Allen Gains 156 Yards, Picks Up Flat Raiders in 34-24 Win at Atlanta

Marcus Allen said he couldn’t understand why it happened, but he thought the Raiders were flat in Sunday’s National Football League game against the Atlanta Falcons.

“It’s funny, because we realized the significance of the game and still we were flat,” Allen said after he and Marc Wilson sparked a second half rally that carried the Raiders to a 34-24 victory.

Allen rambled for 156 yards in 28 carries, his sixth 100-yard performance in succession, and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a four-yard pass from Wilson, who threw for two other touchdowns in the game. Allen also took over the NFL rushing lead for the season.

“It’s nice,” Allen said of the rushing lead, “but I would much rather get into the playoffs at this point. Denver won, so we’re still tied.”

It was the third victory in a row for the 9-4 Raiders, who share the AFC West lead with the Broncos.

“A victory is a victory,” Coach Tom Flores said after his team was forced to overcome a 17-10 deficit.

“It’s important that we maintain winning because we are fighting for the (division) lead,” Flores said. “We pointed out all week that Atlanta wasn’t just a team playing out the season.”

Allen’s 156 yards gave him 1,392 yards for the year, a club single season record. The effort moved Allen ahead of Atlanta’s Gerald Riggs, the previous leader who had 95 yards on 25 carries for 1,343 yards this season. It ended Riggs’ string of consecutive 100-yard games at five.

Wilson fired a 37-yard scoring strike to Jessie Hester in the first quarter and came back with a seven-yarder to Dokie Williams with eight minutes left in the game.

Chris Bahr kicked field goals of 35 and 49 yards in the first half.

The Falcons, 2-11, led 17-13 at halftime but netted only nine yards on their first three possessions of the second half when the Raiders took control of the game.

Mick Luckhurst booted a 39-yard field goal and David Archer connected with Arthur Cox on a 62-yard scoring pass in the first quarter. Riggs scored on an 11-yard run in the second period.

The Falcons added another score with only 1:05 remaining on a 25-yard pass from Archer to Billy Johnson on a fourth-and-17 play.