pick (111th overall) in the 2009 NFL Draft...Goodson played in 28 games with three starts for Carolina from 2009-11...LB Omar Gaither played in 10 games for the Panthers in 2011...Gaither is a native of Charlotte, and attended Myers Park High School...T Willie Smith is from Kenly, N.C., and attended East Carolina...C/G Alex Parsons and TE David Ausberry played with Panthers C Jeff Byers at USC...TE Brandon Myers was teammates with Panthers S Charles Godfrey at Iowa...QB Terrelle Pryor and CB Chimdi Chekwa played at Ohio State with Panthers S Anderson Russell... QB Matt Leinart played at USC with Panthers C Ryan Khalil, who is on injured reserve...Panthers T Bruce Campbell was the Raiders' fourth-round (106th overall) pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and played in 14 games for the Silver and Black from 2010-11...Campbell was teammates with WR Darrius Heyward-Bey at Maryland...Panthers WR Louis Murphy was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round (124th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft...Murphy totaled 90 receptions for 1,371 yards and six touchdowns with Oakland from 2009-11...Panthers head coach Ron Rivera is a native of Fort Ord, Calif., and played collegiately at Cal...Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott served as the Philadelphia Eagles' linebackers coach in 2007, tutoring Raiders LB Omar Gaither... Panthers special teams coordinator Richard Rodgers played collegiately at Cal and participated in the NFL's Minority Coaches Internship Program with the Raiders in 1996...Rodgers coached at the collegiate level at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, Calif., from 1989-94, and San Jose State from 1995-96...Panthers offensive line coach John Matsko served on staff with Raiders senior offensive assistant Al Saunders with both the St. Louis Rams (1999-2000) and the Baltimore Ravens (2009-10)....Saunders was associate head coach/wide receivers with the Rams from 1999-2000, coaching current Panthers assistant wide receivers coach Ricky Proehl... Panthers S D.J. Campbell went to Cal...Panthers DT Sione Fua played at Stanford...Panthers G Amini Silatolu is from Tracy, Calif., and attended Merrill F. West High School.
