Subdued Raiders Take the Vikings (Apart) Seriously : Pro football: L.A. wins its fourth consecutive game and hands Minnesota its third loss in its last 22 games at the Metrodome, 28-24.

The Raiders disposed of the Minnesota Vikings, 28-24, then quietly walked the tunnel back to their locker room at the Metrodome, satisfied with Saturday’s work but certainly not consumed by it.

The score was closer than the game itself. The Vikings had won 19 of their last 21 at home, cause for concern for most visitors. The Raiders took a team with as many Pro Bowl selections as themselves apart in sections, apologizing afterward for their sloppiness and lapses in concentration.

“Hey, we won,” a Raider executive encouraged his players as they filed past him.

Serious bunch, these Raiders, who made it four consecutive victories before leaving the Vikings and 53,899 fans behind to sift through the ruins.

“We’re on a roll,” defensive end Greg Townsend said.

One week remains in the regular season, and the Raiders seem well aware of the stakes. A Kansas City loss against San Diego today and the Raiders clinch the AFC West two days before Christmas, but the Raiders aren’t playing like a team looking for favors.

As they tune up for the postseason, the Raiders have begun to open themselves up for self-examination. How could a defense drop so many easy interception chances?

Safety Mike Harden was so close on two attempts that he could read the commissioner’s name on the ball. Cornerback Terry McDaniel dropped what seemed to be a sure touchdown the other way.

“Maybe we should bring stick’um back into the league,” Coach Art Shell said. “They were dropping touchdowns.”

How could the Raiders knock Vikings’ quarterback Wade Wilson out of the game because of a separated shoulder one minute and then allow an 18-point lead to shrink to four the next?

“I want to talk about putting guys away,” tailback Marcus Allen said. “We let those guys hang around too much.”

Receiver Willie Gault finished with two catches for 117 yards, beating the Minnesota secondary deep for 56 yards on the first play from scrimmage and 61 yards in the fourth quarter. Both receptions led to touchdowns, but Gault didn’t score himself because his momentum sent him skidding on the artificial turf.

“I was rumbling, bumbling and stumbling,” Gault said.

The Vikings never really recovered from the first catch. Gault veered deep over the middle to open the game and no one followed him.

“I’ve never been more open,” Gault said.

What about the second catch?

“That was the second-most wide open I’ve been,” he said.

A lot of Raiders were wide open because Minnesota insisted on playing man-to-man defense against track stars.

Sam Graddy was one. In four NFL seasons, Graddy had one reception for 30 yards. It came against Kansas City when Graddy was playing for Denver. Graddy, one of those Al Davis speed projects, went into the game after Tim Brown suffered an injured left ankle.

Graddy lined up outside in the first quarter and blew past Pro Bowl safety Joey Browner. Raider quarterback Jay Schroeder stepped up in the pocket to elude rusher Chris Doleman and hit Graddy in stride for a 47-yard touchdown to put the Raiders ahead, 14-0, with 3:35 to play in the first quarter.

Graddy, a member of the gold-medal winning 400-meter relay team in the 1984 Olympics, had his first catch of 1990 and his first NFL touchdown.

“If you don’t catch a pass when you’re a receiver, it’s a tough life,” he said. “It felt like winning a medal in the Olympics.”

Ahead by two touchdowns, the Raiders then gave the Vikings hope when Elvis Patterson was called for roughing the punter late in the first quarter. Instead of getting the ball back and perhaps putting the Vikings away for good, Minnesota retained control and cut the lead to 14-3 on Fuad Reveiz’s 28-yard field goal.

Taking advantage of Jeff Jaeger’s missed field goal attempt, the Vikings drove 73 yards in seven plays shortly before halftime and cut the lead to 14-10 on a 27-yard pass from Wilson to Cris Carter.

But the Raiders assumed control early in the second half, after Townsend intercepted a pass by Wilson that was tipped by Howie Long and deflected off the back of Bob Golic. The Raiders took over at the Viking 29, and soon scored on a controversial 19-yard pass from Schroeder to Allen.

The official closest to the scene waved the play off as incomplete, but was overruled by another official and instant replay.

Allen had leaped over former USC teammate Browner to make the catch. Allen figured he deserved a break after nine years of service.

“I guess when you’re around long enough . . . “ Allen said. “They give Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan the call sometimes.”

The Raiders led, 21-10. The pass rush stalked quarterback Wilson from the outset, finally knocking him from the game with 7:20 left in the third quarter on a sack by Scott Davis. Wilson suffered a separated right shoulder. The Raider pass rush had five sacks, led by rookie linebacker Aaron Wallace with two.

“Aaron can chase down anything with a heartbeat,” Long said later. “The kid can run like a deer.”

Rich Gannon had replaced Wilson, but he wasn’t the answer. The Raiders increased their lead to 28-10 with 7:44 left on Schroeder’s fourth touchdown pass of the day, a three-yarder to tight end Ethan Horton.

The Vikings scored two touchdowns after that, and made the game interesting when they cut the lead to four with 15 seconds left, but they had used all of their timeouts. The Raiders recovered an attempted onsides kick and went about their business, their sights set on next week and their first division title since 1985.

Raider Notes

Raider cornerback Lionel Washington aggravated his left hamstring early in the game and didn’t return. Washington said he first injured the leg in practice last week and didn’t want to push the leg on the Metrodome’s artificial surface. Linebacker Jerry Robinson injured the last two fingers on his left hand and was fitted in a soft cast. Can he play with the injury? “I’m going to try,” Robinson said. . . . Defensive end Greg Townsend left the game late because of a strained neck, but he said the injury is not serious.

Temperatures outside the Metrodome on Saturday reached minus-10 degrees with a wind-chill of minus-41. . . . The Vikings played eight-man fronts to stop the Raider running game, holding Bo Jackson to 65 yards in 17 carries and Marcus Allen to 37 yards in 12 attempts. But Minnesota picked the wrong day to challenge quarterback Jay Schroeder, who completed 10 of 15 passes for 234 yards and four touchdowns. . . . In the third quarter, Jackson flattened Viking running back coach John Brunner on the sidelines after a 12-yard gain. It took Brunner a few minutes to get back on his feet, but he was OK. “I couldn’t do anything but collide with him,” Jackson said. “I went to see him after the game and he said he was all right.”

Before leaving the game because of a separated shoulder, Viking quarterback Wade Wilson completed 11 of 19 passes for 162 yards and was sacked four times. His replacement, Rich Gannon, completed 12 of 21 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns. . . . The Vikings (6-9) are out of the playoff picture.

* AIRING IT OUT: Jay Schroeder, who threw four touchdown passes, served notice early that it was going to be his day. Story, C10.