Fouts Drives Chargers to Win, Raiders to Distraction : 2 Late Scores Give San Diego a 40-34 Victory

Having bottled the wind for lo, these many seasons, the Raiders reaped a San Diego Charger whirlwind that spit lightning at them for 4:34 late Sunday afternoon. The Raiders will watch the replay in their nightmares.

Holding a 34-27 lead with 1:49 left, about to run their streak in this series to eight victories in four seasons, they saw Dan Fouts produce a 71-yard drive for the tying touchdown, a 14-yard pass to Charlie Joiner. The whole thing took 50 seconds.

The Chargers won the toss in overtime, the decisive play, as it turned out. Fouts then took a leisurely 3:44 to go 80 yards. Lionel James slashed off the right side for the last 17 yards and this time, the Chargers had won the shootout, 40-34.

The Chargers, now 5-5 with consecutive victories over the AFC-leading Broncos and Raiders, were jubilant. James was carried out of the end zone by his teammates, who ran down a photographer in the process.

The Raiders, now 6-4 and a half-game behind the Broncos with two straight losses, were disconsolate. Howie Long said the defense choked.

If you want to look at it that way, there were enough Raider mistakes to make the difference: a blocked point after touchdown, a missed 38-yard field goal, a coach’s bungle sending in defenses that gave the Chargers a touchdown, three first-half turnovers.

But in crunch time, the Raiders teed up their best--their defense--against the pride of the Chargers--their offense--and got run over.

Turnabout is fair play, not to say inevitable. Two weeks ago, the Raiders did everything but carry Fouts off. Fouts called the Raider pass rush that night the best he’d ever seen.

This time, the Chargers threw quick patterns to their halfbacks. Fouts passed for 436 yards, the sixth 400-yarder of his career. Several Raiders said they’d never seen him better.

One of Fouts’ backs, James, had 345 all-purpose yards (51 rushing, 168 on 11 pass receptions, 126 on kickoff returns), the second highest total ever, behind the 373 Billy Cannon of the Houston Oilers got against the New York Titans in 1961.

And Lester Hayes called another Charger back, rookie Gary Anderson, “the second coming of Gale Sayers.”

A week ago, Hayes only had him down as “the second coming of Eric Dickerson.”

Hayes: “It’s very difficult shadowing the second coming of Gale Sayers, Gary Anderson. I’ve never seen a back as good as Gary Anderson since ’77 (Hayes broke in in 1977). And I’ve seen 500-600.

“It’s a game of angles. Covering backs is a tough thing for Mike Haynes and I to do. If he’s on the line of scrimmage, I can get a jam on him. But Coach (Don) Coryell is a very, very bright man.”

Sunday, Anderson became the first Raider opponent to run for 70 yards this season. He also caught 4 passes for 84 yards, including the short toss he turned into a 38-yard gain with the Raider secondary strewn in his wake to start the last drive in regulation.

The Raiders were fresh from their own triumphant march, 84 yards with Marc Wilson picking up a third-and-five, a third-and-six and finally hitting Todd Christensen for 24 yards and the go-ahead touchdown. Lots of Raiders had terrific days Sunday, although it might not feel like it for a while.

With 1:49 left in regulation, the Raiders kicked off, and James ran it back 29 yards to the 30. Then Fouts tossed that little swing pass to Anderson, who faked his way past Sammy Seale, Odis McKinney and everyone else he met for a while.

Then James got loose around left end for 14 yards to the Raider 19. With second-and-10 there, Greg Townsend sacked Fouts back to the 27, but James Davis was caught for holding in the secondary. The ball went instead to the 14.

Two plays later, the Raiders blitzed Fouts again, and Fouts beat them again, with a floater to Joiner running an out pattern against Seale. Bob Thomas’ kick tied the game with :57 left.

The Raiders sent Rod Martin out to call the coin toss for the overtime.

Martin called tails.

It came up a head.

And the Raiders were dead.

Or about to be. Chris Bahr reached the end zone with his kickoff, but that just meant that Fouts had to go 80.

His first pass was incomplete.

His second went for 23 yards over the middle to tight end Pete Holohan.

His fourth play, on second-and-15 after an incompletion and a five-yard penalty, sent Anderson on a draw around right end for 23 yards to the Raider 36.

His sixth was a 15-yard pass to James.

His seventh was the game-winner, James around right end against a Raider defense that was back on its heels.

“Eighteen bob-trey-oh,” said Howie Long of the touchdown run. “There was a double-team on me. They pulled a guard. I didn’t do anything to stop them.

“They just flat-out whipped us. The offense put enough points on the board and the defense choked . . . They kicked our ass. I stunk the house out. I didn’t get anything done. I didn’t help us at all.”

This may have been heart-felt, but it was excessive. A Long rush forced a Fouts sidearm throw that bounced off Anderson’s hands into those of Brad Van Pelt, resulting in a short Raider drive for a first-half touchdown that turned the first half around.

Raider mistakes were a dime a dozen Sunday, including:

--Fouts’ 34-yard touchdown pass to James, tying the game, 20-20, in the third period. The Raiders got caught in the middle of a line change, as they say in hockey, leaving James, lined up as a receiver, uncovered. Fouts spotted it, went on a quick count and hit James, who then cut back on three late-arriving Raiders and scored.

Defensive calls are normally made by linebacker Coach Bob Zeman.

Tom Flores: “That was our fault. We sent in one defense and we were in the middle of changing defenses. We blew it. We just blew it. There’s nothing you can say about that. It was a mistake and they got a TD out of it.”

--The blocked point after touchdown. The Raiders had just gone ahead, 13-10, but Bahr’s kick was blocked by Billy Ray Smith. Special teams coach Steve Ortmayer said Smith got between center Dave Dalby and the man next to him, Bruce Davis. Davis said it was so, but he didn’t know how.

--A missed 38-yarder by Chris Bahr. Bahr, long a reliable kicker, has been in a quiet slump most of the season. He is 9 for 17 overall, 2 for 9 outside 37 yards.

--Wilson’s two first-half interceptions, and the exchange he and Marcus Allen mishandled, which gave the Raiders eight turnovers in the last three halves. They ended one Raider drive and gave the Chargers two short ones for 10 points.

Flores: “We weren’t real crisp. . . . But it just came down to, we just didn’t stop them when we had to.”

During this streak, the Raiders had victories at Jack Murphy Stadium by scores of 44-37 and 41-34. Sunday, they shot it out again and the OK Corral had a new champion.

Raider Notes The crowd of 58,566 was a Jack Murphy Stadium record, eclipsing the crowd for Game 5 of the Padres-Cubs playoff in 1984. . . . The Chargers’ 593 yards was their third-highest total ever. Dan Fouts’ sixth 400-yard day surpassing Sonny Jurgensen for the most. Fouts also did it once in a playoff game. . . . Among the overshadowed Raider offensive highlights: Marc Wilson passed for 297 yards and 3 touchdowns. Marcus Allen ran for 119. Todd Christensen, averaging 7 catches and 105 yards a game against the Chargers in the streak, caught 7 for 112 and a touchdown. Rookie Jessie Hester caught two passes for 89 yards, both touchdowns. . . . Vann McElroy couldn’t play because of a hamstring pull. The other safety, Mike Davis, left in the fourth quarter with a sore left knee. . . . Also: Curt Marsh replaced Mickey Marvin at right guard in the second half. Shelby Jordan went in for Henry Lawrence at right tackle, though Lawrence’s absence was caused by a cramp. . . . The Broncos play the 49ers tonight. Rod Martin: “C’mon San Francisco is all I can say.”