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Raiders end scoring drought, surprise Broncos

Nov 24, 2008 - 2:30 AM By Brady Delander PA SportsTicker Staff Writer

DENVER (Ticker) - When the Oakland Raiders' offensive touchdown drought finally ended after 15 quarters, a sense of relief and purpose washed over the team.

Darren McFadden punched in a 1-yard run for Oakland's first offensive touchdown since October 26 - just one of many Raiders' highlights in a 31-10 victory over the listless Denver Broncos on Sunday.

JaMarcus Russell played one of the best games of his young career, completing 10-of-11 passes for 152 yards, and Ashley Lelie took advantage of his former team with four receptions for 92 yards and a score.

"It was huge," Raiders interim coach Tom Cable said of McFadden's touchdown, the first of his two 1-yard scoring runs.

"You could even feel it on the sidelines. It was something that we've been thirsting for. From there, it seemed like the opportunities came after that. We became more confident and it seemed like the weight of the world was lifted off our shoulders."

Oakland's Johnnie Lee Higgins returned a punt for a touchdown for the second week in a row.

"It was very exciting, man," Higgins said. "But it wasn't just me. They did a great job blocking, avoiding clips and they gave me a whole lane to run in."

Oakland unveiled some tricks on offense - including direct snaps to the running back, a halfback pass and an end-around - to frustrate the Broncos' defense.

Justin Fargas racked up 107 yards on 24 carries, helping the Raiders (3-8) snap a four-game losing streak.

The Broncos (6-5) benefited from some Oakland miscues, but Denver made too many of its own mistakes and couldn't build any momentum.

Denver was stung by a fumble five yards from the end zone, a key interception and two missed field goals.

"A couple of missed field goals and a punt return does not help your team win," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said. "In the first half, I thought we obviously missed some opportunities. They only had about 120 yards of total offense in that first half but still made a couple plays."

Higgins' 89-yard punt return helped Oakland to a 10-3 lead at the half, but the Broncos looked ready to rally in the second half.

Denver tied it, 10-10, on rookie Peyton Hillis' 6-yard TD run on 4th-and-1. The TD capped a drive in which the Broncos took the second-half kickoff and marched 85 yards on 13 plays.

However, Denver's defense collapsed as the usually punchless Raiders erupted for 21 unanswered points in an 11-minute span to win going away.

Russell found Lelie for a 51-yard gain on Oakland's first play after Denver's touchdown. McFadden then punched the ball over the line from a yard out to start Oakland rolling.

"We hit that play numerous times in practice," said Russell, who completed his first nine passes. "(Lelie) played really, really well for us today. I think it was big time for him to come up with a big game like that against his old team."

The hometown crowd responded to Lelie's big plays with a chorus of boos. But it turned out to be music to the receiver's ears.

"It sounded like cheers to me," Lelie said. "I've been waiting for this moment ever since I left here, and it made it better to do it with the Raiders."

Russell tossed a 4-yard TD pass to Lelie 48 seconds into the fourth quarter to make it 24-10 before McFadden added his second score 4 1/2 minutes later.

Oakland's three offensive touchdowns were two more than they scored in any of their previous six games under Cable.