FLASH RECAP:
Clinton Portis rushes for 170 yards and two touchdowns to lead Denver past mistake-prone Oakland before an announced crowd of 57,201 at Network Associates Coliseum on Nov. 30, 2003.
The Raiders (3-9) self-destruct with 11 penalties for 89 yards and three lost fumbles. The Broncos (7-5) score two second-quarter touchdowns after drives are kept alive by Oakland penalties - a personal foul infraction on linebacker Eric Barton for tackling Jake Plummer out of bounds on third down and an offside infraction on O.J. Santiago on fourth down. Denver drives 68 yards for a game-clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter after Kelly Herndon recovers a Jerry Porter fumble.
In his postgame news conference, an agitated Raiders coach Bill Callahan says: "We've got to be the dumbest team in America in terms of playing the game. I'm highly critical because of the way we give games away. It's embarrassing, I represent that, and I apologize for that."
The loss eliminates the defending American Conference champion Raiders from playoff contention.
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS:
RB Clinton Portis - Rushes for 170 yards on a career-high 34 carries and two touchdowns. Portis rushes eight times (for 62 yards) on a 10-play, 68-yard drive that culminates with his 1-yard scoring run with 3:15 remaining. He caps his fourth-straight 100-yard rushing performance by running for the 2-point conversion to give the Broncos a 22-8 advantage.
CB Lenny Walls - Strips Raiders WR Jerry Porter of the football after Porter's first-down catch at the Broncos' 32-yard line midway through the fourth quarter. After CB Kelly Herndon makes the recovery, the Broncos drive for the victory-clinching touchdown.
Broncos O-Line - Led by C Tom Nalen and RG Dan Neil, the unit opens gaping holes for Clinton Portis. Denver rushes for 193 yards and controls the football for 37 minutes, 39 seconds.
TE Shannon Sharpe - Catches a 4-yard touchdown pass from Jake Plummer to erase a 5-0 Oakland lead.
S Nick Ferguson - Contributes a team-high nine tackles (eight solo).
RB Tyrone Wheatley - Rushes for 85 yards on eight carries, an astonishing average of 10.6 yards per attempt. Wheatley has runs of 41 and 25 yards, Oakland's two longest offensive plays of the game.
K Sebastian Janikowski - Is 2-for-2 on field goal attempts, from 46 and 48 yards, during the first half.
CB/PR Phillip Buchanon - Intercepts a Jake Plummer pass at the Oakland 2-yard line, and has a 36-yard punt return.
P Shane Lechler - Two of his five punts (44.0-yard average) pin the Broncos inside their 20.
DE Lorenzo Bromell - Has one of the Raiders' three sacks.
KEY STAT:
The Raiders commit 11 penalties for 89 yards, giving them double figures in penalties for the fourth time this season. The other double-digit penalty games by Oakland: 17 penalties against Tennessee on Sept. 7, 13 against Denver on Sept. 22 and 19 against Cleveland on Oct. 7.
TURNING POINT:
With Denver in punt formation on fourth-and-six from its 46, Oakland's O.J. Santiago jumps offside. Six plays later, Clinton Portis scores his first of two touchdowns on a 1-yard run to give the Broncos a 14-8 lead with 4:24 left in the second quarter.
GOAT:
Oakland WR Jerry Porter. With the Raiders driving for the potential go-ahead touchdown, Porter coughs up a fumble at the Denver 38-yard line after a 15-yard catch on third-and-eight. Following Kelly Herndon's fumble recovery at the Raiders' 32 with 9:19 remaining, the Broncos drive 68 yards for their third touchdown.
BY THE NUMBERS:
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0: Touchdowns for Oakland. The Raiders had scored at least one TD in their previous 34 regular-season home games.
10.6: Average rushing yards on eight carries by the Raiders' Tyrone Wheatley.
16: 100-yard rushing games by the Broncos' Clinton Portis the past two seasons, second most in franchise history behind Terrell Davis' 41 games.
24: Raiders penalties against the Broncos in two games (both losses) this season.
THEY SAID IT:
G Mo Collins on the Broncos
"I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings, but all of them are chumps."
"People say he's a little back and all that. But he's got a huge heart. And his legs never stop moving. That's huge."
OT Ephraim Salaam on Clinton Portis
"The bottom line is you either get it done or you don't."
Broncos coach Mike Shanahan
DID YOU KNOW?:
Mike Shanahan improves to 14-4 as Broncos coach against the Raiders. Shanahan had an 8-12 record as coach of the then-L.A. Raiders before being fired by Al Davis four games into the 1989 season.
Denver's Reuben Droughns (34) dives for
yards as Oakland's Eric Barton (50) pursues.
