Allen’s Return Is in Nick of Time : Raiders: Running back, playing first game since Oct. 19, gives club 16-14 victory over Phoenix Cardinals.

All week long, the Los Angeles Raiders said they were going to avoid a letdown against the Phoenix Cardinals. But they didn’t.

However, the Raiders remained in the playoff race when Marcus Allen scored on a one-yard dive with 40 seconds remaining Sunday to give the Raiders a hard-fought 16-14 victory over the underdog Cardinals.

The Cardinals had taken a 14-9 lead on a two-yard touchdown pass from Gary Hogeboom to Jay Novacek with 5:10 remaining, capping a 90-yard, 15-play drive. But Vance Mueller returned the ensuing kickoff 49 yards and the Raiders moved 46 yards in 13 plays to score the winning touchdown.

Allen, playing his first game since suffering a knee injury on Oct. 9, kept the drive alive with a three-yard dive on a fourth-and-two play, putting the ball at the Phoenix one-yard line. He scored two plays later.

“Marcus is one of the best to ever play this game,” Raiders coach Art Shell said. “I felt confident with him in there under these conditions. There’s nobody better in the game at going over the top.”

The Raiders were coming off an emotional 16-13 overtime victory over the Denver Broncos before a crowd of 87,560 at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Only 41,785 watched the game against the Cardinals.

“We moved the ball well but we couldn’t score, for whatever reason,” Shell said. “We just weren’t on today. But all in all, it’s a win, no matter what.”

Allen was at a loss when asked about the subpar performance by the Raiders.

“It’s difficult to explain. I’m trying to find an answer,” he said. “The significance of the game should be an incentive.”

On a personal level, Allen said he “just wanted to contribute.”

Los Angeles, which has won three consecutive games, is 8-6 with two games remaining, on the road against Seattle and the New York Giants. The Raiders, who finished 7-1 at home, are 1-5 in road games.

“We must get a lot better if we want to continue to win,” said Raiders quarterback Steve Beuerlein, who completed only 13 of 30 passes for 255 yards. “We won’t win another game if we play the way we did today. I know next week (at Seattle) we will rise to the occasion.”

The loss was the fourth straight for the Cardinals (5-9), who are assured of their fifth straight losing season.

“I thought our players, for the third week in a row, played hard, extremely hard,” interim Phoenix coach Hank Kuhlmann said. “They competed, they never gave up. The game was a disappointment. These people want to win, and they’re frustrated.”

Phoenix got to the Raiders’ 46-yard line after Allen’s touchdown but ran out of time.

The Cardinals used 8:48 in taking their 14-9 lead. The big play was a 35-yard pass from Hogeboom to Ernie Jones. Hogeboom also threw a 35-yard pass to Jones in the second period for the first Phoenix touchdown.

Jeff Jaeger kicked field goals of 25 and 30 yards in the second quarter and a 48-yarder in the third period for the Raiders. However, he also missed three attempts.

“I have no excuses; I just missed,” Jaeger said of his three failures. “The snaps, holds and protection were just fine.”

The Raiders threatened on their first two possessions but the Phoenix defense stiffened each time and Jaeger misfired on field goal attempts of 42 and 49 yards.

With a 50-yard run by Bo Jackson the big play, the Raiders moved from their eight-yard line to the Phoenix eight on their third possession, but again the Cardinals held. This time Jaeger was successful, kicking his first field goal 12:23 left before halftime to break a scoreless tie.

The Cardinals didn’t cross midfield until Hogeboom completed a 10-yard pass to Jones with eight minutes left in the half. Shortly thereafter, with the Cardinals at the Los Angeles 32, Earl Ferrell mishandled a pitchout and Mike Wise of the Raiders scooped it up and ran 64 yards for an apparent touchdown.

However, the play was reversed by replay official Bill Swanson, who ruled that Ferrell never had possession of the ball, meaning it was a muff rather than a fumble and the Raiders couldn’t return it. Thus, Los Angeles was given possession at its own 36-yard line.

“They took the touchdown away from me on a technicality,” an angry Wise said. “My one shot at glory. How often does a defensive lineman get to score a touchdown? I think it’s a bad rule.”

Beuerlein threw a 47-yard pass to Willie Gault on the next play, putting the Raiders at the Phoenix 17. But two plays later, Beuerlein fumbled while being sacked by Eric Hill and Hill recovered at the Cardinals’ 26.

Phoenix then drove 74 yards in six plays to go ahead 7-3 with 2:16 left in the half on the Hogeboom-to-Jones pass. Jaeger kicked his second field goal with 21 seconds left in the half to cap a 52-yard, eight-play drive and make it 7-6.

The Raiders blew another opportunity early in the third quarter. After Tony Baker of Phoenix fumbled on the first scrimmage play of the second half and Tom Benson recovered at the Cardinals’ 25, Los Angeles couldn’t move and Jaeger missed a 42-yard field goal.

Jaeger clicked on his 48-yarder the next time the Raiders had the ball, capping a 52-yard, eight-play drive and putting Los Angeles ahead 9-7.

Jackson led all rushers with 114 yards on 22 carries. Hogeboom was 12-of-24 passing for 160 yards.