The Raiders blocked two P Mike Scifres punts the last time they met the Chargers in Oakland. Photo by Tony Gonzales.
OVERTIME WIN:The Raiders 16-13 win at Kansas City on December 24 marked the Silver and Black's third straight overtime victory dating back to the 2008 season. The Raiders defeated the Chiefs, 23-20, in an overtime contest at home last season. The most recent win marked the first overtime victory on the road for the Raiders since October 8, 2000 when the Silver and Black defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 34-28, at Candlestick Park.
SOMETHING SPECIAL: Special teams played a key role in the Silver and Black's 16-13 overtime victory at Kansas City on December 24. In addition to K Sebastian Janikowski's three field goals, DT Richard Seymour blocked a pair of Chiefs field goal attempts. KR Bryan McCann returned the game-opening kickoff 91 yards to set up a field goal and P Shane Lechler unleashed a 76-yard punt, marking the third-longest punt in franchise history. Lechler averaged 54.3 yards per punt and placed two punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
BLOCKED TWICE:DT Richard Seymour blocked two crucial field goal attempts in the Silver and Black's 16-13 overtime victory at Kansas City on December 24. Seymour's first block came on the last play of the first half, as the 11-year veteran blocked a 49-yard attempt to preserve a 3-3 tie. His second block came on the final play of regulation as he blocked a potential game-winning 49-yard attempt as time expired, forcing overtime.
MOORE TOUCHDOWNS: WR Denarius Moore's 61-yard touchdown reception at Kansas City on December 24 marked his team-leading fifth receiving touchdown of the season. The rookie has hauled in 30 passes for 517 yards on the season and added a rushing touchdown against the New York Jets earlier this year.
TWIN PICKS: S Matt Giordano and CB Stanford Routt each recorded interceptions at Kansas City on December 24, giving each player a team-high four picks on the season. The four interceptions marks a career high for both players and Giordano's 130 return yards on interceptions return ranks fifth in the NFL.
GIORDANO LEADS DEFENSE: S Matt Giordano led the Raiders defensive effort in a 16-13 overtime win at Kansas City on December 24. Giordano was credited with a game-high 10 tackles including nine solo stops and recorded his fourth interception of the season in the victory. His interception halted a potential scoring drive and he returned the pick 62 yards to Kansas City's 41-yard line. He was also credited with a pass defensed.
McCANN GETS 'EM STARTED: CB Bryan McCann returned the game-opening kickoff 91 yards at Kansas City on December 24. It marked the second-longest kickoff return for the Raiders this season, following Jacoby Fords's 101-yard return for a touchdown against Cleveland on October 16. For McCann, the return marked a career-long.
LONG BOOT: P Shane Lechler booted a 76-yard punt at Kansas City on December 24, marking the third-longest punt in Raiders history. Lechler tied the previous franchise record of 77 yards at Denver on September 12 before snapping the team record with an 80 yard punt against Chicago on November 27. Lechler now owns three of the four longest punts in team history.
25,000 AND COUNTING: With 237 yards passing at Kansas City on December 24, QB Carson Palmer surpassed 25,000 career passing yards. With his performance against the Chiefs, Palmer stands at 25,030 career passing yards. He has passed for 2,336 yards in just nine games this season and with just 88 more passing yards, he will post the highest single-season passing yardage total since Kerry Collins passed for 3,759 yards in 2005.
CLUTCH DHB: WR Darrius Heyward-Bey came through with a clutch reception in the Raiders 16-13 overtime victory at Kansas City on December 24. Heyward-Bey, who totaled four catches for 70 on the day, hauled in a 53-yard reception on the first play from scrimmage in overtime to set up the game-winning 36-yard field goal by K Sebastian Janikowski.
LECHLER ON PACE WITH THE GREATS: P Shane Lechler trails Raider Legend Ray Guy by 210 yards for the all-time lead in punting yardage in Silver and Black history. Lechler punted four times for 217 yards during the December 24 win over the Chiefs in Kansas City and is averaging over punting 260 yards per game so far in 2011.
TO 1,000: WR Darrius Heyward-Bey needs 155 receiving yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career. He has a career-high 845 yards in 55 catches, also a career high, so far in 2011. RB Michael Bush needs 89 rushing yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career. He has rushed for a career-high 911 yards on 237 carries so far in 2011.
RUN TO DAYLIGHT: The Raiders have 20 runs of at least 20 yards this season, tied for second-most in the NFL. RB Darren McFadden has recorded eight runs of at least 20 yards while RB Michael Bush has posted five runs of at least that distance. FB Marcel Reece was the latest to add to that list with a 26-yard scamper during the December 18 contest versus Detroit Lions at O.Co Coliseum.
TWO-MINUTE DRILL: The Oakland Raiders are the highest scoring team in the AFC and second-highest in the NFL in the last two minutes prior to halftime, totaling 56 points so far in the 2011 season.
VERTICAL GAME: The Raiders lead the AFC and are third in the NFL with 77 plays of at least 20 yards. QB Carson Palmer has 37 completions of at least 20 yards. Jason Campbell has 17. During the December 24 game against the Chiefs in Kansas City, the Raiders added plays of 61 (Palmer to WR Denarius Moore for a TD), 53((Palmer to WR Darrius Heyward-Bey in overtime to set up the game-winning field goal) and 20 (Palmer to Moore).
