Raiders Turn the West Into Three-for-All : Raiders Hang On to Beat Denver and Cause Logjam

The Three Amigos ride again.

Not Vance Johnson and those guys, we’re talking the Raiders, Broncos and Seahawks, together again at the .500 mark, atop the good, old AFC West.

The Raiders climbed back into the tie that favors them, spanking their Amigos from Denver, 21-20, Sunday before 65,561, or put another way, before 15,000 more fans than had been in the Coliseum for a pro game since September.

Actually, the Raiders took a 21-0 lead on the hapless Broncos, turned hapless themselves, and hung on for dear life while John Elway threatened them with the unthinkable. Not until the Raider offense, which had gone without a first down in the second half, took over at its 5-yard line in the closing minutes and strung together four of them, could the Raiders start breathing again.

What were they, scared, terrified, worse than that?

“Nervous,” said Greg Townsend, grinning. “Scared is not really a virtue here.”

A potful of Heisman Trophy winners, and a payroll the size of the gross national product of Botswana, and who’s the Raider of the game?

Who leads them in scoring for the last two games?

Townsend, a defensive end.

In the third quarter, with the Raiders ahead, 14-0, Greg (Big Play) Townsend intercepted Elway. Greg (I’m Gone) Townsend then outran Elway, 86 yards into the other end zone. He recovered a fumble in the end zone at Seattle, so this was the second touchdown in as many games for Greg (Let’s Renegotiate) Townsend.

Of course, Townsend had been chasing Elway around for years, so Elway owed him one.

Not that anyone thought the bill was about to come due.

Who outran whom?

The play started at the Raider 11, where Elway floated a swing pass toward halfback Steve Sewell--which Townsend caught, instead.

Townsend was supposed to be rushing the passer, so we’ll pick the narrative up there.

“I’m not supposed to play the pass,” Townsend said. “I just saw it coming and I fell off on him (Sewell). I could have been cussed out if it didn’t work out.”

Townsend caught the ball and took off.

Elway took off after him.

Cut to the chase.

“I saw he had the angle from the word go,” Townsend said. “I was just trying to stay straight-ahead, with my knees up, the arms following through, that kind of thing, just trying to get to the other side of the field.

“I was pretty surprised because I started seeing him, what we call breaking up, kind of stumbling while he was running. So I kind of thought, ‘OK, now cruise it on in.’

“Who would I have said was faster? The last time we played ‘em Monday night in Denver, I chased him for days and I couldn’t catch him.

“I don’t sell myself short, but I don’t lie, either.”

This was a rout, wasn’t it? The first Raider possession had resulted in their longest touchdown drive in 5 weeks, with the slumping Bo Jackson running over linebacker Jim Ryan for the last 4 yards. Bo butted over Mike Harden here last season, so this was just another entry in his Send a Bronco To See His Ancestors series.

Late in the half, the Broncos blitzed Jay Schroeder, who threw a little dumpoff pass over the middle to Steve Smith, who ran 45 yards untouched into the end zone with it? This would have been amazing, if it hadn’t happened almost the same way twice in the first meeting. What it was, was amazing times three.

What it also was, was 14-0.

Then came Townsend’s stroll, and it was 21-0.

Then came Elway’s revenge.

He drove the Broncos to two Rich Karlis field goals, while the Coliseum semi-faithful semi-dozed.

He drove them 53 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter, hitting Clarence Kay with a 6-yarder to make it 21-13. The faithful stirred in their sleep.

He threw a laser to Mark Jackson behind Mike Haynes for a 63-yard gain, and a 4-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Nattiel to make it 21-20 with 10:13 left in the game. The faithful awoke and swallowed hard.

The Raiders got the ball at their 20 and went nowhere.

The Broncos got it at their 37 and reached the Raider 44 on two Elway passes. There the Raiders held, Malcolm Taylor batting down Elway’s third-and-6 pass at the line.

With fourth and 6, Bronco Coach Dan Reeves kept his offense on the field. Elway went back into the shotgun . . . and punted.

The ball rolled to the Raider 5.

There was 7:29 left. Welcome to clutch time.

Out came the Raider offense. Two plays later, it stood third and 3, whereupon Schroeder ran a naked reverse around right end, straight-armed cornerback Mike Wilson at the first-down marker--”Well, I don’t want to make a living with a straight-arm but we got it in there,” he said later--and crossed the sideline just ahead of it. First down at the 16.

Two plays later, on third and 2, Schroeder ran the same naked reverse for 7.

Then on second and 7, he threw a 15-yard pass to Mervyn Fernandez, who got his tiptoes down just inbounds.

Then Marcus Allen ran twice for another first down.

Then the Raiders ran three plays, while Reeves called his last timeouts.

Then Jeff Gossett punted, the ball rolling to the Bronco 5 with :06 left.

Elway threw a last desperation pass high and far. When it came down, Vann McElroy caught it in the middle of a scrum. Bienvenidos Amigos , the silver and black is happy to see you all together again.

Raider Notes

Why this tie favors the Raiders: their division record is 6-1, better than Seattle (4-2) and Denver (3-4). The Raiders can win the division just by tying for the lead--as long as they beat the Seahawks, since head-to-head results are the first tie-breaker. If Denver loses next week at Seattle, and Raiders beat Seahawks here in the finale, Raiders win, regardless of how they do next week in Buffalo. . . . Greg Townsend had 2 sacks, has 4 in the last 3 games and leads the Raiders with 8 1/2. . . . Jay Schroeder played decently in his return (10 for 19, 1 interception, 1 touchdown pass). Mervyn Fernandez dropped one in the open on him in the third period which would have gone for an 82-yard play--the ball traveling a good 70 yards in the air. Said Fernandez: “There’s no explanation for it. Sometimes you’re just open and you’re running and--bloop!--right through my hands. I mean, there was definitely nothing wrong with the pass.” . . . Said Schroeder: “He more than made up for it with that catch on the sidelines. That’s a big play in the ballgame. I’m scrambling out, there’s no way I’m gonna run for the first down, I throw it up and he hangs his toes on the sidelines and makes a big catch for us.”