Raiders Win When Flutie Flakes Out

The Oakland Raiders claimed the AFC West crown Saturday by beating the San Diego Chargers, 13-6, and taking full advantage of some Doug Flutie magic.

The San Diego quarterback had a chance to break a 3-3 tie in the third quarter, but-- poof! --drilled a pass directly into the gut of defensive tackle Darrell Russell at the Oakland 11.

Then, with six minutes remaining and San Diego trailing, 10-6, the Chargers moved to within two yards of the end zone and-- voila! --a Flutie pass wound up in the hands of linebacker William Thomas.

Finally, in the game’s waning moments, Flutie had receiver Jeff Graham open in the back of the end zone and-- shazam! --sent a pass fluttering well over his head. Graham dropped a pass inside the 10 on fourth down, essentially ending the game.

In all, a mystifying performance by Flutie.

“Total frustration,” he said. “We had some great opportunities. I throw three interceptions and the last one killed us. It’s just some freaky stuff happens.”

Freaky doesn’t faze the Raiders. They were delighted to see Qualcomm Stadium loaded with fans clad in silver and black. For them, it was almost like playing a home game--except the seats were filled.

“I pulled in here today and it was unbelievable,” Raider Coach Jon Gruden said. “It was like an Ali-Frazier fight. It was 50-50, it seemed like. It was a neat atmosphere.”

There were a few skirmishes in the stands, but, for the most part, the beefed-up security force was able to quash fights before they got out of hand.

Meanwhile, the Raiders were unable to get their offense in gear, and leaned on a defense that has been porous for much of the season. The same defense that came into the game ranked 28th against the run, having surrendered an average of 195 yards in the past five games, limited San Diego to 68 yards--40 shy of its average.

Oakland’s offensive production consisted of two field goals by Sebastian Janikowski and a 40-yard touchdown reception by Jerry Rice, who slipped down the middle and was wide open with 5:45 remaining in the third quarter.

“Jerry made a great move on the safety [Rogers Beckett],” quarterback Rich Gannon said. “We just kind of put one out there, and the rest he did all by himself.”

Tim Brown had a blunder early in the fourth quarter that could have been devastating for the Raiders. He muffed a punt deep in Oakland territory, and Charger Ronney Jenkins recovered the ball at the 15. But San Diego moved only two yards in three plays before collecting a 31-yard field goal by Steve Christie to trim the Raider lead to 10-6.

The decisive turnover was the interception by Thomas. He wrapped his hands around Flutie’s pass at the three, returned the interception 11 yards before tossing a lateral to cornerback Charles Woodson, who picked up 30 more yards.

Turns out Woodson was begging Thomas for the pitch.

“I heard Charles so loud I thought he had a megaphone or something,” said Thomas, who also had an interception in the third quarter--an interception Flutie blamed on loose turf.

“I told myself I would never pitch the ball to someone because I think I can take it back,” Thomas said.

“But I heard him so loud and clear I pitched it to him. We were just trying to make a play. We wanted to get a touchdown. We wanted to get six.”

While the Raiders (10-3) know just where they are headed, the Chargers (5-9) have lost seven consecutive games and are slipping deeper into the abyss.

They have a talented rookie quarterback in Drew Brees, who filled in for an injured Flutie in the second half against Kansas City and nearly orchestrated a come-from-behind victory, yet they somehow feel compelled to stick with Flutie. For one, they have a significant amount of cash invested in him; he signed a six-year, $30-million deal in March, and the team would take a salary-cap hit of $2 million if he were released after the season.

The image-conscious Flutie, who has had 13 passes intercepted in the last seven games, vented his frustration in an interview with the Orange County Register this week.

“It’s amazing--I feel like I’m defending myself all the time,” he told the newspaper.

“Reporters come in and try to tell you you’re not getting the job done. Then I go in the outside world and it’s amazing. It’s amazing. People come up to you, tell you what a great job you’re doing, how happy they are you’re here in San Diego. There was a poll on ESPN: Who had the biggest influence on their new team this year? I was voted the guy who had the biggest impact and made the biggest difference. I’m third in Pro Bowl voting right now.”

Of course, that’s the fan vote. The player vote has yet to be tabulated. It was clear Saturday, though, that the Raiders were enthusiastic Flutie fans.