SD 3 7 6 6 22
Oak 3 3 0 8 14
Date of game: 9/10/2012

Recap: Oakland vs. San Diego

Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - The Oakland Raiders, who are the last NFL team forced to play home games on a baseball team's infield dirt, had their fair share of groundballs on Monday.

Nate Kaeding made five field goals, three coming off Oakland special teams miscues, and the San Diego Chargers downed the Raiders, 22-14, to spoil Dennis Allen's head coaching debut in the season opener for both teams.

Philip Rivers completed 24-of-33 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown, while Malcom Floyd hauled in four balls for 66 yards a score for San Diego (1-0), which is coming off an 8-8 season.

Starting in place of starting running back Ryan Mathews, Ronnie Brown had five carries for just five yards.

"I thought our defense played very well...and obviously we were outstanding on special teams," Chargers head coach Norv Turner said. "Getting a win on the road was big for us."

Raiders standout long snapper Jon Condo left the game in the first half with a head injury. Reserve linebacker Travis Goethel took over the long snapping duties and hurled two into the dirt and was too slow on another, which led to a San Diego punt block. It was the first time that Raiders punter Shane Lechler was blocked in six years.

Carson Palmer threw for 297 yards with a touchdown on 32-of-46 efficiency and Darren McFadden carried the ball 15 times for 32 yards and added 86 yards on a career-high 13 receptions for the Raiders (0-1), who also went 8-8 a year ago.

Trailing 10-6 early in the third quarter, the Raiders lined up to go for a 4th-and-2 from the Chargers 48-yard line, but following a 12 men in the huddle penalty, they decided to punt it away. Goethel's snap rolled back to Lechler, who was tackled at the Raiders 39-yard line. This led to a 28-yard Kaeding field goal, which gave San Diego a 13-6 advantage.

On Oakland's next punt, Dante Rosario broke through the line of scrimmage and blocked Lechler for the first time since 2006. Once again, though, San Diego settled for a field goal, this one from 19 yards out for a 16-6 spread.

After Kaeding nailed a 41-yard field goal early in the fourth, Oakland lined up to punt on its ensuing series. Goethel put another snap into the ground and it gave the Chargers the ball at the Oakland 42-yard line, which led to Kaeding's career high-tying fifth field goal, this one from 45 yards out, which made it 22-6.

"(Goethel's) worked on snapping the ball, and he's done a nice job at practice. Obviously it's a lot different in a game situation," said Allen. "It hurt us."

Oakland finally scored a touchdown with 54 seconds to play when Palmer found undrafted rookie receiver Rod Streater out of Temple for a two-yard score. He also hauled in a two-point conversion, which cut the deficit to eight, but San Diego recovered the ensuing onside kick to seal the win.

Earlier, Sebastian Janikowski and Kaeding traded first-quarter field goals, 51 and 19 yards, respectively, before San Diego found the end zone late in the second quarter.

Rivers flipped a six-yard score over the middle to Floyd, which capped a 13- play, 90-play march that took just over eight minutes off the clock.

Janikowski booted through a 19-yard field goal right before the half, which pulled the hosts within 10-6 heading into the locker room.

Game Notes

The Raiders outgained the Chargers 321-258 ... Chargers outside linebacker Shaun Phillips had two sacks ... San Diego tight end Antonio Gates caught four passes for 43 yards.

Buffs hoping to stampede way back to respectability

It's been more than two decades since the football team at the University of Colorado hoisted its one and only national championship trophy, and the program has struggled to remain relevant ever since.

NASCAR News
Patrick wins fan vote for final spot in all-star race

To no one's surprise, Danica Patrick won the fan vote to earn the 22nd and final starting position in Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Rangers place Kinsler on DL

The Texas Rangers placed All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler on the 15-day disabled list with a right intercostal strain on Sunday.

Pacers' Hill to play in Game 6

Indiana Pacers point guard George Hill has been cleared to participate in Saturday's pivotal Game 6 of the team's Eastern Conference semifinal series with the New York Knicks.

Swedes take gold, U.S. bronze at world hockey championships

Sweden scored three unanswered goals in the third period to break open a close contest and record a 5-1 victory in the gold-medal game of the 2013 World Hockey Championship.

Latest Sports Photos
Latest Sports Photos
0 Votes
SEC Champions Alabama created by artist Ben Teeter S/N C.O.A. available for the dedicated Alabama fan!

1 Vote
first catch of the season looks like a good year

0 Votes
Gina McLeroy Spring City, TN

0 Votes
Our Son Brandon McLeroy MTSU Football 2011 Gina McLeroy Spring City TN

1 Vote
this is James Howard telling Gracie what to do.

0 Votes
Riverbend fun!

0 Votes
I nees a four letter word for the outside layer of a tree.

0 Votes
Cameron is a rising athlete. He has a God given talent for the game of football. This picture is of him stopping the ball carrier in our game in the ...

1 Vote
Our Lookout Valley 9/10 year old team went to a tournament in Knoxville called The Battle of the Rocky Top. They went throught the tournament undefeated and won the championship ...

1 Vote
The Lookout Valley 9-10 year old team traveled to Knoxville, playing in a national youth football tournament. They defeated a team from Chicago to win the championship. These young men ...
LOCAL Deals
www.mortgage-south.com
Click here to learn more about the worry-free mortgage!
www.firstvolunteer.com
Meet the bank with personality to help with your home, car or business dreams today!
Stay Connected with WDEF News 12
 
Inergize Digital This site is hosted and managed by Inergize Digital.