Live Blogging Game 12

Welcome to The Eye Patch's live in-game blogging of the Raiders 12th game of the season vs the Denver Broncos.

• Game Balls: Josh McCown (14/21, 141 yards, 3 TDs), Justin Fargas (33 attempts, 146 yards, 1 TD), Raiders Defensive Fron 4 (29 rushing attempts, 86 yards rushing allowed).

• (END of REGULATION) OAK 34 - DEN 20 And there you have it. 2nd win in a row. 2nd win in a row vs AFC West opponents. Unbelievable performance against a pretty decent Broncos team.

• (2 Minute Warning) We get 2 minutes to savor this one. The Black Hole starts the taunts. Where is Shannon Sharp? Bet he's not flapping his gums right now.

• (Q4 2:20) Stokely out of bounds killing the Broncos drive on 4th down. Raiders ball.

• (Q4 3:04) Put a form in em! Fargas goes for 5 with the monster block from Oren O'Neill for the TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! Huge game for Fargas today. huge game for the Raiders offensive line today. Man alive! OAK 34 - DEN 20

• (Q4 3:08) Timeout Broncos. Shenannigan paces the sideline nervously. Hopefully he pays for this season with his job.

• (Q4 3:48) Ha! Kiffin waits a play for the bootleg, rolls left and get teh 1st down. 1st and goal on teh 5.

• (Q4 4:45) Fargas is stopped on 2nd down. I would have liked to see Kiffin call play action and go to the end zone on that play. Broncos loading up the box.

• (Q4 5:31) Holy Toledo what an effort by Griffith to convert the 3rd down after slipping three tackles. 13 yards on 3rd & 11. McCown calls timeout as the play clock winds down.

• (Q4 6:48) Fargas goes around the left end for the first down byt Robert Gallery gets flagged for holding.

• (Q4 7:14) Fargas goes 9 to bring up a 3rd and short.

• (Q4 7:29) McCown can't convert on the 3rd down, but the Broncos are flagged for illegal contact. 1st down Raiders! Nice to see someone else shooting themselves in the foot for once...even better that it's the Broncos.

• (Q4 7:50) Raiders now go to work on the clock. More points would make the clock meaningless.

• (Q4 8:48) Offcials taking forever to figure out if the play stands. Finally after 5 minutes, the play is ruled as stands. Raiders ball on the Broncos 43.

• (Q4 8:48) Fabian Washington with the MONSTER pick. Oh man what a nice catch. Shenannigan throws the red flag, challenging the play.

• (Q4 8:59) McCown ends the drive with a dying quail that falls short on a screen play. Fargas had nothing but green in front of him if he makes that catch. Janikowski barely slips in teh 44 yard field goal to push the Raiders lead to 7. OAK 27 - DEN 20

• (Q4 10:35) McCown threads a needle with a 26 yard plass play to Miller. Miller follows that up with a 19 yard catch.

• (Q4 11:21) Travis Henry waltzes in to the end zone, capitalizing on the McCown fumble. Henry was untouched on the 3-yard run. OAK 24 - DEN 20

• (Q4 11:46) Raiders holding the Broncos to 74 yards rushing thus far.

• (Q4 12:54) Michael Huff blows up Henry on a screen misdirection. 3rd down and long for Denver. Cutler then converts it with another bullet. Raiders need to keep Denver out of the end zone.

• (End of Q3) OAK 24 - DEN 13 Raiders letting the Broncos back into this game with careless mistakes. First Janikowski's miss, then the big pass play to Stokely, followed by the McCown fumble.

• (Q3 :02) Oh no! McCown fumbles the snap and DJ Williams recovers on the Raiders 35 yqard line. First turnover by Oakland today.

• (Q3 1:37) Jay Richardson sacks Cutler on a big 3rd down play to stop the Broncos drive. Even when the Broncos begin to pick up some momentum , the Raiders shut them down. Elam converts the 44 yard field goal, but that wqas a big stop. OAK 24 - DEN 13

• (Q3 3:23) Cutler drills Stokely with a 33 yard bullet. Cutler follows that up with another long pass to tight end Tony Scheffler. Broncos turn two plays into 50 yards, now sitting on the Raiders 20 yard line.

• (Q3 4:40) Raiders botch the shovel pass, but McCown runs for 9 before getting popped. Janikowski MISSES the 35 yard field goal.

• (Q3 6:36) Fargas coughs up the ball, but the Raiders recover. Fargas makes up for it by filling a 10 foot hole then scampering 29 yards to the Broncos 25 yard line.

• (Q3 7:25) Even special teams is getting it done. Carr brings back the kick return 38 yards.

• (Q3 7:25) Culter gets flattened by Clemmons on 3rd down. Conversion fails. Jason Elam punches home the easy 29-yarder to cut the Raiders lead to 14 points. OAK 24 - DEN 10

• (Q3 10:02) Brandon Stokely slips past the Raiders secondary and goes for 58 yards on the play. If Cutler doesn't throw that ball short, Stokely goes for 6 easily.

• (Q3 11:04) McCown drifts left, waits, throws, then gets blasted by Ian Gold. Oh, and the pass lands in Porter's arms in the back of the end zone for a TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! Gutsy play by McCown to stay with the play as long as he did. OAK 24 - DEN 7

• (Q3 11:40) Henry coughs up the ball on a strange inside misdirection play. Chris Clemons recovers the ball.

• (Q3 12:45) Jerry Porter makes a circus catch with the left hand, but th eRiaders drive stalls. Janikowski converts the 38-yard field goal to push the Raiders lead to 10 points. OAK 17 - DEN 7

• (Q3 14:12) Thomas Howard openes the 3rd quarter with a big INT deep in Raiders territory.

• (HALFTIME) OAK 14 - DEN 7 One of the best openeing halfs of the season for the Raiders. Fargas 84 yards on 17 carries. McCown with a 128.9 QB rating. Broncos had 41 yards of offense on the 4 drives following their openeing TD drive.

• (Q2 :50) Hey look what play action buys you! McCown with the bootleg right to Zach Miller for the TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! The rookie tight end pays some dividends with thise big mitts. Leads all rookie TE's with 28 catches on teh season. OAK 14 - DEN 7

• (Q2 :56) Justin Griffith with the catch, then makes three Broncos pay! Time out Oakland.

• (Q2 2:00) 2 Minute Warning. Raiders have a decent shot at going into halftime with the lead. Let's see what McCown can do.

• (Q2 2:58) McCown back in at QB. Good call by Kiffin. Bring the kid up to speed slowly. McCown with the 1st down conversion on a nice pass to Jerry Porter.

• (Q2 3:07) Henry coughs it up on the Broncos 35 yard line. Raider ball! Tyler Brayton with the recovery. Robert Thomas with the huge strip.

• (Q2 4:13) Kiffin elects to go for it on 4th down & 1 and the Broncos defense stuffs Fargas. Janikowski's injury most likely helped with that decision. WOuld have preferred to see somre more creativity in the play calling. Run left is about as predictable as it gets.

• (Q2 5:03) Russell shows some decent mobility in the pocket, sidestepping a defender then running for 4 yards.

• (Q2 6:40) Big Russ shows off that ar with a bullet that hits Ronald Curry after Champ Bailey slips.

• (Q2 7:00) Raiders running game starting to establish itself. Fargas has 71 yards on 12 carries thus far.

• (Q2 8:14) Raiders defense holds for the second straight series. Could it be the day the D returns? Dwight with the decent return, puts the ball on the 30.

• (Q2 9:56) Sebastien Janikowski's 58-yard field goal attempt is a line drive that falls short. Janikowski looks like he's hurt on the play, hobbling over to the sideline.

• (Q2 10:13) Russell's first drive dies on a bad snap that floats outside his grasp. The kid looks poised.

• (Q2 12:35) Nice call by Kiffin with the screen play call. Russell floats the pass over the right end to Fargas who goes for 13 yards and a 1st down. Fargas follows that up with a 19 more.

• (Q2 13:41) The Jamarcus Russell in Oakland begins. The big guy boot-legs right then hits Jerry Porter with a 16 yard bullet to the right sideline.

• (Q2 13:59) Raiders stop DEnver's drive, but Dwight almost costs the Silver & Black by coughing up the punt on his own 18 yard line.

• (Q2 14:54) McCown has all day, but can't find a receiver. Drive stalls. Now we get to see if this defense is going to help win a game this season.

• (END of Q1) OAK 7 - DEN 7 Nice to see the Raiders capitalize on Denver's big mistake, but the defense has got to show up at least once this season.

• (Q1 :51) Travis Henry right up the gut for 4 yards a nd a touchdown. Incredible how bad the defense is. OAK 7 - DEN 7

• (Q1 4:16) Selvin Young with three straight carries for a combined 24 yards. Raiders horrendous tackling still killing this team.

• (Q1 6:47) Damn! Raiders fail to bring down Brandon Marshall who goes for 32 yards and converts on 3rd down. Raiders had the Broncos stopped.

• (Q1 8:13) What a catch by Tim Dwight in the left corner for the TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! Pass interference on Denver is declined. Man, what a nice toss by McCown. OAK 7 - DAN 0

• (Q1 11:14) Another nice run by Fargas. 7 yards for the 3rd down conversion.

• (Q1 12:42) Thank you Cecil Sapp. The Bronco runs into Shane Lechler, and the Raiders get the ball back with the penalty. 1st down at midfield.

• (Q1 12:49) Risky pass by McCown into coverage. Drive stalls.

• (Q1 14:43) Justin Fargas picks up where he left off. Busts the 17 yard run for a 1st down.

• (Q1 15:00) Raiders win the toss elect to receive. Chris Carr takes th touchback.

Game Grades: @ Denver Broncos

Alright, I needed more than 24 hours to cool down after the Raiders 23-20 loss to the Broncos in week 2. Mike Shanahan iced Sebastian Janikowski masterfully, but take solace in knowing that the Broncos don’t have a shot in hell in winning anything this season. Denver escaped losses against Buffalo & Oakland. They’ll get demolished against teams like Indianapolis and New England. And with that, here are my grades for week 2:

Passing Game: D-
Josh McCown only completed 8 of 16 passes for a measly 73 yards and a touchdown, but three interceptions will kill you every time. McCown’s first pick was initiated by a bad decision. He tried forcing a pass deep in his own zone and it cost him. We’ll never know if Champ Bailey was out of bounds on the play, thanks in part to poor television coverage and no challenge by the Raiders. The second pick was unlucky. The capper however is McCown’s final pick on what could have been the drive to win the game in regulation. Key Stat: Raiders netted +2 yards in passing in the 1st half.

Running Game: B+
What McCown couldn’t accomplish in the air, Lamont Jordan made up for it on the ground with a career high 159 yards on 25 carries. The only thing that was missing was a touchdown for Jordan. The Raiders challenged the Broncos front four all day, and Denver couldn’t stop the run. Jordan’s 33-yard run in overtime should have provided the boost to get the Raiders in the win column, but the drive was stalled after the passing game couldn’t help balance the attack.

Pass Defense: C+
The Raiders defense did pick off Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler twice (once for a big score), but the 2nd year signal caller did rip off 269 yards and a touchdown on 23 off 33 attempts. Thomas Howard’s interception and ensuing TD was the defensive highlight of the game for Oakland. The tackling woes continue, although not as glaringly as the run defense.

Run Defense: D+
Travis Henry seemingly had his way with the Raider defense all afternoon, but the most glaring failure of the run defense was on the game-winning drive. Henry’s 13-yard scamper on 3rd down, followed by a 7-yard run setup Jason Elam’s field winning goal. Henry amassed 128 yards. The Broncos combined for 181 yards total on the ground and a Cecil Sapp TD. Selvin Young busts a 40-yard run because of poor tackling.

Special Teams: C
Sebastian Janikowski does not make up the entire special teams unit, so his would be game-winning miss in overtime isn’t the only thing that goes into this grade. Janikowski’s failure to deliver is getting old, and it’s time for the Raiders to cut their losses (literally). The kicking game did net an onside kick recovery and held the Broncos to 6 yards on punt coverage.

Coaching: C+
Not having a passing game to balance things out did limit some of Lane Kiffin’s options, but there were flashes of creativity. Several running plays on obvious passing situations netted a couple of key first downs. One big blunder was a draw play called early in the 4th quarter that killed a drive. Loved the onside kick call.

Intangibles: C
This was a moral victory for the Raiders, because it showed that this team could compete with its divisional foe. Unfortunately, moral victories are for losers. Still, this team is showing signs of life, and players are competing. Hopefully defensive coordinator spends an entire practice on tackling fundamentals.

Officiating: C-
I can’t say that the officiating was horrible, but I certainly won’t say that is was great. Raiders drew 10 penalties for 70 yards. Broncos only draw 6 penalties for 34 yards. Nnamdi Asomugha is whistled for pass interference while running stride for stride with Javon Walker, but Dre Bly gets away with interference with Jerry Porter on what should have been a sure touchdown…no flag. An awful defensive holding call on Gerard Warren after Travis Henry runs for 10 yards.

Live Blogging Game 2

Welcome to The Eye Patch's blog coverage of the Raiders second regular season game vs. the Denver Broncos. Refresh this page throughout the game to see updates.

• CUT JANIKOWSKI NOW

• (OT 6:48) Elam punches home the 23-yard field goal for the win. DEN 23 - OAK 20

• (OT 6:58) Bootleg right, complete, ball own the Raiders 5 yard line.

• (OT 9:35) Travis Henry busts the first down because the Raider continue to play matador on defense.

• (OT 11:09) 53 yard field goal attempt by Janikowski is....off teh left upright. Raiders should leave Janikowski in Denver. Don't even let him board the plane home.

• (OT 11:11) 53 yard field goal attempt by Janikowski is....Good! Timeout called by Shannahan at the snap and the refs give them the TO. Unbelievable!

• (OT 13:05) Lamont Jordan busts the 33-yard run, even after Lynch tries to trip him after getting juked out of his shoes. 155 yards on 24 carries for Jordan on the day.

• (OT 13:35) Raiders defense holds. Huge stop. Now it's time to score.

• (OT 15:00) Coin toss: Raiders call tails, two-headed coin comes up...heads. Denver gets the ball.

• (Q4 0:17) Bly picks McCown with an underthrown ball. No game winning drive. Broncos will take a knee and take it to OT. Porter had a chance to break up the pass, but never reacted. Was he surprised the ball was coming to him?

• (Q4 0:27) McCown overthrows a wide open Jerry Porter who is held by Dre Bly. no flag. No catch. Porter had Bly beat and would have walked into the end zone but the DB disrupted the pattern with a hand check 15 yards downfield. No flag.

• (Q4 0:32) Run, false start, holding, big run. Crazy drive.

• (Q4 2:18) Raiders start what they hope to be the game winning drive from their 26-yard line.

• (Q4 2:18) Elam converts the 20-yard field goal to tie the game. OAK 20 - DEN 20

• (Q4 2:22) Defense HOLDS! Javon Walker with the catch short of eh end zone, then gets pushed out of bounds. Preserves some clock.

• (Q4 3:53) Raiders defense needs to make the stop. This Denver drive is the ballgame.

• (Q4 8:55) Interception Thomas Howard!!!! TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! The linebacker rumbles 44 yards for the score. Last year's defense makes an appearance to help turn the game late. Warren Sapp sets up the pick by deflecting the ball at the line of scrimmage. McCown to Porter for the 2-point conversion! OAK 20 - DEN 17

• (Q4 10:55) Ugly failed 3rd down conversion attempt on a screen play that never materialized. I disagree with the call. Where are the 5-receiver sets. Bly and Bailey can't cover 5 receivers by themselves.

• (Q4 14:15) Shannahan challenges teh safety and loses. He's out of challenges for the remainder of regulation. That could be a big factor.

• (Q4 14:15) Gerard Warren with the SAFETY! How's that for a homecoming for the former Bronco? DEN 17 - OAK 12

• (Q3 0:53) Gah! After the great onside kick recovery, the Raiders do nothing with the opportunity after two offensive penalties. Wasted opportunity.

• (Q3 3:29) Wow, what a 1st down conversion. McCown to Miller for the big pass conversion after having to roll right with pressure in his face.

• (Q3 6:19) Onside Kick - RAIDERS RECOVER! Holy Toledo what a call. Alright, now that's the kind of thinking the Raiders need to turn things around.

• (Q3 6:19) Pump fake, then a beautiful pass to Jerry Porter for a TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! Bly bites on the fake by McCown, then gets burned for the 46-yard score. 3rd Qtr McCown is back! DEN 17 - OAK 10

• (Q3 7:00) Ballsy call to let Jordan run for a first down on 3rd and 6. Three straight run plays. McCown lit up th eLions in the 3rd quarter. Will we see the same now?

• (Q3 8:34) Jason Elam - WIDE RIGHT! Raiders hold on the opening drive of the 2nd half.

• (Q3 9:09) Finally an offensive pass intereference call on Denver. The call nullifies a long pass play for a TD by Brandon Marshall.

• (Q3 11:10) Tommy Kelly, Stu Schweigert, go directly to tackling detention. Travis Henry slips two more tackles for a 16 yard gain.

• (HALFTIME) Denver outgaines Oakland 208 yards to 85. MCown is 5 of 8 for 12 yards passing. With sacks, the passing game has a net +2 yards in the half. Ground game has amassed a whopping 78 yards. 5 total 1st downs. I guess I should have spelled out what thunder & lightning meant.

• (Q2 0:18) Raiders stop Young on 3rd down, then claim they recover a fumble. Officials rule forward progress ended the play before the fumble. Raiders call time out for a review. No review. I don't understand why this league can't get it's business in order. Jason Elam kicks a field goal. DEN 17 - OAK 3

• (Q2 2:20) Did the Raiders forget how to tackle over the summer??? What in John Matuzak's ghost is going on! Rediculous.

• (Q2 3:02) Time-out Raiders because they have the wrong personnel on the field. Stupid mistakes cost you games. The TO gives Cutler and Shannahan time to orchastrate their drive.

• (Q2 5:45) Raiders drive stalls after McCown throws a swing pass to Justin Griffith that ends with a 3-yard loss. Questionable call when you're trying to pull back from an 11-point deficit with under 6 to play in the half. Raiders need to air the ball out down field.

• (Q2 7:34) Selvin Young rewarded for his hustle with a carry into the end zone for 6. DEN 14 - OAK 3

• (Q2 7:37) AWFUL pass interference call on Nnamdi Asomugha. Running stride for stride along side Javon Walker, he gets flagged for a head scrathing penalty.

• (Q2 9:00) Ugh! Half-assed tackling kills the Raiders again. Selvin Young slips two tackles and rumbles for 40 yards.

• (Q2 10:41) Sebastian Janikowski makes a field goal. I repeat, Sebastian Janikowski makes a field goal. In doing so, avoids being the first kicker to be cut in the middle of a game. DEN 7 - OAK 3

• (Q2 12:25) Gutsy run by McCown to pick up the 1st down, but he's got to get down in traffic. Nick Ferguson lights him up with a hit. You're already hurt in two places Josh...you can't lead this team from the infirmary.

• (Q2 13:57) Kirk Morrison starts it off with a PICK! Gah, then he fumbles it. Thomas Howard recovers! Can't this ever be easy???

• (Q2 14:53) 25 minute delay coming to an end. Game resuming. Time for the Raiders to apply some thunder.

• (Q2 14:53) Weather delay will last a minimum of 15 minutes. The wind is kicking up a bit and rain has started.

• (Q2 14:53) Not sure this the kind of thunder & lightning Lane Kiffin had hoped for. The game has been delayed because of a lightning strike near the stadium. all players have been instructed to head to the locker rooms. Broncos fans insstructed to stand tall and hold hands...especially those in the upper deck!

• (Q2 14:53) Unlucky interception. Ball bounces off Porter and floats forever. McCown forced it a bit, but I'm not ready to rip him yet. He had an open receiver that couldn't haul it in.

• (End of Q1) Offense is begining to pick things up a bit. I like the end-around pass attempt. Yes, it's a gimmick play, but the Raiders have had no creativity in the offense for so long, that it's a refreshing change. Nobody taking control of this game yet.

• (Q1 5:02) In case you were looking forward to next week, Cleveland put up 51 on Cincinnati today for their first victory of the season.

• (Q1 5:02) Pass defense fails again. Stokely converts the 9-yard pass play. DEN 7 - OAK 0

• (Q1 5:52) Horrible tackling. 4 guys on Marshall and he squirts through for 3 extra yards. Lazy tackling this early in the game?

• (Q1 8:50) Horrible throw by McCown. Reply shows Bailey was out of bounds, but no challenge. NOT a great start.

• (Q1 15:00) 19-yard draw to Lamont Jordan to open the game. THAT is what this team needs to do to control this game.

• (0:04 until kickoff) Harmony in Motion with the National Anthem

• (0:08 until kickoff) McCown will start at QB.

• (0:28 until kickoff) Josh McCown is taking snaps in warm-ups.

• (1:05 until kickoff) Still no word on the Raiders starter at QB. Temps in the 90's at Invesco Field.

• (2:05 until kickoff) I'll state the obvious in my keys to the game: The Raiders must establish a running game in order to be effective today. If Oakland is forced to pass every down, Dre' Bly, Champ Bailey and John Lynch will have a field day. Oakland will also need to shut down Travis Henry. Jay Cutler won't be as effective if he's placed in a role where he has to play catch up.

• (2:20 until kickoff) Walker is expected to start for Denver. Culpepper is expected to start fo rthe Raiders.

• (2:25 until kickoff) Oakland Raiders Injury Report -- Out: LB Isaiah Ekejiuba (foot); Doubtful: QB Josh McCown (foot), C Jeremy Newberry (hamstring), CB Duane Starks (groin); Questionable: G Robert Gallery (hamstring).

• (2:26 until kickoff) Denver Broncos Injury Report -- Out: G Ben Hamilton (concussion), T Ryan Harris (back); Questionable: TE Stephen Alexander (calf), CB Domonique Foxworth (ankle), CB Karl Paymah (concussion); Probable: DE Tim Crowder (ankle), S John Lynch (ankle), WR Javon Walker (shoulder) DE Tim Crowder (ankle), S John Lynch (ankle), WR Javon Walker (shoulder).