OAKLAND RAIDERS RAP
FLASH RECAP:
Rich Gannon has four touchdown passes and Tyrone Wheatley rushes for 112 yards to lead Oakland to its third straight victory over AFC West rival Kansas City on Nov. 5, 2000. The announced crowd of 62,428 at Network Associates Coliseum is the largest for a Raiders' game in Oakland. With their sixth straight win, the 8-1 Raiders equal their best start since 1982 and 1977. The Chiefs' Elvis Grbac passes for a team-record 504 yards.
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS:
QB Rich Gannon -- Throws for 242 yards and four touchdowns (equaling a career high). Hits 11 of 13 passes on four drives that end with a touchdown pass. Also rushes for 33 yards on five attempts.
P Shane Lechler -- Fills in admirably for regular place-kicker Sebastian Janikowski, who is sidelined because of a swollen foot. Lechler averages 43.7 yards on three punts, does a nice job on kickoffs and makes all seven of his extra points. The rookie is wide left on a 33-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter.
RB Tyrone Wheatley -- Rushes for a game-high 112 yards on 20 carries despite having a badly sprained right ankle. He injures his left ankle at the end of a 38-yard run on Oakland's first touchdown drive.
RB Jon Ritchie -- Contributes three catches for 26 yards and does his usual job of efficient blocking despite missing most of practice during the week because of a calf injury.
TE Rickey Dudley -- Catches touchdown passes of 20 and and 2 yards from Rich Gannon in the second half. Finishes with four catches for 56 yards. He had only 11 receptions in the season's first eight games. Dudley also throws the key block on Randy Jordan's 43-yard touchdown run late in the game.
QB Elvis Grbac -- Completes 39 of 53 passes for a career-high 504 yards, but also throws two interceptions deep in Oakland territory.
WR Derrick Alexander -- Has nine catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Burns Oakland Pro Bowl CB Charles Woodson on a 48-yard catch-and-run scoring play midway through the fourth quarter.
TE Tony Gonzalez -- Has nine catches for 134 yards, but he doesn't score a touchdown for the first time in five games against the Raiders.
WR Sylvester Morris -- Contributes six catches for 102 yards.
TURNING POINT:
WR Andre Rison catches a deflected pass for a 6-yard touchdown, boosting Oakland's lead to 21-7 midway through the second quarter.
An alert Rison makes the reception after Rich Gannon's third-and-goal pass goes through the hands of TE Rickey Dudley.
KEY DRIVE:
The Raiders move 53 yards in eight plays for a game-clinching touchdown . QB Rich Gannon throws a 2-yard scoring pass to TE Rickey Dudley for a 42-24 Oakland advantage with 3:53 remaining.
BY THE NUMBERS:
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0: Kansas City rushing attempts in the first quarter.
2: Touchdown catches by Oakland TE Rickey Dudley.
7: PATs made by Raiders punter Shane Lechler.
12:Years since the Raiders last swept the Chiefs.
49: Points by the Raiders, the most they scored in a game since a 50-19 thrashing of Atlanta on Oct. 4, 1979.
THEY SAID IT:
Raiders RB Jon Ritchie
"I'm real proud that we have a group of guys here who are obsessed with winning for one another. We can push the thought of a little pain away for the benefit of the team."
"It wasn't a happy way to set a record. This was a game we really, really wanted to win."
Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez
DID YOU KNOW?:
The Chiefs' Tony Gonzalez has nine catches for 134 yards, making him the first tight end in NFL history with 100 or more receiving yards in four straight games.
Oakland's Napoleon Kaufman (26) battles for extra yards by
The Associated Press
