FLASH RECAP:
Willis McGahee rushes for 167 yards and three touchdowns to lead Baltimore (9-7) to a playoff-clinching victory over Oakland (5-11) in their 2009 regular-season finale before an announced crowd of 38,400 at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum on Jan. 3, 2010.
The loss gives the Raiders their seventh straight season with at least 11 losses.
McGahee’s 2-yard touchdown run caps the scoring early in the fourth period after linebacker Dannell Ellerby interceps a JaMarcus Russell pass late in the third period. Ellerby then recovers a Russell fumble at the Ravens 23 to stop a promising Oakland drive with 9:42 left.
McGahee’s 36-yard run on third-and-four seals victory for the Ravens with two minutes remaining.
The Raiders' Charlie Frye throws for 180 yards and a touchdown during the first half before sustaining ankle and back injuries. Russell is 9-of-14 passing for 102 yards with an interception and lost fumble in relief of Frye.
Russell, the top pick in the 2007 NFL draft, finishes the 2009 regular season with 17 turnovers and only three touchdown passes.
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS:
RB Willis McGahee — Has 167 rushing yards and three TDs, his first 100-yard performance this season. McGahee averages 10.4 yards on 16 carries.
LB Dannell Ellerby - Contributes an interception and fumble recovery during the seccond half.
RB Ray Rice — Has 70 rushing yards on 14 carries and 19 receiving yards on 4 catches.
P Shane Lechler — His 51.1-yard gross average falls short of Sammy Baugh's NFL record 51.4 yards set in 1940 after Lechler averages 52.4 yards on five punts against the Ravens. The 10-year veteran finshes the 2009 season with a league-record 43.9-yard net punting avearge.
QB Charlie Frye — Is 18-of-25 passing for 180 yards and a TD and a 105.4 efficiency rating in the first half before being sidelined with ankle and back injuries.
TE Zach Miller — Has 7 receptions for 38 yards and a TD.
KEY STATS:
The Raiders surrender 240 rushing yards, including 167 to backup Willis McGahee. Baltimore averages 6.9 yards per rush on 35 attempts.
Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski reaches 1,000 career points with a 39-yard field goal during the third quarter.
With 7 catches against Baltimore, Oakland's Zach Miller finishes the 2009 regular season with 66 receptions — the most catches by a Raiders tight end since Todd Christensen's 95 receptions in 1986.
THEY SAID IT:
Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha
"Sometimes it doesn’t take a coach two years, sometimes it does take him three. Tom (Cable) during his speech today said, ‘This is a playoff team and next year we’ll be in the playoffs.’
We started to get a rhythm and we started to understand what we were doing. I would definitely try to get Cable back, just because that gives us some consistency.”
on coach Tom Cable
"In my 14 years, I've never had a pretty road to the playoffs. It's always been a grind, but there's no better thing than having that grind and getting to advance. I like where we're positioned right now, and I like all the adversity we've gone through. I just like seeing this team fight."
Ravens LB Ray Lewis
BY THE NUMBERS:
2-6: Raiders' home record during the 2009 season.
9-19: Tom Cable's record as Raiders coach.
17: Turnovers by Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell during the 2009 season, including two against the Ravens.
29-83: Raiders record the past seven seasons.
DID YOU KNOW?:
Baltimore's Ray Rice joins Jamal Lewis as the only Ravens with 2,000 yards from scrimmage. Rice finishes the 2009 regular season with 2,041 yards 70 rushing yards and 19 receiving yards against Oakland.
The Raiders are 1-6 all-time against the Ravens, including 0-1 postseason.
