FLASH RECAP:
Led by defensive end Jason Taylor, Miami defeats Oakland
in a battle of division leaders before an announced crowd of 73,572 at Pro Player Stadium on Dec. 15, 2002.
Taylor has three sacks - two on Oakland's opening series - to propel the Dolphins (9-5) to their fifth straight regular-season victory over the Raiders. Miami holds Oakland (9-5) to a season-low 218 yards and sacks Rich Gannon five times. Gannon completes 17 of 31 passes for a season-low 204 yards (44 in the first half) with one interception.
Jay Fiedler throws for one touchdown (to Cris Cater) and Travis Minor runs for another for Miami, which builds a 17-3 lead in the first half. The Raiders close the gap on three Sebastien Janikowski field goals and a Gannon to Jerry Porter touchdown pass, but Patrick Surtain (above) intercepts Gannon at the Miami 18-yard line with 1 minute, 43 seconds remaining to preserve victory.
Miami's Ricky Williams is held to 101 rushing yards after he gains 228 and 216 yards the previous two games. Williams averages 3.7 yards on 27 carries.
The Raiders, who have a five-game win streak stopped, convert only two of 10 third-down plays and rush for 56 yards. Oakland receivers Tim Brown and Jerry Rice each catch only three passes for 30 yards.
"That's the toughest defense we've faced all year," Raiders coach Bill Callahan tells reporters after the game. "Their pass rush is premier. They heated us up pretty good."
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS:
DE Jason Taylor - Three sacks and seven solo tackles. Taylor sets the game's tempo when he sacks Rich Gannon on the Raiders' second and third offensive plays.
WR Chris Chambers - Has seven catches for 138 yards (both career highs) against Oakland's second-string cornerbacks Terrance Shaw and Clarence Love. On Miami's first offensive play, Chambers burns Shaw for a 40-yard completion. He also has two completions each for 29 yards.
CB Patrick Surtain - With the outcome at stake, he makes a spectacular interception.
WR Cris Carter - He makes a brilliant one-handed touchdown catch late in the first quarter despite decent coverage by Raiders safety Derrick Gibson.
RB Ricky Williams - He rushes for 101 yards on 27 carries. His first-quarter fumble leads to an Oakland field goal.
WR Jerry Porter - Scores the Raiders' first offensive touchdown in the past three regular-season games against the Dolphins on a 20-yard pass from Rich Gannon on the first play of the fourth quarter. Porter also catches a pass from Gannon on the subsequent 2-point conversion.
DT Roderick Coleman - Has two of Oakland's three sacks on Jay Fiedler.
TE Doug Jolley - Contributes three catches for a team-high 62 yards.
K Sebastien Janikowski - The Polish Cannon kicks field goals of 26, 38 and 45 yards. The former Florida State All-America is 5-for-5 on field goal attempts the past two Oakland games at Miami.
KEY STAT:
The Raiders gain a season-low 218 yards. They entered the game averaging a league-high 411.0 yards.
GOAT:
Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown loses a fumble on a punt return at the Oakland 39-yard line with 4:46 remaining. Five plays after Brown's fumble, the Dolphins' Olindo Mare kicks a 41-yard field goal to give Miami a 23-17 lead with 2:28 remaining. Brown also drops three Rich Gannon passes.
TURNING POINT:
The Dolphins score two first-half touchdowns to build a 17-3 advantage. Cris Carter catches a 5-yard touchdown pass from Jay Fiedler with 4:01 remaining in the first period and then Travis Minor scores on a 4-yard run with 5:01 left in the second period.
BY THE NUMBERS:
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5: Consecutive regular-season wins by Miami against Oakland.
17: Sacks this season by the Dolphins' Jason Taylor, who has three sacks against the Raiders.
101: Yards rushing by Miami's Ricky Williams, his club-record ninth 100-yard performance this season.
204: Yards passing by Oakland's Rich Gannon, who averaged 323 yards passing the season's first 13 games.
THEY SAID IT:
Dolphins DE Jason Taylor
"I was jacked up to play. To come out and have success early and get after the quarterback a little bit, it sets the tone for the team and for yourself. This was a big game."
"We had a chance at the end. We took a shot, and the guy (Miami CB Patrick Surtain) made a great play."
Raiders QB Rich Gannon
DID YOU KNOW?:
Rich Gannon is 0-3 in regular-season games against the Dolphins as Raiders quarterback. Miami won 16-9 in 1999, 18-15 in 2001 and 23-17 in 2002. In those three games, Gannon has thrown for one touchdown, 459 yards (153 yards per game) and one interception. The Dolphins sacked Gannon a staggering 11 times in those games.
The Dolphins' Patrick Surtain (23) intercepts a pass intended for the Raiders' Jerry Rice (80).
By Associated Press
