Raiders Finally Get a Victory

The Oakland Raiders hadn’t won in more than a month, so Sunday’s 27-21 victory over Seattle brought big smiles.

“It felt like we were going to the Super Bowl,” Raider Coach Mike White said. “Frankly, it was almost as if we’d forgotten how to win.”

Oakland, which last won at San Diego on Oct. 21, sustained a one-point loss to Denver followed by demoralizing back-to-back overtime defeats against Tampa Bay and Minnesota before snapping the three-game losing streak against the Seahawks.

“I could almost feel a sigh of relief on the sideline after it was over,” White said.

“This was a gut-check game to see if the guys were going to give up after three losses in a row,” receiver Tim Brown said.

With Raider owner Al Davis looking on intently in the Kingdome, Jeff Hostetler threw two touchdown passes and Napoleon Kaufman ran for 104 yards in 15 carries as the Raiders (5-7) improved their record against the Seahawks in the 1990s to 11-2.

The Seahawks (5-7) lost their second consecutive game after winning three in a row.

Hostetler completed 13 of 23 passes for 178 yards, including six for 77 yards to Brown. Hostetler threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to James Jett and a three-yard touchdown pass to Rick Cunningham in the second quarter.

Rick Mirer returned as Seattle’s starting quarterback after a six-week absence. Playing because John Friesz is out with a broken leg suffered last week, Mirer was 16 for 25 for 181 yards and one touchdown.

After the Raiders took a 24-13 lead on Derrick Fenner’s one-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks came back on Chris Warren’s two-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion with 11:20 left to play. But the Raiders kept the Seahawks from getting a first down on two tries at their 42 and then drove down field for Cole Ford to kick a 26-yard field field goal with 1:56 remaining.