Lions rally to beat Raiders

Sep 9, 2007, 23:44 GMT

Oakland, CA - Jon Kitna threw three touchdown passes, one of them to rookie phenom Calvin Johnson, as the Detroit Lions coughed up a 17- point lead but rallied to beat the Oakland Raiders, 36-21, in the season opener for both teams at McAfee Coliseum.

Kitna ended 27-of-36 for 289 yards with a pair of interceptions for the Lions (1-0), while the No. 2 overall pick Johnson caught four balls for 70 yards. Roy Williams and Shaun McDonald also had a touchdown reception each.

Tatum Bell, in his first game as a Lion, rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Josh McCown went 30-of-40 for 313 yards with two touchdowns and two picks against his former team, and Ronald Curry had 10 receptions for 133 yards with a score. Lamont Jordan had 159 total yards and a TD as the Raiders (0-1) stormed back, but were unable to hang on for a win in head coach Lane Kiffin's debut.

'We did some good things, we got the lead, but we have got to finish,' McCown said. 'You just keep your chin up, and keep rolling. For me to get caught up in that (the fans' disapproval) would be a detriment to this team, as the quarterback. I have more important things to worry about in the middle of a game, then if the fans aren't liking how I am playing.'

McCown got the nod over Daunte Culpepper, as the Raiders wait for top pick JaMarcus Russell to sign a contract.

The Lions coughed up a 17-0 lead and trailed by a point in the fourth, but orchestrated a seven-play, 80-yard drive to reclaim command. On third-and- nine, Kitna found McDonald for a 13-yard completion that kept the drive alive, then went right back to McDonald on the next play for a 32-yard strike for the score to move in front, 26-21, with under five minutes to play. The two-point conversion attempt was no good.

Dewayne White intercepted McCown in the next sequence, which Detroit converted into three points thanks to Jason Hanson's 23-yard field goal at the two- minute warning.

Oakland -- trailing by eight -- had a shot to tie the game, but turned the ball over on its next possession as well. Detroit took over and iced the game with Bell's 14-yard TD scamper up the middle.

'That's the thing that's killed us in the past, that's what happened last year,' Kitna said of the Lions blowing leads. 'I said during the offseason, how we handle adversity will be the telling sign for this football team and now we're starting to turn the corner. To score 19 points in the fourth quarter as a team, the defense getting turnovers, the offense putting it in the end zone and special teams doing their part, it was huge.'

The Raiders' first possession of the second quarter started deep in their own territory and they were forced into a three-and-out, giving the Lions quality field position. Two plays later, Kitna scrambled and found Williams in the end zone for a 13-yard strike that gave Detroit a 7-0 lead.

Oakland put together a decent drive in response, but came up empty when Sebastian Janikowski missed a 46-yard field goal attempt wide right. Janikowski also had a 50-yard attempt blocked earlier in the quarter.

The Lions got the ball back and marched down the field before Hanson split the uprights from 46 yards out for a 10-0 lead late in the second quarter.

The Raiders got the ball to start the second half, but McCown threw an interception to Travis Fisher to thwart their drive. Moments later, Kita hooked up with Johnson for a 16-yard touchdown completion that increased Detroit's lead to 17.

Oakland lashed back with 17 unanswered points to make a game of it. The first score came with about four minutes remaining in the third on a four-yard TD pass from McCown to Curry.

On the ensuing drive, Kitna's pass attempt glanced off the hands of Williams and into the arms of Stanford Routt, who returned it down to the Lions' 27. Jordan pulled his team within three moments later with a 12-yard rumble to pay dirt.

Hanson upped the Detroit lead to 20-14 with a 46-yard field goal early in the fourth, but the Raiders had an immediate answer. McCown went 5-or-5 on the following possession, including a seven-yard touchdown pass to Justin Griffin that put Oakland in front, 21-20.

Game Notes

McDonald finished with six grabs for 90 yards...Culpepper did see action briefly, going 1-for-1 for six yards...Janikowski ended 0-for-3...McCown was acquired via trade from Detroit this past April.

© 2007 The Sports Network

Game Notes

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