Oakland Raiders Fell St. Louis Rams 16-14

Oakland, CA (Sports Network) – Bruce Gradkowski replaced Jason Campbell after halftime and led Oakland to the go-ahead touchdown, as the Raiders held off the St. Louis Rams, 16-14, in their home opener.

Gradkowski completed 11-of-22 throws for 162 yards and was picked off once, while Campbell threw for 87 yards on 8-of-15 passing, with one interception.

Darren McFadden ran for 145 yards on 30 carries for Oakland (1-1), which was blown out by Tennessee, 38-13, in its opener.

“It’s a good win in that it’s the first of the year. Not a very pretty win, obviously, but we’ll take it,” said Raiders head coach Tom Cable. “I made the switch at halftime at quarterback…just to give the team a lift. I felt like we needed to change it up a little bit. My job is to win games and do whatever it takes to do that.”

Rookie Sam Bradford completed 14-of-25 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns to Mark Clayton, and was intercepted once as the Rams (0-2) dropped another close game. They had lost their opener to Arizona by a 17-13 score.

With Campbell pulled, Gradkowski took over to begin the second half and drove the Raiders to the St. Louis 23 before Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 41-yarder to make it a 7-6 game. After a Rams punt, Gradkowski led Oakland to the end zone.

On the first two plays of the drive, Gradkowski connected with Darrius Heyward-Bey for 16 yards and Zach Miller for 24. McFadden ran for nine yards before busting out for a 30-yard gain to the Rams’ four.

Then, on third down, Gradkowski found Louis Murphy open on the right side of the end zone for a touchdown and 13-7 lead. Oakland tacked on a 22-yarder from Janikowski five minutes into the fourth.

Bradford was intercepted by Stanford Routt on the second play of the ensuing series, but got St. Louis to the end zone later in the quarter. After Gradkowski was intercepted by Jerome Murphy, the Rams took over at their own 41-yard line with 4:05 to play and advanced thanks to two Oakland penalties.

The second, an unnecessary roughness call on linebacker Rolando McClain — who slammed receiver Danny Amendola to the ground after a catch — put the Rams at the Oakland 33.

Two plays later, Bradford found Clayton at the goal line for a catch. It was initially ruled incomplete, but replays showed Clayton got his right foot in the corner of the end zone as he was being pushed out of bounds, and the call was overturned.

The score had St. Louis within 16-14 with 3:18 to play, but the Rams didn’t get another touch. With just under three minutes left, Gradkowski converted a 3rd-and-7 with a 13-yard pass to Murphy, and the Raiders held on from there.

“You can’t win in the NFL when you beat yourself. I preface that by saying I do think Oakland did a nice job in the second half, they win the football game and we lose,” said Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo.

There was no scoring in the first quarter, as each team missed a field goal. After Janikowski’s 46-yard try went wide left late in the frame, the Rams took over at their own 36.

Steven Jackson rushed for 23 yards on the final play of the quarter, and St. Louis continued to drive in the second. Bradford’s 24-yard pass to Jackson had the Rams in a 1st-and-goal from the eight, and after Jackson ran for a yard, Bradford connected with Clayton for a touchdown.

The Raiders got on the board thanks to Janikowski’s 38-yarder with 3:22 left, then forced the Rams to punt. Oakland took over with 1:22 to play, but Campbell made two mistakes. He fumbled before recovering the ball, then was picked off by James Butler.

Jackson had 75 yards on 19 carries for the Rams, while adding four catches for 50 yards…Murphy finished with six receptions for 91 yards. Heyward-Bey had six grabs for 80 yards…The interception was the first for Jerome Murphy, a rookie defensive back for the Rams…McFadden, the fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft, recorded his second career 100-yard rushing game…The Raiders held the ball for 36:49.

NFL Update: St. Louis Rams Lose 16-14 to Oakland Raiders

The St. Louis Rams fell to 0-2 after a 16-14 loss to the Oakland Raiders and backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski.

The Rams’ offensive stars got off to a hot start in the first half—quarterback Sam Bradford went 9-for-11 with a touchdown, and Steven Jackson quickly crossed 100 all-purpose yards. But Bradford and the Rams’ injury-diminished receiving corps couldn’t connect in the second half, and despite another last-second comeback and another touchdown reception from Mark Clayton they couldn’t put things together fast enough in the fourth quarter.

The Raiders went to Bruce Gradkowski after an ineffectual first half from Jason Campbell, and while he was hardly any better statistically he presided over their second-half scoring. Darren McFadden’s continued resurgence was the big story—he carried the ball 30 times for an incredible 145 yards. Sebastian Janikowski kicked two field goals, including the eventual difference-maker, after missing one in the first half.

St. Louis Rams Update: Sebastian Janikowski Pots Another Field Goal To Put Oakland Raiders Ahead 16-7

Oakland Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski put the St. Louis Rams two scores back with a field goal in the fourth quarter of their week two contest in Oakland.

The Raiders have pulled well ahead of the Rams since replacing starting quarterback Jason Campbell with Bruce Gradkowski to start the second half.

St. Louis Rams Update: Oakland Raiders Take 13-7 Lead On Bruce Gradkowski Pass

The Oakland Raiders took a 13-7 lead in the third quarter of their game against the St. Louis Rams, on a touchdown pass from backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski. Gradkowski, who came in after Jason Campbell’s 8-for-15 start, is 6-for-9 with a touchdown pass.

St. Louis Rams Halftime Update: Rams Take 7-3 Lead Into Second Half Vs. Oakland Raiders

The St. Louis Rams got sterling performances from their top offensive players but only had one touchdown to show for it after the first half of their week two contest with the Oakland Raiders.

Sam Bradford went 9-for-11 with a touchdown pass to wide receiver Mark Clayton. Steven Jackson, who the Rams went to early and often, has 14 carries for 67 yards and three receptions for an additional 45.

For the Raiders, Jason Campbell is 8-for-15 with 87 yards and an interception. Darren McFadden has 10 carries for 38 yards.

NFL Update: Oakland Raiders On Scoreboard With Janikowski Field Goal, Trail 7-3

The Oakland Raiders got on the scoreboard with three minutes left in the first half of their week two contest with the St. Louis Rams. Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 38 yard field goal, his first success in two attempts, to cut the Rams lead to 7-3.

The Raiders were kept out of the red zone after a James Hall sack forced a fumble and a nine yard loss on third down.

St. Louis Rams Update: Sam Bradford And Mark Clayton Connect For Touchdown

St. Louis Rams rookie quarterback Sam Bradford topped off his 6-for-6 start to today’s game against the Oakland Raiders with a seven yard touchdown pass to new wide receiver Mark Clayton, staking the Rams to an early 7-0 lead as the second quarter began.

More early fireworks from Steven Jackson helped Bradford downfield—through two he has 10 carries for 60 yards and two receptions for 41 more.

St. Louis Rams - Oakland Raiders First Quarter Update: Steven Jackson, Missed Field Goals Out Of Control

The scoreless first quarter of today’s contest between the St. Louis Rams and the Oakland Raiders was characterized by two scoring near-misses and a dominant start by Rams running back Steven Jackson. Jackson ran for 56 yards on eight carries and caught a pass from Sam Bradford for 17 yards more.

But the Rams and Raiders each repelled the other’s advances, and kickers Josh Brown and Sebastian Janikowski, pushed into bad position by staunch defenses, each missed their first field goal opportunities of the game. After one quarter in Oakland, no score.

NFL Update: St. Louis Rams Can't Capitalize On First Goal-Line Opportunity

The St. Louis Rams couldn’t capitalize on their first goal-line opportunity of the day Sunday afternoon against the Oakland Raiders. After tight end Daniel Fells turned a short pass from Sam Bradford into a 36 yard gain, putting the Rams on the Oakland six, the Raiders successfully stuffed Steven Jackson before sacking Bradford for a 13 yard loss.

Josh Brown missed the resulting 13 yard field goal. With three minutes left in the first quarter the Rams and Raiders are tied at zero.

NFL Update: Steven Jackson Dominates St. Louis Rams Offense In The Early Going

St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson, little-used in week one and practicing gingerly this week on a bad knee, dominated the Rams offense in their first two possessions of week two’s game against the Oakland Raiders.

The Rams’ first five plays were Jackson carries from scrimmage, in which he picked up 37 yards. Then Sam Bradford connected with him on a 17 yard pass before Jackson took one more carry for eight yards. The Rams only looked away from Jackson on their eighth play of the game, when Kenneth Darby ran up the middle for three yards.

St. Louis Rams Meet Oakland Raiders On Road For Week Two

(Sports Network) - The newest of the many recent new eras in Oakland Raiders history began last week with a thud, as quarterback Jason Campbell could not help the Silver and Black avoid a 38-13 thumping at the hands of the Tennessee Titans.

One week later, as the Raiders welcome the St. Louis Rams to town for their 2010 opener at the Oakland Coliseum, Campbell and company will try to prove that the preseason optimism was not unfounded.

Campbell completed 22-of-37 passes for 180 yards with a touchdown and two turnovers in his formal Raiders debut (one INT, one lost fumble), also absorbing four sacks while working behind a still-developing offensive line.

Injuries to two of the team's top offensive weapons - running back Michael Bush (thumb) and wide receiver Chaz Schilens (knee) - certainly didn't help Campbell's case, nor did a defense that became the 12th consecutive Tennessee opponent to allow running back Chris Johnson to top 100 yards.

Johnson carried 27 times for 142 yards on the day, more than half of that total coming on a 76-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. The Titans accumulated 205 ground yards in the game, a disappointing total for a Raiders defense that beefed up its front seven with rookie middle linebacker Rolando McClain (6 tackles) and linemen John Henderson (5 tackles) and Lamarr Houston (3 tackles) in the offseason.

The Raiders have now lost eight consecutive season-openers.

The Rams may have offered up a few more positive signs in Week 1 than did the Raiders, but in the end, St. Louis moved to 0-1 in exactly the same manner.

Making his first career NFL start, rookie and No. 1 overall draft pick Sam Bradford gave St. Louis a chance to win but ultimately failed to get the Rams over the hump in a 17-13 home loss to the NFC West rival Arizona Cardinals

Bradford was 32-of-55 for 253 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions in the game, which was his first meaningful contest since the then-Oklahoma star suffered a shoulder injury last October. Fellow newcomer Mark Clayton, acquired in a trade with the Ravens following the preseason, made an immediate impression with 10 catches for 119 yards in his own Rams debut.

The rookie Bradford was outdone by his counterpart, Derek Anderson, who threw for 297 yards, including a game-winning touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald in the fourth quarter.

With the loss, the Rams dropped to 6-43 (.122) since the start of the 2007 season, including nine consecutive losses since winning at the Detroit Lions last Nov. 1st.

SERIES HISTORY

The Raiders lead the all-time series with the Rams, 7-4, but have dropped the last two head-to-head meetings with St. Louis. The Rams blanked the Raiders, 20-0, when they visited the Oakland Coliseum in 2006. The Raiders' most recent win over the Rams came in 1997, a 35-17 triumph at home.

The Raiders and Rams shared the now-vacant Los Angeles market from 1982 through 1994.

The Rams' Steve Spagnuolo and Raiders' Tom Cable will be meeting each other, as well as their counterpart's respective teams, for the first time as head coaches.

WHEN THE RAMS HAVE THE BALL

Clearly, having a rookie quarterback put the ball in the air 55 times is not the Rams' game plan for offensive success in 2010. Though Bradford did play reasonably well in his debut, and Clayton and fellow wideout Danny Amendola (6 receptions, 67 yards) aided the attack as well, St. Louis needs to be able to run the ball effectively with Steven Jackson to have a chance to win. Jackson carried 22 times for 81 yards in Week 1. The Rams allowed just two sacks of Bradford against the Cardinals, another positive given the youth being served on the St. Louis o-line. Rookie second-rounder Rodger Saffold (Indiana) will make his second NFL start at the all-important left tackle spot this week. Wideout Laurent Robinson (3 receptions, 18 yards), who was the recipient of Bradford's first meaningful NFL TD pass on a one-yard play to end the first half, is considered a question mark for this week due to an ankle problem.

Perhaps the most disconcerting element of Oakland's blowout loss to the Titans was the play of a surprisingly beefed up front seven, which allowed 205 rushing yards to Tennessee. Newcomers like McClain, Henderson and Houston will have to be better in Week 2. and the club is also going to need tackle Richard Seymour (5 tackles) to shake off a hamstring problem to make a difference on Sunday. The Silver and Black weren't exactly lights-out against the pass in Week 1 either, allowing Vince Young to connect on 13 of his 17 pass attempts with a pair of touchdowns. Cornerback Nnadmi Asomugha figures to have primary responsibility on Clayton this week. Elsewhere in the secondary, safety Tyvon Branch had a team-best eight tackles last week. The Raiders did manage a couple of sacks in their limited opportunities to chase Young, with new Oakland pass rusherKamerion Wimbley (5 tackles) and end Matt Shaughnessy (3 tackles) both breaking through.

WHEN THE RAIDERS HAVE THE BALL

After being punished by an underrated Titans defense last week, Campbell should look more like the player the Raiders expect him to be in the team's home opener. That expectation, of course, is predicated on a young Raiders offensive line playing better football than it did last week, when Campbell was sacked four times. If he has time to throw downfield, the ex-Redskin will look to wideouts Louis Murphy and Darrius Heyward-Bey, along with trusty tight end Zach Miller. Murphy and Miller each caught four passes against the Titans, while the former first-rounder Heyward-Bey continued to disappoint with one catch for 11 yards. The silver lining for the Oakland offense in Week 1 was the play of running back Darren McFadden, who had one of the best games of his career in the absence of his teammate Bush. McFadden carried 18 times for 95 yards in the win, also catching a team-best six passes for 55 yards, including a seven-yard touchdown grab in the fourth quarter. Bush's status for Sunday is unknown, though he has been practicing with the team.

Though they did give up the late touchdown pass from Anderson to Fitzgerald last week, and surrendered close to 400 yards when all was said and done, the Rams defense did some things against the Cardinals that suggested that side of the ball can be a credit to the winning cause in 2010. The unit forced seven fumbles on the day, four of which the Rams recovered. Linebacker Larry Grant (4 tackles) forced two of the fumbles, while safety Oshiomogho Atogwe recovered one of the miscues to go along with eight tackles. A St. Louis pass rush that mostly struggled in 2009 received good signs in the form of sacks for defensive end C.J. Ah You and tackle Fred Robbins (4 tackles) versus the Cardinals. A major key for the Rams this week will be the work of a run-stopping group that gave up 112 yards last week. Middle linebacker James Laurinaitis (5 tackles) will spearhead the effort to slow McFadden and perhaps Bush.

FANTASY FOCUS

Those owners who started McFadden last week were rewarded for that risk, but Bush's possible return to the lineup on Sunday means starting either Oakland RB is a shaky proposition. Tight end Zach Miller could be the only decent Raider play this week as kicker Sebastian Janikowski infuriated owners with a missed field goal in Tennessee last Sunday.

The Rams' Clayton was a major waiver-wire pickup this week, and while 10 more catches and 119 yards is probably not in the cards against the Raiders, he's worth playing given his early chemistry with Bradford. Jackson remains a bona fide fantasy starter at the running back position, but otherwise you'll want to steer clear from Rams.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Barring the unlikely event of a tie, one of these teams will come out of Sunday's matchup at 1-1 and carrying some hope into the end of September. The other will be 0-2, and will be dealing with a fan base stuck in a "same as it ever was" avalanche of negativity. If the Raiders lose to the Rams at home, they're going to be feeling that negativity long before they leave the Oakland Coliseum turf. With that in mind, look for the Silver and Black to come out focused and driven to win on Sunday. The Raiders know they're further along with the veteran Campbell behind center than the Rams are with the still- developing Bradford, and will exploit both the youngster's inexperience and St. Louis' long-standing road troubles.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Raiders 23, Rams 9