Another One Gets Away

Quarterback Mark Brunell fumbles after being hit by Raiders defensive end Derrick Burgess on the final play of the Redskins' last-minute comeback attempt. (Jonathan Newton - The Washington Post)

Oakland's offense, meantime, exploded to start the second half. Porter lined up in the slot, and the Raiders attacked a front in which a linebacker would have to cover him. Porter sprinted from the line unimpeded and caught a pass from Collins over his left shoulder, with Marshall a step behind. "You would like a jam [at the line], but regardless of that I have to go out there and make that play," Marshall said

The Raiders tied the game at 13 in the fourth quarter. Porter, who finished with six receptions for 142 yards, ran a crossing route for a 25-yard gain on third down, bouncing up from a massive hit by safety Sean Taylor on a rare occasion when Washington blitzed heavily. Like many opponents recently, Oakland used additional players to "max-protect" the passer, sending only one or two receivers into many patterns and taking their chances downfield.

"What can you do, man?" end Renaldo Wynn said. "Look at the film, and I'm sure everybody on the D-line is getting double-teamed."

On the next play reserve wide receiver Doug Gabriel caught a 37-yard pass down to the 12, his first catch of the game; Taylor looked inside at the slant receiver, leaving Gabriel wide open on the right sideline behind cornerback Shawn Springs. Sebastian Janikowski made a 25-yard field goal to tie it, then Oakland took its first and only lead with 68 seconds left in regulation.

The Raiders drove 50 yards for the win, with Jordan (89 combined yards) involved in seven straight plays including a first-down rush from the 1 for no gain. Jordan was ruled down by contact before the ball squirted away and was recovered by the Redskins, who believe officials incorrectly awarded Tampa a game-winning two-point conversion last week. A down-by-contact ruling can not be challenged, however, and Oakland retained possession, with Janikowski's 19-yard chip shot holding up.

"You would hope that we'd be getting those calls right," Gibbs said.

The game ended with Brunell being sacked at midfield. The quarterback threw seven straight incompletions in the fourth quarter and finished the afternoon in a 2-for-10 funk, symbolizing a season gone awry.

"You try to keep a positive attitude, which is going to be tough," Brunell said, "We're not pleased with where we're at."