Oakland Raiders: Stealing a Win? Is a Win a Win? Quick Game Recap

In week six the Oakland Raiders played very well against the 6-0 Atlanta Falcons and came up just short in a 23-20 loss in Atlanta.

Sunday, in a 26-23 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars they didn't even sniff the level of play or intensity they showed against one of the league's best teams.

They were able to win after playing badly for most of the game and do what some might label as stealing a win at home against Jacksonville.

Don't tell that to Raiders' head coach Dennis Allen, though.

"I don't think you steal wins in the National Football League.  At the end of the day you make enough plays to win a game and I thought our guys did that today," said Allen after being asked if he felt like his team stole a win on Sunday.

No Huddle

In the second half the Raiders went to the no-huddle offense and stayed with it for most of the game.  Carson Palmer seemed to be able to move the offense more effectively when he was able to call the plays at the line and read the defenses before the snap.

The question is, how much control does Palmer have when they go no-huddle?

"There is communication between him and Gregg Knapp [offensive coordinator], but at the end of the day Carson makes the final decisions on what play we're running based off the game plan and what we feel like we can do to exploit their defensive structure," explained Allen.

Is a Win a Win?

Coach Allen was asked, point blank, is a win a win?

"Well yeah, we feel good about winning.  That's what you're supposed to do in this league, you're supposed to win games, said Allen.  "Am I pleased with the way we played, especially in the first half? Absolutely not, we've got to play better."

How it Went Down

The Raiders defeated the now 1-5 Jaguars 26-23 in overtime on Sunday to improve to 2-4.

The Raiders trailed by as many as 14 points twice in a game that allowed the Jaguars to score 13 points off of the Raiders' turnovers.

Oakland started the game in an offensive funk; however, it was able to put the first points of the game on the board.

The Raiders' defense forced two three and outs to start the game.  On the Raiders' second possession Carson Palmer found Darrius Heyward-Bey wide open down the right sideline for a 59-yard hookup that put them in business deep in Jaguar territory.

The drive stalled and Sebastian Janikowski put the Raiders up 3-0 with a 21-yard field goal.

A blown coverage, a muffed punt and a horrible attempt at a shovel pass later and the Raiders found themselves in a 17-3 hole to a team that has never led by double digits in 2012.

Wait, I forgot to mention the fact that the Jaguars were without two of their best players on offense for most of the game.  Running back Maurice Jones-Drew only played two snaps after suffering a foot injury.  Quarterback Blaine Gabbert was absent as well after a shoulder injury sidelined him in the second quarter.

Gabbert was replaced by Chad Henne and Rashad Jennings took over for Jones-Drew.

Janikowski put three more on the board for the Raiders late in the second quarter after another drive stalled out in the red zone, making it 17-6 at the half.

The Raiders' defense continued to clamp down and take advantage of Jacksonville's bad luck in the injury department and held the Jaguars to six points in the second half.

The Raiders fought their way back in the second half and with under four minutes left in the game the Raiders were forced into a decision that ultimately changed the game.

The Raiders faced a fourth-and-10 on Jacksonville's 25-yard line trailing 23-16.  At first it looked as if the Raiders chose to use Janikowski once again for what would be his fourth field goal of the game.  The field goal unit was on the field and then, after a timeout, Palmer reappeared.

Palmer threw deep to Heyward-Bey and cornerback Aaron Ross was called for pass interference in the end zone.  The play put the Raiders in business at Jacksonville's 1-yard line and Palmer was able to score on the next play via the quarterback sneak to tie the game.

With the game tied at 23 with just over three minutes to play, the Raiders seemed to have the momentum.  The ball actually exchanged hands a few more times before time expired with either team able to put the game away.

Janikowski did get a shot at a record-breaking 64-yard field goal as time expired, but the kick fell way short.

The Jaguars received the ball to start overtime just to allow the Raiders to get a sack and force a fumble on the third-down by Lamarr Houston on Cecil Shorts lll that was recovered by Raiders defensive back Joselio Hanson.

Now it was time for Janikowski to earn his fourth field goal of the day from 40 yards out.  The kick was good and the Raiders escaped with a 26-23 win.

Now What?

As ugly as this win was for the Raiders, they are now only one game out of first place in the AFC West.

For now the ugly wins will work, but as the season moves forward the Raiders will have to show they can beat an inferior team soundly if they want to take a step forward as a football team.

There is no shame in winning ugly.  Playing badly and winning is always better than playing well and losing, isn't it?

All quotes were gathered first hand unless noted.