Raiders, Culpepper run over Dolphins

By Anthony Carroll  |   Monday, October 01, 2007  |  Comments( 46 )

Oakland Raiders
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Perhaps Jerry, not Joey, Porter should have been the one guaranteeing a win.

On Sunday, the Oakland Raiders traveled to Miami, rushed for 299 yards and left with a 35-17 victory, their second of the season.

Dolphins linebacker Joey "We will win" Porter finished the game with a whopping four tackles. On the opposite side of the field, Raiders wideout Jerry Porter hauled in three passes for 52 yards and two touchdowns. Advantage: Jerry Porter and the Raiders.

The story in Miami, though, was ex-Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who totaled five touchdowns and no turnovers in his first start with Oakland.

The 6-foot-4, 260-pounder rushed for three touchdowns, including a diving 5-yarder in the third quarter where he got up, pointed to his right knee and signaled "A-OK" with his fingers. It was a sight every Dolphin fan didn't want to see, but one Raider Nation had to love.

Aside from three rushing TDs, Culpepper also threw for two scores, including a 27-yarder to Porter midway through the fourth quarter to give Oakland a two-score, 28-17 lead.

Much of Oakland's success through the air, though, came as a result of a tremendous rushing game.

Starting running back LaMont Jordan left the game with a back injury with 38 seconds remaining in the first half and never returned. Before then, however, the 230-pounder had already racked up 74 yards on the ground on 4.9 yards per carry. In his place, fifth-year halfback Justin Fargas finished off the game and carried the ball 22 times for a career-high 179 yards (8.1 yards per carry).

Defensively, it was, for the fourth straight week, Oakland's linebackers who stole the show.

Despite no mid-week guarantees, bold quotes or predictions prior to the game, Oakland's top two LBs -- Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard -- combined for eight solo tackles and an interception. The pair of young defenders now has 53 tackles and six interceptions in four games.

Also, cornerback Stanford Routt, who shared time with Fabian Washington for the second straight week, registered an interception, his second of the year. Routt picked off a deep pass midway through the second quarter intended for wideout Chris Chambers, who was held to just 21 receiving yards on the game.

The last time Oakland scored 35 or more points was on Oct. 23, 2005, in a 38-17 win over the Buffalo Bills.

Next week, the 2-2 Raiders will head home for a Week 5 bye.

In two weeks, running back Dominic Rhodes will return from suspension, when the team matches up with the division rival San Diego Chargers, who are off to a surprising, disappointing 1-3 start.

Raiders' Week 4 duds:

2. Mike Williams: Williams put his finger up in celebration on a 48-yard Justin Fargas scamper. The problem? Fargas was still running, and as a result, Williams missed a block that could have possibly sealed a touchdown.

1. Johnnie Lee Higgins: The 23-year-old rookie lost a fumble off a punt in the third quarter that resulted in a Dolphins touchdown. He was replaced by Chris Carr on the next punt.

Raiders' Week 4 studs:

3. Daunte Culpepper: After his third touchdown of the day, Culpepper ran to the sideline and gave his signature "roll" taunt. No. 8 rolled all day; he was single-handedly responsible for each of the Raiders' five touchdowns.

2. LaMont Jordan/Justin Fargas: The two running backs split the game in the half and finished with a combined 37 carries for 253 yards. That's close to 7.0 yards per rush.

1. Offensive line: This isn't the same line as last year. Oakland's front five gave up just one sack on the day and led the way for nearly 300 yards on the ground.

Anthony Carroll, a senior writer for RealFootball365.com, can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com
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About Anthony Carroll

Anthony Carroll began writing for RealFootball365.com on Sept. 26, 2005, making him one of the longest tenured contributors to the “365” team. As a senior writer, Anthony has taken on the task of delivering original content to the silver and black faithful year round, despite having to deal...
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CommentsComments: 46  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Raider Glory		02:14 AM
10/01/2007
Whata GREAT WIN!! I cannot remember when was the last time we dominated another team that way!! That was sweet!! If not for that...
No.2
Paul		02:27 AM
10/01/2007
Now What!! To all the HATERS, we rule the BAY AREA & crushed the Fins, it's a great come back by Kiffin & Company.... Ya'll...
No.3
raidersensation		03:01 AM
10/01/2007
Here are the 5 things I liked: 1) Daunte starting the game and proving that he could move the ball efficiently. I especially...
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