The Raiders are a team built on promise which is yet to deliver. First round pick JaMarcus Russell is already out of the NFL, but wide receivers Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jacoby Ford, along with Darren McFadden, form a core which you feel could be elite, if it was pushed the right ways.
Head coach Hue Jackson, the first African-American to be elevated to the position - and picked personally by Davis - is having a tough initiation into the league as his team came into the game with a 3-2 record.
Not only is his team losing, his quarterback, Carson Palmer, is injured.
The Cleveland Browns on the other hand are punching well above their weight. In fact, their elusive general manager let them spend their bye week in Los Angeles, a reward for their undefeated season.
Running back Peyton Hillis is head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the league in yardage, and projected to crack the 2,000 yard mark. The team would also see the return of three key players as it looked to remain untouchable - kick return specialist Josh Cribbs, linebacker Scott Fujita and defensive lineman Phil Taylor all coming back from injury.
Almost predictably the Browns won the toss and deferred. As the majority of NFL fans know, it has been tough to run against the Cleveland defense this year - even without two starters in Fujita and Taylor - but teams still try, the Raiders picking up 7 yards through 3 plays (including a 1 yard loss on second down) to go 3-and-out.
In fact, it would take 5 changes of possession before either side had a first down as the game became more a highly-paid game of forceback than football. When that first down did come, it was a 16 yard pass from Colt McCoy to Mohamed Massaquoi. On the new set of downs the Browns would again be forced to punt.
The Raiders then finally found some spark - a 14 yard rush by McFadden followed by 20, then 2, then a pass to Kevin Boss for 6 yards, only to have that negated by a -5 yard charge by Michael Bush, the Raiders thankfully though in position for a 43 yard field goal to open the scoring 11 minutes into the game.
The forceback would begin again until Shane Lechler pinned Cribbs on his 18 yard line with no chance of a return. The following play would see the 2nd-year McCoy make one of his characteristic mistakes.
Hills was supposed to run an out-route on a first down play action play - a play the Browns had spent the entire first quarter setting up through inside runs. For some reason unknown to even Hillis, McCoy overthrew the ball to an eager Michael Huff who returned it for the first TD of the match - just as well, as McFadden was now injured and the prognosis was that he could miss several games.
The Browns, whose get-out-of-jail nature has been well documented, would get upfield and resort to a desperation play - a wide receiver screen to rookie Greg Little on 3rd and 5 in the Raiders' red zone.
Little would score his first NFL touchdown in the unlikeliest of ways for a number one receiver.
After another 3-and-out by the Raiders and Browns respectively, an 8 yard sack on first down would prove the undoing of the Browns' defense - who knew all too well the range of Janikowski.
The Browns dogged Campbell for the remainder of the series, but time and again he would complete passes - the next time they caught him was for a 2 yard loss on 3rd and 10 with 40 seconds remaining in the half - but the ball was on the 34, and within Janikowski's range as he proved with a 53 yard strike.
The 3rd quarter saw Jankikowsi hammer another nail into the coffin to make the lead 16-7 after McCoy's second interception of the day gave the ball to the Raiders in the red zone, and he would score his fourth and final three-pointer early in the fourth.
The Browns now faced a 12 point deficit with slightly more than 11 minutes remaining, and yet their crowd remained confident. Where in previous years they would have left, the fans in orange and brown now wait - convinced their team will come back from the fiery jaws of defeat once more.
We cannot know is Cribbs cast his mind back to his opening game heroics as the kickoff sailed toward him, but we do know that when he emerged seconds later and 90 yards upfield on the Raiders 10 yard line, he was ecstatic.
When McCoy found his tight end safety valve Ben Watson one play later, Cribbs exploded off the bench, high fiving all of his offensive team-mates as they trotted back. "We can do this!" he yelled. "Five points!"
After halting the Raiders on their series, the Browns began a march upfield. On 1st and 10 on their 20, McCoy found Little for a 16 yard gain. On 1st and 10 on the 36, he passed to Lousaka Polite - added out of free agency in week four - for a 7 yard pickup. On 2nd and 3 on the 43, Hillis would rush for 12. Then 1 on 1st down. Then a 9 yard pass to Cribbs to pick up another 1st on the 35. Then a huge desperation grab by Massaquoi on 3rd and 10 on the 35 picked up 24 yards.
Then something happened. The Little Engine Who Could began to run out of steam as, in a series beginning on the 11, Hillis made 0 yards, then McCoy found Watson for 6 and Hardesty picked up 1.
On 4th and 2 with 2:45 left, Pat Shurmur could take an easy 3 points to narrow the gap and mean a field goal in his favour would win it, or he could go for it.
He went for it.
Hillis was pounded at the line for a 0 yard gain.
It was now down to the Browns' D once again - though a 14 yard run by Bush on 1st down from his own 3 did not inspire confidence.
Somehow, though, they did it and Lechler was punting on 4th and 4 from his own 23. Here he made a grave error, hitting the ball off the side of his boot and sending it out at halfway.
McCoy made two fast completions to Watson and another to Cribbs to have it inside the 10, but would throw two incompletions to sit on a 3rd and 9.
The gears in Shurmur's head could almost be seen as they grinded away. "With 52 left on the clock and no timeouts, surely the Raiders won't be defending a run". "But then again, Hillis has been stopped time and again".
Is there any doubt when it comes to Pat Shurmur? He went for it.
Hillis would not get the touchdown, but he would get it to the 1. Here, the Browns lined up like they were going for the QB sneak, only to audible to an inside handoff at the last second, with 30 ticks left on the game clock.
They would go for 2, but fail. The Browns' D would hold firm to see them extend their record to 5-0, at the expense of the health of tight end Benjamin Watson, whose dislocated hip will see him miss 10 weeks. The Raiders now sit 3-3.
NOTES: The Browns (5-0) and Patriots (6-0) remain the only unbeaten teams... The Jaguars (1-5) Maurice Jones-Drew is the new leading rusher with 745 yards. Peyton Hillis is 24 yards behind him after his team's early bye week... Raiders (2-4) running back Darren McFadden will miss 6 weeks after breaking his collarbone in his team's 20-19 loss to the Browns... The Patriots' Wes Welker is the league's leading WR, with 42 rec for 638 yards and 5 TDs. The Colts (4-2) Reggie Wayme (44/621/6) and Lions (4-2) Calvin Johnson (38/609/5) trail him... Tight end is a dangerous position this year, with the Patriots' Rob Gronkowski (Torn bicep, 2 weeks), Bengals' Jermaine Gresham (Dislocated kneecap, 2 weeks), Bills' Scott Chandler (Broken collarbone, 7 weeks), Jets' Dustin Keller (Fractured foot, 9 weeks) and Chiefs' Tony Moeaki (Complete ACL tear, injured reserve) all currently occupying the casualty ward.
| Cleveland Browns at Oakland Raiders | |||||
| Oct 16, 2011 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Cleveland Browns (4-0) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 20 |
| Oakland Raiders (2-3) | 3 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 19 |
| Team Stats Comparison | ||
| CLE | OAK | |
| Total Offense | 294 | 198 |
| Rushing Yards | 102 | 135 |
| Passing Yards | 192 | 63 |
| First Downs | 14 | 9 |
| Punt Return Yards | 8 | 8 |
| Kick Return Yards | 106 | 26 |
| Total Yards | 408 | 232 |
| Turnovers | 2 (-2) | 0 (+2) |
| 3rd Down Converstion | 4-17 (23%) | 3-19 (15%) |
| 4th Down Conversion | 1-2 (50%) | 0-1 (0%) |
| 2-Point Conversion | 0-1 (0%) | 0-0 (0%) |
| Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals | 3/0 | 0/2 |
| Penalties | 0-0 | 4-25 |
| Posession Time | 24:27 | 23:33 |
| Scoring Summary | |||
| FIRST QUARTER SCORING | CLE | OAK | |
| 0:47 | (OAK) S.Janikowski, 42 yard FG | 0 | 3 |
| SECOND QUARTER SCORING | CLE | OAK | |
| 8:53 | (OAK) M.Huff, returned interception 25 yards for TD (S.Janikowski kick) | 0 | 10 |
| 3:55 | (CLE) G.Little 11 yard pass from C.McCoy (P.Dawson kick) | 7 | 10 |
| 0:00 | (OAK) S.Janikowski, 53 yard FG | 7 | 13 |
| THIRD QUARTER SCORING | CLE | OAK | |
| 5:30 | (OAK) S.Janikowski, 34 yard FG | 7 | 16 |
| FOURTH QUARTER SCORING | CLE | OAK | |
| 11:21 | (OAK) S.Janikowski, 40 yard FG | 7 | 19 |
| 11:08 | (CLE) B.Watson 10 yard pass from C.McCoy (P.Dawson kick) | 14 | 19 |
| 0:27 | (CLE) P.Hillis, 1 yard run (two-point conversion no good) | 20 | 19 |
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