Raiders and Rams Come Through in a Clinch : Allen Leads Way in a 13-3 Victory Over Seahawks

This was how the AFC West race ended, not with a bang but with the Raiders on top again. That’s three times in the four years since they became a Southland institution, like bean sprouts.

It ended with the Seattle Seahawks, who’d arrived clinging to one last hope, out. These same Seahawks had won five of the last seven meetings with the Raiders. Do you think the Raiders were sorry to be the ones who got to turn out the lights?

But once again, it was a long Sunday’s journey into the victory column. With 6:09 left, Marcus Allen tore out of a Seahawk embrace and scored the only Raider touchdown of the day, not to mention the season, against Seattle and the Raiders won, 13-3, guaranteeing themselves a week off and one playoff game at home.

Should the Raiders beat the Rams next Monday night at Anaheim, they’d stay home throughout the playoffs. Do you think the Rams wouldn’t like to be the ones to make the Raiders take an airplane ride to Miami?

Allen’s seven-yard touchdown run, on his 26th and next-to-last rushing attempt, also gave him eight straight 100-yard games. The record, just set by the Bears’ Walter Payton, is nine. Allen goes for that against the Rams, who are one of the NFL’s top teams against the run.

Candor being much prized among the Raiders, it was not long before someone put Allen’s effort into perspective.

“Take away Marcus Allen,” linebacker Matt Millen said, “and basically we have nothing. That was evident again today. Marcus is just a great, great back. And we’re going to need every one of those yards he gets. . . .

“It’s not like we’re waiting for the real Raider team to show up. This is what we are. We’re not going to put a lot of points on the board. Basically, we have to play great defense.”

Of course, there always used to be speculation about the great Raider defense simmering at the struggles of the Raider offense. . . .

“I think it used to be that way,” Millen said. “Now, we’ve kind of learned to turn it into a driving force. And we’ve been driven, let me tell you.”

They went for another drive Sunday, starting with The Half That Wouldn’t Die.

In the first eight plays, the Raiders lost two fumbles. Also, Dokie Williams dropped a long pass after being so open that boredom had set in.

The Seahawks grabbed a quick 3-0 lead, mounting an impressive 28-yard drive after Jacob Green tipped the ball out of Marc Wilson’s hand. It was impressive in that the Seahawks had only two longer drives the rest of the day. Both went 41 yards.

The Raiders tied it on Chris Bahr’s 22-yard field goal early in the second period. They took a 6-3 lead on the last play of the half.

This came right after a pass interference penalty against Todd Christensen, another one against Williams, a Bahr 22-yarder that was wiped out by a tripping penalty on the Raiders’ Andy Parker and a Bahr 32-yarder that was canceled by a Seahawk offside penalty.

Finally, on Bahr’s third straight successful kick, no one interfered with anyone, tripped anyone or beat the snap count. The 27-yarder was allowed to stand.

There was no scoring in the third period and no threat of one. No one got within 30 yards of the other team’s goal line.

There had to be a big play in one of these teams somewhere, didn’t there?

Didn’t there?

Yes! On the second Raider possession of the fourth quarter, facing a third and 18, Wilson hit Williams for 49 yards over the middle. Seahawk cornerback Terry Taylor was swiping at Williams’ helmet, and Williams had to take the ball straight over his head, making it about 10 times as hard as the one he’d dropped, but he held this one.

“On that first one, I just had all that time to think about what I was going to do after the catch,” Williams said. “How I was going to avoid the guy who was coming up. I went through about five different ways to get away. Finally, I decided on one. But I forgot to catch the ball.

“It makes you want to die. I wanted to crawl out of there. I wanted to just dig my way out of the Coliseum. If I’d thought it was possible, I’d have tried.

“The one I caught was the same play as the one I dropped. We thought they’d be doubling Todd. That’s what they did.

“And this time I watched the ball all the way in.”

Williams fell to earth at the Seahawk seven-yard line. On the next play, Allen slashed off the left side, fought his way to the goal line and broke the old plane.

Howie Long said: “What can you say about Marcus Allen? Dragging those guys into the end zone? The guy’s 205. We’re not talking Larry Kinnebrew here.”

The game was effectively decided. The Raiders, who’d started the season 1-2, had gone 10-2 since, and once more they were the champions.

Long said: “Everybody’s saying, ‘Do you feel ecstatic to have won the AFC West?’

“I feel relieved to have won the AFC West.”

Raider Notes Defensive end Sean Jones dislocated his right elbow and will probably miss the Ram game. Raider orthopedist Robert Rosenfeld said Jones will be back for the playoff. . . . Howie Long, on the Ram game: “I don’t know how we’re going to attack it. Personally, I would rather have a healthy Sean Jones going into the playoffs. I like to play in Miami this time of year.” . . . Before he left, Jones got credit for sharing a sack with Long, giving Jones 5 1/2 in four starts since Lyle Alzado was lost. Long, holding his fingers an inch apart: “In my opinion, Sean Jones is this close to being a great player.” . . . Long got a half-sack but was detected being held three times, costing the Seahawks three 10-yard penalties. Bill Pickel, the Raider team leader, got two sacks and is now up to 12 1/2. . . . The crowd was 77,425, the Raiders’ second largest of the season. It tried to get even for the Seahawks’ Blue Wave, starting its own wave, the first one the Coliseum had seen since Bruce Springsteen played there. Unlike the Seattle crowd, which saves its best effort until the opposition has the ball, the Coliseum crowd did it while the Raiders had possession. Several Raider lineman waved at the crowd to quiet down. . . . The Raiders held Curt Warner to 37 yards in 13 carries, a 2.85 average. They held Dave Krieg to 16 completions in 33 passes, sacked him four times and intercepted him twice. Mike Haynes had one interception, and he lost a second when an official ruled that his backside had come down out of bounds.