Sep 17, 2007, 0:50 GMT
Denver, CO - Jason Elam's 23-yard field goal with 5:48 remaining in overtime lifted the Denver Broncos to a 23-20 win over the Oakland Raiders.
Sebastian Janikowski seemed to have won it for the Raiders when he hit a 52- yard field goal with 11:13 left in overtime but the official at the Broncos' sideline was signaling for a clock stoppage, because the Broncos called timeout just before the snap.
'I just told them [the officials] I was going to call a timeout before hand,' Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. 'I told them that as they were lining up I was going to call it. I had plenty of time - there were probably about two seconds before he did it.'
The re-kick bounced off the top of the left upright keeping hope alive for Denver. Jay Cutler and the Broncos offense took over at their own 42-yard line and marched down to the Oakland six before sending Elam on for the game- winning kick.
'I really did think that the game was over and we had won, but just like anything else, you have to take half a minute to get your defense back out on the filed and perform,' Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said. 'Nobody was aware of the timeout.'
Cutler went 23-of-33 for 269 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions, and Travis Henry rushed for 128 yards on 26 carries for the Broncos (2-0), who won on a field goal for the second straight week.
Elam rushed onto the field with no timeouts and drilled a 42-yarder as time expired, giving the Broncos a 15-14 win at Buffalo in the season opener.
'I really think my players don't like me and they're trying to kill me, to be honest with you,' a laughing Shanahan said. 'Obviously, we had some adversity, some turnovers, we had control of the football game and we lost it. But we were able to fight back, and make the plays when we had to make them.'
Javon Walker caught eight balls for 101 yards for the Broncos.
Lamont Jordan carried the load offensively for the Raiders (0-2) rushing for a career-high 159 yards on 25 carries. Starting quarterback Josh McCown, who started despite a small fracture on the index finger of his right hand and a sore right foot, finished 8-of-16 for just 73 yards for Oakland, which was outgained 441-253.
Denver got on the board first when Cutler hit Brandon Stokley for a nine-yard touchdown with just over five minutes left in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Janikowski was good from 38-yards less than five minutes in, cutting the Broncos' lead to 7-3.
Denver, though, went on a five-play, 80-yard drive capped by Cecil Sapp's four-yard touchdown run midway through the quarter and added a 23-yard Elam field goal with 18 seconds remaining to take a 17-3 halftime lead.
Oakland took advantage of a failed Broncos red zone trip early in the third quarter and scored the next 17 points.
Denver drove to the Oakland 20 but after two penalties settled for an Elam 45- yard field-goal attempt that was wide right.
The Raiders then went on a seven-play, 65-yard drive punctuated by Jerry Porter's 46-yard touchdown reception from McCown.
Oakland's defense scored nine points in the fourth quarter.
Gerard Warren, a former Bronco, sacked Cutler in the end zone for a safety that pulled the Raiders within 17-12 45 seconds into final quarter.
Then, with 8:55 showing on the clock, Thomas Howard intercepted a Cutler pass that was tipped at the line by defensive end Jay Richardson and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown.
McCown then connected with Ronald Curry for the 2-point conversion putting Oakland on top 20-17.
Denver, though, responded with a 15-play, 78-yard drive, but after being stuffed at the two, settled for an Elam game-tying 20 yarder with 2:18 left to play.
Game Notes
Elam has 22-game winning kicks...Sapp's touchdown was the first of his career... Oakland recorded its first successful onside kick since 1996 in the third quarter but failed to score on the ensuing possession...The game was delayed for 25 minutes by lightning in the first half...Oakland has lost 11 straight overall..Denver has won eight straight home openers and five straight overall versus Oakland.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Game Notes.
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