Raiders at Ravens Game Notes

The Raiders last layed the Ravens in the 2009 regular season finale. Photo by Tony Gonzales.


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THIS WEEK'S NOTABLE STORYLINES:

• The Raiders travel to Baltimore this weekend, their third of five trips to the Eastern Time Zone this season. The Raiders will travel 28,692 miles during the 2012 season, more than any other NFL team.
• WR Darrius Heyward-Bey attended high school in Owings Mills, Md., less than five miles from the Ravens' headquarters and less than 20 miles from M&T Bank Stadium.
• OL Tony Bergstrom, the Raiders' first draft pick in 2012 and Oakland's first selection under the direction of General Manager Reggie McKenzie, will be playing against his brother-in-law, Ravens OLB Paul Kruger.
• QB Carson Palmer played against Baltimore 13 times as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals from 2004-10, posting a 9-4 record. Palmer has passed for 3,202 yards against the Ravens.
• Palmer recorded the sixth 400-yard passing game in Raiders history last week against Tampa Bay. Palmer passed for 414 yards, the fourth most by a Raider, and now owns two of the top four single-game yardage marks in franchise annals.
• The Raiders have scored in the final two minutes of the first half in each of the team's eight games this season.
• The Raiders have scored 44 points off of turnovers this season, tied for fourth most in the NFL. Oakland has produced points from takeaways in four straight games.

RAIDERS TRAVEL TO FACE RAVENS:The Raiders travel to Baltimore this week, marking the Silver and Black's third trip to the Eastern Time Zone this season. The Raiders look to rebound from a 42-32 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, while the 6-2 Ravens are coming off of a 25-15 victory at Cleveland.

THE SERIES:The Raiders and Ravens have met just six times in the regu­lar season, with Baltimore holding a 5-1 advantage in the all-time series. The two teams last played in the 2009 season finale, a 21-13 Raven win, and last met in Baltimore on Oct. 26, 2008, a 29-10 Raider loss. The only Raider win in the series came via a 20-12 decision in Oakland on Dec. 14, 2003. Oakland also visited Baltimore on Sept. 1, 1996, marking the Ravens' first-ever regular-season game. The two teams have met once in the postseason, a 16-3 Baltimore win in the 2000 AFC Championship game.

CARSON RACKS UP THE YARDAGE:QB Carson Palmer passed for 414 yards vs. Tampa Bay on Sunday, eclipsing the 400-yard mark for the second time with the Raiders. He became just the third quarterback in Raider his­tory with at least 400 passing yards and four-plus touchdowns in a game, and the first since Cotton Davidson did it vs. Denver on Oct. 25, 1964. His yardage total marked the fourth most by a Raider, and Palmer now owns two of the top four single-game passing totals in franchise history.

MYERS IN THE FOURTH:TE Brandon Myers totaled five receptions for 28 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter vs. Tampa, moving into second place in the league with 24 catches in the final period this season.

PALMER vs. BALTIMORE:QB Carson Palmer spent eight seasons (2003- 10) with the Cincinnati Bengals, AFC North division rivals of the Balti­more Ravens. Palmer has faced the Ravens 13 times in the regular season, posting a 9-4 record. The Raiders' signal-caller has completed 266-of-436 pass attempts for 3,202 yards and 15 touchdowns against Baltimore in reg­ular-season action.

FIRST-HALF FLURRIES:QB Carson Palmer connected with WR Rod Streater for a 25-yard touchdown strike with 1:20 left in the first half vs. Tampa Bay on Sunday, marking the eighth straight game in which the Raiders have scored in the final two minutes of the first half. The Silver and Black has recorded four field goals and four touchdowns inside of the first-half two-minute warning this season.

REECE SETS RECEIVING HIGHS:FB Marcel Reece posted career highs with eight receptions for 95 yards vs. Tampa Bay on Sunday. Reece has 26 catches this season, one short of his career high.

CARTER AMONG ACTIVE LEADERS:Sunday's game will feature two of the NFL's active career sacks leaders in Baltimore's Terrell Suggs (83.5) and the Raiders' Andre Carter (77).

TURNING TAKEAWAYS INTO POINTS:An opportunistic Raider de­fense and special teams recorded two interceptions and two fumble recov­eries at Kansas City on Oct. 28, turning three of those changes in posses­sion into points. The Silver and Black capitalized again last week, turning a fumble recovery into eight fourth-quarter points.

POINTS OFF TAKEAWAYS:The Raiders are tied for fourth in the NFL with 44 points from 12 takeaways this season. Oakland is averaging 3.67 points per takeaway, most among teams with 12 or more turnovers.

JANIKOWSKI GOOD FROM INSIDE 40:K Sebastian Janikowski was good on a 29-yard field goal vs. Tampa Bay, extending his current streak of field goals from 40 yards or less to 47 straight. Janikowski has not missed an attempt from 40 yards or less since Sept. 23, 2010, at Arizona. The 12- year veteran is 19-for-20 on field-goal attempts this season, and is on a current streak of 117 consecutive PATs.

INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS vs. BALTIMORE:S Matt Giordano made his NFL debut as a member of the Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore on Sept. 11, 2005...RB Mike Goodson rushed for 120 yards on 22 carries for the Carolina Panthers against the Ravens on Nov. 21, 2010...Goodson pro­duced a career-long 45-yard run and posted 151 total yards from scrim­mage in that game...DB Michael Huff was credited with a half-sack against Baltimore on Jan. 3, 2010...K Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 39-yard field goal against the Ravens on Jan. 3, 2010, giving him 1,000 career points...S Mike Mitchell earned a half-sack against the Ravens on Jan. 3, 2010...QB Carson Palmer compiled a 9-4 record against the Ravens while playing for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2004-10...Palmer established a then-career high with 52 pass attempts against Baltimore on Sept. 26, 2004...Palmer completed 29-of-36 pass attempts for 382 yards and three touchdowns at Baltimore on Dec. 5, 2004...DT Richard Seymour posted six tackles (five solo) and one pass defensed against Baltimore on Jan. 3, 2010...LB Philip Wheeler posted nine tackles (seven solo) as a member of the Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore on Dec. 18, 2011.

NOTABLE CONNECTIONS:OL Tony Bergstrom's brother-in-law is Ravens OLB Paul Kruger, Bal­timore's second-round selection in the 2009 NFL Draft...WR Darrius Heyward-Bey is from Owings Mills, Md. ...He attended McDonogh High School and played with Ravens WRs Torrey Smith and LaQuan Williams at Maryland...Senior offensive assistant Al Saunders served as an offen­sive consultant with the Ravens in 2009 and as senior offensive assistant in 2010...Defensive backs coach Johnnie Lynn coached the secondary for the Ravens from 2004-05...FB Owen Schmitt attended high school in Fairfax, Va. ...DE Lamarr Houston played at Texas alongside Ravens CB Chykie Brown...LB Rolando McClain played with Ravens NT Terrence Cody at Alabama...TE Brandon Myers was teammates with Ravens G/T Marshall Yanda at Iowa...WR Rod Streater played with Ravens RB Ber­nard Pierce at Temple...CB Phillip Adams played with Ravens S Christian Thompson at South Carolina State...DT Desmond Bryant and Ravens C Matt Birk both attended Harvard...Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees served in the same role with the New England Patriots from 2006- 09, coaching Raiders DT Richard Seymour...Ravens quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell was the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2009-11, coaching Raiders LB Philip Wheeler...Ravens wide receivers coach Jim Hostler served as quarterbacks coach (2005-06) and offensive coordina­tor (2007) for the San Francisco 49ers, sharing a sideline with Raiders defensive coordinator Jason Tarver (2001-10) and defensive backs coach Johnnie Lynn (2006-11)...Ravens inside linebackers coach Don Martin­dale coached inside linebackers (2004-05) and linebackers (2006-08) for the Raiders...Special teams coordinator Steve Hoffman was on staff with Miami in 2007, while Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron was the Dolphins' head coach...LB Brendon Ayanbedejo is from Santa Cruz and attended Santa Cruz High School...Ravens CB/RS Asa Jackson is from Sacramento and attended Christian Brothers High School...Ravens practice squad QB Dennis Dixon is from San Leandro and attended San Leandro High School.