Tag Archives: Oakland Raiders

1997 Game 164 (Week 12) Oakland at San Diego

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Raiders roll past the Chargers on Sunday Night

Jeff George has had an All-Pro type of season. He is currently the top rated passer in the AFC with a 101.9 quarterback rating and now has led the Raiders to two consecutive wins as the Oakland Raiders defeated the San Diego Chargers on Sunday Night, 24-10.

George threw for 275 yards on the night on 16 of 31 passing. He threw two more bomb touchdown passes and threw an interception, which is only the second IN he’s thrown all season. In fact, he has thrown 23 TD passes compared to the two INTs.

George threw a 59-yard catch and run with WR Tim Brown to set up a TD, and then he threw a 62-yard bomb to Ricky Dudley that went for a touchdown. George fits the bill for Al Davis’s philosophy of a big arm quarterback to throw the bomb. On the season, George has a 14.6 yards per catch, which is tops for all qualifying QBs.

As for the Chargers, their offensive woes continue. They could only muster up 261 yards against a defense that was averaging near 400 yards per game in the Raiders’ defense. The only touchdown on the night was a 73-yard punt return by Eric Metcalf. This is Metcalf’s fourth punt return TD of the season, which ties an NFL record set by Jack Christiansen of the Lions in 1951 and Rick Upchurch of the Broncos in 1976.

The Raiders, now 3-8, will try to run their current winning streak to three when they travel to Denver next week to take on their hated rivals, the Broncos, on Monday Night. As for the Chargers (1-10), they will travel to San Francisco.

1997 Game 164 Stats

1997 Game 146 (Week 11) New Orleans at Oakland

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George bombs Raiders to victory

Oakland Raiders’ QB Jeff George is having a career-year despite the Raiders’ struggles as a team. They are now 2-8 with their victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, 33-13, but they have had an All-Pro season from George. He continues to put up unbelievable numbers in the passing game.

On Sunday, it was George’s big play ability that propelled the Raiders to victory. George threw two dynamic TD passes. One was an 80-yard bomb to WR James Jett, and the other was a 57-yarder to RB Napolean Kaufman. In the game, George threw for 258 yards on just 15 of 26 passing with the 2 TDs.

On the season, George is the leading passer in the AFC. He has completed 56.6% of his passes for 2,727 yards and 21 TD passes. The amazing part of his performance is that he has only thrown one interception all season. He has a 103 passing rating and that is second to only Steve Young in the entire NFL.

The Raiders also got a huge performance from RB Kaufman on the ground. Once the Raiders got the lead, Kaufman went to work. He rushed 28 times for 153 yards on the day.

As for the Saints, they have been one of the most surprising teams of the 1997 season. Most experts picked the Saints to finish at the bottom of the NFC West and no one thought they would be contending for the division title let alone a Wildcard position. However, despite their surprising start, the Saints fell back to Earth on Sunday.

QB Heath Shuler threw for 228 yards in the game, but he threw another interception. That gives Shuler 18 INTs on the season. The Saints’ defense has been the strength of the team, but they gave up 409 yards to the Raiders with 164 of it coming on the ground.

Next week, the Saints (6-3) will take on another surprising team in the Superdome…the Seattle Seahawks. As for the 2-8 Raiders, they will play on Sunday Night Football next week against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

1997 Game 146 Stats