OAKLAND -- The Raiders keep rolling toward the playoffs, as Rich Gannon threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns, and David Dunn scored on an 88-yard kickoff return as Oakland beat the Atlanta Falcons 41-14 Sunday for its eighth victory in nine games.
After Atlanta scored on the game's opening possession, the Raiders (10-2) reeled off 38 straight points. Tim Brown and James Jett each caught a TD pass, while Tyrone Wheatley and Zack Crockett each rushed for a score.
With their 10th victory -- Oakland's best total since 1993 -- the Raiders matched Minnesota for the NFL's best record. They also moved a step closer to their first division title since 1990, and their first postseason berth since 1994.
Backed by screaming, near-capacity crowds at the Coliseum, the Raiders have scored 121 points in their last three home games. While the offense was having another strong day, Oakland's 26th-ranked defense sacked Atlanta quarterbacks Chris Chandler and Doug Johnson six times.
The Falcons spent the week in the San Francisco Bay area after last Sunday's 16-6 loss to the 49ers. The extra focus that Atlanta coach Dan Reeves hoped for didn't show up Sunday, as the Falcons (3-10) lost their fourth straight and ninth in the last 10 games.
Gannon, who was sacked five times and threw for just 168 yards in the Raiders' win at New Orleans last week, rarely faced a serious pass rush from Atlanta. He completed 15 of 22 passes and even rushed for 64 yards while padding the statistics that might make him the league's MVP.
Atlanta, held without an offensive touchdown by San Francisco last week, drove 68 yards for a score on its first possession against Oakland, capped by a 5-yard TD run by Jamal Anderson.
It was the game's only sequence that will make the Falcons' highlight reel.
Atlanta's streak of 25 straight possessions without allowing a touchdown ended on Wheatley's 1-yard run early in the second quarter. Even five holding penalties on Oakland's offensive line in the first half couldn't stop the Raiders from building a 24-7 halftime lead on scores by Brown and Crockett.<
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LittleFoot said:
Why not just post your own comment saying that, Rajiv?
Dirk van Ulden said:
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